My name is Karen Haedrich, and I am an alumna from ...



My name is Karen Haedrich, and I am an alumna from Hamilton College’s class of 2006. I studied Japanese at Hamilton and studied abroad for a semester in Tokyo. Professors Kamiya, Omori, and Ortabasi were with me for all four years, and I also enjoyed classes with Professors Asai, Murakami, and Tanemura. I am passionate about Japan and the Japanese program, so I would like to recommend that everyone take the chance to study abroad.

I had a great time studying abroad in Tokyo. I stayed with a host family, and they are wonderful people who I still keep regular contact with. I think that my conversations with them improved my Japanese tremendously. One of the most important things to do when studying abroad is to truly take an interest in where you are and the language you are learning. Never be afraid to try something new, and try not to have any preconceptions about the things you see, because then you might miss something that would have been a great experience. Making friends is important too; it not only improves your language skills and lets you see places that you would not have seen as a tourist, but you also will have great contacts and build relationships that could last a long time.

I studied Japanese language for two and a half years before going abroad, and I think that I had a big advantage over people who had not studied before coming. Having a basic knowledge of the language helped me learn more complicated grammar items and vocabulary than I would have otherwise. I chose the program at Jochi Daigaku/Sophia University, mostly because I wanted to be in Tokyo more than other cities. However, the class was not as challenging as my classes at Hamilton, and I feel that I learned more Japanese by simply living in the country than from my classes at the University. The year that I was there was the last year that the foreign students and Japanese students studied on different campuses. Now that there is only one campus, maybe the classes have been improved.

Even though being in Tokyo and being with a host family were the right choices for me, I would like to note that everyone should choose a program based on their own experiences and personality. Some people might do better living in a dorm or studying in a different school. I am not recommending that everyone do the same program that I did, but that you do a little research and find a program that sounds interesting to you!

As for me particularly, I am very interested in the Japanese entertainment and media world, especially music and television. I think that this is a great way to enjoy the culture and experience modern Japan. Seeing temples and tea ceremony or knowing history is important, but if you can’t recognize when someone is doing an impression of SMAP’s Kimura Takuya, maybe you are missing out! Seriously, though, I think that music and television are not only great parts of the culture, but also great listening practice!

Right now, having graduated from Hamilton College in May 2006, I am living in Tokyo on my own and doing great. The Japanese language skills that I learned at Hamilton and studying abroad are invaluable to me in daily life. I am teaching English conversation but also pursuing my dream of being a part of the Japanese entertainment world. So far I have appeared in small roles in several TV shows. I am also having a great time with my former host family, my friends that I made studying abroad, and also the new friends that I have made while living here. Even if you plan to stay in your home country after graduation, or even if you are thinking of going somewhere other than Japan, I think that having foreign language skills and the experience of having lived in another culture is very important, and helps shape your worldview as a scholar and as a human being.

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