KAMAKURA, Japan—At first, everything felt unfamiliar: new faces, a new language, a new environment.
It didn’t take long for things to feel easy and natural.
One of the benefits of studying abroad is the opportunity it provides to be uncomfortable—in the best of ways. Our program took us to important religious and cultural spots in Japan. We also had time to explore on our own after we learned how to navigate one of the busiest mass transit systems in the world, the Tokyo rail system.
But one of the most impactful things we did was visit with Japanese students.
Apprehensions melt into smiles
Our first stop was Tokyo Eisei Gakuen College, where we made a surprise visit to nursing, physical therapy and traditional Asian medicine students. When the students entered the room, they were clearly caught off guard. They never expected a random group of foreigners waiting for them in the middle of their school day.
We could hear them mumbling in Japanese, with no idea if they were saying good or bad things.
The teachers broke us up into groups, each with half Japanese students and half Americans. We introduced ourselves and interviewed each other. Everything was stiff and awkward at first, but the more we asked and answered questions, the more we connected.
I even bonded with some students over anime, which made things feel more familiar and fun.
We showed them Dallas highways, our big Bu-cee’s gas stations, and our big beautiful city. They couldn’t believe how big it all was.
At the end, we shared a piece of our culture through snacks. I brought Takis, Hot Cheetos, Sour Patch Kids, Trader Joe’s Strawberry covered Almonds and some Mexican candy straight from Mexico. Some students hesitated at first. The majority loved the sweets over the spicy chips. I really enjoyed sharing my Mexican-American culture with them through yummy snacks.
Different vibe, same results
A few days later, we visited Kamakura Women’s University, and the energy there was completely different. We met education majors, and they were fully prepared for our visit.
They had an itinerary planned, snacks ready, and even had us do a morning exercise routine, which kind of felt like a Japanese version of the pacer test.
It was random but honestly fun. After they shared snacks with us, I figured it was the perfect time to pull out the rest of mine.
This group loved the Takis way more than students at the first school did. After the introductions, they took us to visit a temple and shrine, walked us through how to pray and showed us how to purchase fortune slips.
We ended the day by changing into beautiful, colorful yukata. We felt so pretty, so we ended up taking tons of selfies and laughing with each other like we’d been friends for longer than just one afternoon.
A real, honest connection
Japanese snacks and food were one of the first things that got me into Japanese culture in the first place. In return, I wanted to also share my culture with the Japanese students through my favorite Mexican American snacks, hoping that they might be curious and interested in my culture, too.
I’m really glad we got to visit both schools. Each one gave us a totally different experience, but both reminded me how easy it can be to connect with people, even across language and cultural barriers.
I went into this trip thinking the conversations would feel forced or awkward, but what actually happened was a real, honest connection. We shared laughs, stories and snacks. We learned from each other.
And even if we never see each other again, I’ll always remember how something as simple as a bag of Takis and a few kind words helped bridge the gap between strangers from different sides of the world.
