Princeton in Ishikawa: One year of Japanese in 8 weeks Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My classes were run with Princeton University regulations and grading policies, and all in all it was a rigorous but enjoyable academic experience. The teachers were energetic and very competent. All of the Princeton professors (who taught 2/3 of the time) had plenty of experience teaching Japanese as a foreign language. The remaining 1/3 of the teaching time was done by local Japanese teachers, and they were also good but I have to admit my favorites were the Princeton professors. I think they understood American college students more, so their teaching style worked with us better. Overall, though, the classroom environment was conducive to learning, there were high expectations, and I enjoyed myself while learning a lot.

On-site administration of your program

As I said, classes were taught under Princeton standards. Everything met my expectations for academic rigor, except at times the local teachers (though that might have been my impression because they always taught the last hour, when I was tired).

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family always made delicious food and was usually supportive of my studies. I sometimes found myself wishing that my host brother (age 8) would let me study in peace, or that his mother or grandparents would keep him from bothering me while I studied. As a result, I had to study in my room or at the library a lot, and I felt like I was missing out on time that I could be spending in the presence of my host family. Furthermore, my host mother (the family grandmother, age 60) was a little unwell, so it made me wonder if I was a burden for them. I think the program could have done a better job of finding a host family that would support a student's study needs and be able to energetically show them the culture.

My host family's food was delicious. As for lunch, I bought it either at the convenience store or the grocery store, and food was readily available and not too expensive (except fruit).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

They did a good job of arranging cultural activities. My favorites were: folk dancing, pottery-making, and taiko. We also had a weekend trip the second weekend we were there, which was wonderful. We saw many great sites (in Noto Peninsula) and we bonded as a group. However, it was sometimes hard to socialize because I was studying so often. Also, with the buses only running until 10pm or so, I felt that I could not really go out at night and do much. Other students managed to go out and drink if they wanted to, though. I guess I was one of the more serious or bookish students in that regard.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Kanazawa is safe and there were hospitals everywhere. I never needed medical attention. I believe one girl had to go to the hospital once when she got a stomach sickness, and one boy went when he fell down and hurt his face, but they seemed to have been well taken care of.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I learned a lot of Japanese in the classroom, had daily opportunities to speak Japanese as I lived with a host family, and overall learned a lot. My one complaint is that studying with a bunch of Americans inevitably led us to speak English quite often. After the program, I visited Japanese friends in Hokkaido and spent about a week speaking only Japanese. Although I certainly learned more kanji and grammar in my program than in my visit to see friends, I think the true immersion of my week-long visit to Hokkaido gave me just as much if not more progress with my comfort with the language and vocabulary.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans