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First of all, I would like to say that Im very excited about the opportunity to study at Nagoya University as an exchange student. Ive been looking forward to this ever since I learned about the program during the freshman orientation. I believe it will not only be a unique and memorable experience but also the perfect program for me to achieve my academic and career goals. But before I discuss any of that, I would like to tell you a little bit about my history because it has a lot to do with my interest in the study abroad program and my major, International Trading.
I was born in Nanjing, China. When I was three, my parents and I relocated to Tsukuba, Japan. Being at such a young age, learning the new language and adapting to the new environment came very natural to me. Within a couple of month, I was already fitting right in with other Japanese kids. With each passing day my love for Japan grew stronger and stronger. My parents, fearing that I would forget my Chinese heritage, took me back to China every two years during the summer break and talked to me in Chinese as much as possible in home. Thanks to their effort, I was able to retain a very important part of my identity. Then, in the fall of 1997, came the biggest challenge of my life.
We moved again, this time to the United States of America. At first I thought it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I lost all of my friends and had to start all over again. I was culture shocked by the completely alien environment. My frustration grew even more because the language barrier prevented me from having even the basic communication with other people. It was very tough getting used to the American way of life. But now that I look back, I think it was actually the best thing that had ever happened to me. Why? Because I gained a lot of positives by going through the experience of adapting to the new environments and learning the new languages.
First, it gave me an invaluable opportunity to live in the different countries and learn their languages and cultures firsthand. I really want to stress the significance of it because by actually living in those countries, I had the advantage of learning their languages and cultures with great clarity and purity. Thats something no amount of text book readings and lectures can offer. The experiences have really broadened my view of the world and gave me a solid foundation to build my skills upon.
And secondly, it made me realize the importance of being multicultural and multilingual. Because in the future, globalization will dramatically increase the amount of international trades and cultural exchanges, and as such I believe good understanding of different cultures and the ability to speak multiple