By Aaron Weeks

My first thoughts going into the KAKEHASHI exchange were ones that were followed with nervous energy. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my Japanese skill and was even more nervous that I wouldn’t even get along with the visiting students. I got into the class about right before the students’ arrival. Everybody was preparing things and it didn’t really immediately help with my nervousness, but when the students got there it was much more relaxed than I was prepared for. The students knew enough English and we knew enough Japanese to communicate through both languages successfully (although the Japanese students were more proficient at English than we were at Japanese). If we were confused with a word the Japanese students found a way to explain to us, and if they were confused we found a way to explain to them what we meant.

These mutual understandings we had of each others’ language allowed me to realize how much I had in common with the Japanese students from the KAKEHASHI group. I was able to relate most to them by asking about their music taste, because music is a very important part of my personal life. I got to learn that we even shared similar music tastes. I got to relate with a group of students over our shared interest in the Hip Hop genre as well as the jazz genre. I even met a student who shared an interest in the band “Ikimonogakari.” These shared experiences helped me get over those nervous thoughts I came in with. I’m very glad I got to meet with the KAKEHASHI group and get that experience of using the Japanese language to learn about kids I share similar tastes with.