It was an honor to be part of the Japan East-Asia Network Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) program for 2018.

I only heard of the program in my second year of university when a student email was circulated about JENESYS . A friend and I decided to sit in for the JENESYS orientation at USP and after that session we were driven to apply for the program. While preparing for our final exams we were both elated to receive our confirmation letters for the cultural exchange program. My friend joined Group 2 while I was grouped in the last lot for 2018.

My Japan experience has truly been an amazing encounter. This program allowed students from seven pacific island nations to fully emerge themselves into the Japanese lifestyle. The special aspect of the JENESYS program was that it allowed us students to connect as a pacific nation with Japan being our common. At the end of the program we had built a big family of diverse culture.

Throughout the entire trip we had two Japanese coordinators (Ms Yamashita and Mrs Araki), a translator from Russia (Mr Alex) and two supervisors from Fiji (Mrs Teresa Ali and Mrs Vilma Ratumudu) travelling with us. Our leads had a big impact on us students. With them being more of a parental figure rather than police officers, students were able to open up comfortably and most importantly enjoy the experience. By the end of the trip we found ourselves referring to our coordinators and supervisors as ‘mama’.

The program and site visits in Japan were aligned to the theme Environment and Energy. Although our schedule was tight we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. The nine days in Japan started quite early in the morning and by the end of the day we would be in our rooms at 8pm. There was a lot of travelling between sites but the infrastructure and scenic environment of Japan had us lost in her beauty.

Group 6 was assigned to the Okinawa prefecture and we stayed on the island of Miyako-jima for four nights. It is here where we met our lovely home stay parents and experienced Japan and her hidden treasures. Overall the exchange program was only 9 days but Miyako-jima has become another place I confidently call home.