Level Up!

How do you “level up” in life? Video games give us all kinds of opportunities to level up; step on a toadstool and get an extra life, throw a banana peel and knock Princess Peach out of the way for an extra star, punch the lizard-headed demon a few times for some “strength” points. But how can we do this in our real lives?

Several CIEE students today had the chance to meet with Eiji Koehler, born in America but now a Japanese citizen, who structured his discussion with them around the idea of leveling up their language skills or general study abroad skills. Approaching life but especially living abroad as a set of parameters to fulfill helps contextualize what matters; specifically, Eiji focused on language (improving Japanese abilities), culture (navigating Japanese culture as an adult- did you know there’s a hierarchy to where we should stand in an elevator?), career (making money in Japan), community (making friends in Japan) and health (keeping diet, mental health, and exercise in check).

Most relevant perhaps was the idea of language immersion. Students asked (occasionally in Japanese! よくできました！) how to continue language immersion when back in the states. Eiji suggested a desktop app called Anki, which lets you make your own flashcards, and keeping it available while you watch anime and or J-dramas. Slowly, he said, we need to turn the subtitles off, because otherwise we rely on them and never listen to the vocabulary. He also suggested changing your phone and computer’s UI language settings to Japanese. It may be difficult at first, but soon it will be second nature. Slowly, Japanese vocabulary will seep in and you'll just know what it means without thinking.

Students also got to experience sushi making this week! Learning to roll maki and sculpt nigiri carefully is a skill that can take 10 years to learn; the first 2-3 years can be spent on making just the rice! While CIEE obviously didn’t take that much time, students were able to craft and then devour their own sushi creations, making for a tasty and beautiful work of art.

And, of course, what would June be in 日本 without some 雨? Umbrellas are available everywhere, but they aren’t always super sturdy. Might be time to “level up” those かさ too, eh みんなさん？