Hirata, Masahiro from Japan -April 2012 admission

It has been for half of a year since my life in Kyoto University and in this course started. I have just got used to this college life.

Anyway at this time, I would like to talk about my experiences abroad in this summer vacation.

First, I went to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. I had never gone on a trip abroad alone, so I was surprised at the differences between Japanese culture and foreign counties. For example, in Thailand the Donald McDonald figure in front of McDonald’s shop, who is McDonald's character, puts its hands in front of its body.Training I hear that it does “wai”, which is a traditional greeting manner in Thailand. At Luang Phabang in Laos, people give breakfast for the monks early morning every day. This custom is called “religious mendicancy”, and this world cultural heritage city is famous for it.

Also, I experienced many new things. Especially what I was impressed by the most was the elephant training experience. At the suburb of Luang Phabang, there is a village for elephant riding and training. I trained the elephant and I could manage it alone! This experience was good and fun.

Second, I flew from Vietnam to Taipei in Taiwan. In Taipei, I joined my circle members, and we interacted with college students there. Due to the interaction, it was easy for us to touch the culture there and we could make so many friends. So, this experience was also good for me.

Finally, this trip was only for three weeks, but I had many wonderful experiences. I want to put these experiences to my life.