I think that one of the most effective ways in which one can integrate into a community is by building connections, through making new friends when traveling or studying abroad. My experience with the people I have met here has helped me stay grounded and excited to explore new opportunities in Japan AND the world.
I believe the idea of already having close friends in Japan -- even before arriving in Japan -- has helped me adapt to my community a lot faster. One of my first experiences of connecting with a local person from Kansai Gaidai University started even before I chose to study abroad at this particular university. In fact, that person happened to be my roommate at my home university in Greensboro, North Carolina. My roommate was a Japanese exchange student who was studying abroad in the United States for the 2018 academic year. During our time together, she had shared so many fascinating things about Japan and was always there to help me with my Japanese language learning process.
I continued to make friends with more and more Japanese people even after she had returned to Japan. They all insisted that I visit them and assured me that they would be there to help me if I ever needed help when in their country.
