Some people spend years searching for their passion but for one Windham High School (WHS) senior, the thought of experiencing a way of life in another country began at an early age.
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| Windham High School senior Kate Lopes, left, shared an opportunity of a lifetime by spending a full year in a Japanese Exchange Program. Lopes is shown with her host Japanese family. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
“It all began in seventh grade,” Lopes said. “I had always wanted something different and felt a strong connection to Japanese culture. I knew I wanted to be an exchange student, so I started taking steps around 11 years old to learn more about it. The biggest decision was how long I wanted to stay. I considered a summer program, a semester and a full academic year, but decided that a year felt right. I really wanted to experience daily life in Japan, and I felt that anything shorter would only scratch the surface. I wouldn’t get to experience everything I truly wanted to if I didn’t participate in a full year.”
The preparation to reach this goal included studying the language. When Lopes was a freshman, she decided to participate in WHS’s Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) program where she could learn the language.
“We don’t have a Japanese studies program at WHS, so I asked one of our World Language Department Chairs, Ms. [Tianna] Burton about how I could go about learning the language.” Lopes said. “She suggested reaching out to our ELO coordinator, Ms. [Lorraine] Glowczak and it was there I was introduced to the The Language Exchange program based out of Portland.”
Through the ELO and The Language Exchange programs, Lopes got to learn the basics of the Japanese language from a teacher who was born in Japan but now lives in Maine.
“Having this background knowledge was very helpful and prepared me for my experience, but I discovered that speaking it in everyday situations was difficult,” Lopes said. “By having this immersive experience, I was eventually able to talk with others in the context of daily life.”
Lopes learned about the cultural differences, and experienced surprising discoveries while living everyday life in Japan.
“The walkability really stood out to me,” she said. “The infrastructure is built around the city, making it easy to get from place to place. The train stations even have shopping malls, and there’s food available within walking distance. Everyone uses bikes, including electric bikes to get up the hills, and you can get almost anywhere by foot.”
Attending a private school rather than a public school, Lopes said that her educational experience may be different from the American perspective of Japanese education.
“People often think teachers in Japan are really strict, but they also know how to make learning fun,” she said. “The classes were lecture-based, but the teachers had fun personalities, and we were allowed to joke around and chat during instruction. The atmosphere was more relaxed and casual than I expected.”
Lopes said the classes were big, with about 30 to 40 students packed into a room.
“The school day started at 8:25 a.m., with classes running until 3:30 p.m.,” she said. “We had 10-minute passing periods and 45-minute classes. Extracurricular activities were just as important as academics, with clubs often meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. I had school five days a week, although I knew some students who attended six days. Dinner was usually around 7 p.m.”
The biggest takeaway from her experience was how important community and family is to the majority of Japanese people.
“The biggest part of my experience was definitely the sense of belonging and community,” Lopes said. “I felt incredibly lucky to be welcomed into the community in the first place, because I knew that being accepted in Japan as a foreigner can be difficult. I never took that welcome for granted and I was always grateful for how kind and accepting people were toward me.”
Lopes said that one of her favorite experiences was celebrating New Year’s with her host family.
“New Year’s Day is a very family-oriented holiday, and it was fun to experience a tradition that is so deeply rooted in Japanese culture,” she said. “Being able to take part in that tradition made me feel even more grateful for my host family and for the opportunity to experience their culture firsthand.”
Lopes hopes to build a future in Japan through her interest in ceramics. After graduating from WHS in the spring, she plans to attend Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) for two years before pursuing further studies in Kyoto, or seeking an apprenticeship at a ceramics studio in Japan. Ultimately, Lopes hopes to turn her passion into a career working alongside Japanese ceramic artists. <
