Ashley Ford, Reflections

As a High School Student 

By my senior year of high school, I had barely ventured beyond the borders of my home state, let alone the country. I had never even met a Japanese person before my time at Ohio University. Japan was a distant and exotic land I knew only through watching movies like Lost in Translation and from reading books like Memoirs of a Geisha. It was the birthplace of Sailor Moon, Princess Mononoke, and Dance Dance Revolution. It was this fascination with Japan that led me to the decision to wear a kimono to my high school prom. It was a beautiful blue color with pink sakura (cherry blossom) flowers all over it. I didn't have an obi (sash) to tie it with, so I used a handmade one. My mother and I did our best with our limited knowledge, but looking back at the pictures now, it feels both endearing and a little embarrassing.  

As an Ohio Student 

I was a music major, but as fate would have it, my stand partner in the orchestra was a student from Japan. We became friends through our love of music, but they also introduced me to other Japanese students. They taught me all about the language, culture, and particularly umeshu (plum wine). I even got a job at Happy Kobe, (a former sushi restaurant on Court Street). That spring, I attended the Sakura Festival under the cherry blossom trees donated by Chubu University and got to wear my first authentic kimono (complete with proper obi!). I got a taste of real Japan, not the kind you see on TV or in books, and I craved more. A year later, I set off to Chubu University.  

As a Chubu University Student 

It’s hard to remember the first few days in Japan because they were filled with immense excitement and anxiety. The experience was not always easy or pleasant. It was a shock to not have confidence doing simple everyday tasks like paying at a store, shopping at a supermarket, or reading signs. It was also a shock to suddenly stick out from the crowd because I was different. Once, passing by, I heard someone mumble under their breath “baka na gaijin” (stupid foreigner) and I was filled with shame and self-consciousness for not understanding what I had done wrong. I became very self-aware, and I often worried about making mistakes. In Japan, I was not only representing myself but all Americans and people who come from outside of Japan. It was a pressure I had never experienced before, even compared to my experiences on stage performing music.  

Through all the challenges, I received real-world lessons. The kind you can’t get in a classroom. I felt deeply homesick sometimes, but it was the people I met and formed relationships with that helped me to cope and made the experience so much more precious. 

Our study abroad group was close, and we could rely a lot on each other. The teachers at Chubu University also helped us immensely with adjusting to life in Japan and connecting with other Japanese students. One teacher even lent me a cello while I was there (as I couldn’t bring mine) and helped me join the Chubu University orchestra. Playing in the orchestra not only helped ease my homesickness but also helped me connect with Japanese students. Even though my language skills were quite poor, we could understand each other because music was the universal language we all understood. 

Another of my strongest memories was the time we were invited by a volunteer to a “local rice-cutting party”. We had no idea what kind of party that would be, but it sounded fun. Actually, the party was a handful of us, out in the middle of a muddy rice field, ill-prepared in our flip-flops, under the scorching sun, among thousands of insects, with sickles in our hands, literally cutting rice. Six hours later, with hasa (bundled rice stalks) hanging along the edge of the field, we finally sat down in the middle of the barren field on a plastic blue sheet and enjoyed some onigiri (rice balls) and ocha (green tea). It was far from the party we had imagined, but it was on that day that I met Yurika, who remains a significant part of my life to this day. 

Yurika was like a mother to me and introduced me to many new things, showing me the deep motenashi (hospitality) of Japanese people. Knowing my love of music, she took me to a Japanese koto (harp) concert. I was so enthralled with the instrument that after chatting with the performers, they offered to give me lessons. In a blur and with great effort from many people in the Ohio-Chubu community, I miraculously found myself on the return flight with a full-sized koto checked in my luggage, a shamisen (3 stringed instrument) in one hand, and a bag filled with Japanese sheet music in the other. 

As a Teacher of Chubu Students at Ohio University 

The study abroad experience was transformative for me personally, but my professional transformation was only just beginning. After returning to Ohio, I changed my major to linguistics and continued to be actively involved with the Chubu program. I knew what the students were going through, and I wanted to support them in having a valuable experience too. I often stayed up late chatting or working on assignments with them. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly when I made the transition from student to teacher. It felt seamless. Just a few years later, I earned my graduate degree from Ohio, and became an instructor in the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE), teaching the same Chubu study abroad students that I came to know so well. And I really enjoyed it. 

I hadn’t even considered working in Japan until I heard that Chubu University was hiring a new teacher for the Ohio Program of English Language Teaching (OPELT). This program has promoted the partnership through hiring English language teachers at Chubu University, and has often given preference to Ohio graduates and alumni. When I heard about the program, I knew deep down it was something I wanted to do, and if I was ever going to do it, that was the time. I applied and my world changed forever once again. 

As a Teacher of Chubu Students at Chubu University 

I realize now how much my previous experiences at Ohio and Chubu had uniquely prepared me for the transition. I didn’t have the same homesickness as before. I was able to adapt to everyday life much more quickly thanks to my study abroad experience and because of the supportive community of Ohio alumni at Chubu University who instantly made me feel at home. Also, I was already familiar with the unique challenges of teaching Japanese students through my experiences in Ohio. Now I was on the other side, preparing Chubu students for their studying abroad and working with them after they came back. While I had been well-prepared for starting my career, it was the OPELT program that ultimately shaped me into the teacher I am today.  

As time passed, I came to understand the profound significance and value of partnership programs like OPELT. It can often be very difficult to find a university teaching position in Japan from outside the country and without several years of experience. OPELT provided that opportunity for me as a young professional. It also provided an ideal atmosphere to nurture my own teaching style and confidence. The students in this program were motivated and eager to learn. I also had a lot of freedom to design my own syllabi and teaching materials, experiment with project-based learning, and incorporate my passions into my courses. These conditions helped me to grow and perfect my own teaching style. Although I am now at a different university in Japan, it was the knowledge and skills I honed at Chubu, that make me continue to thrive as an educator. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful to have been a part of this program. 

As a Member of the Ohio-Chubu Community 

My story is just one of so many whose personal and professional lives have been touched by Ohio and Chubu’s relationship. I will forever be a part of this powerful community of students and educators. I realize it each time when I walk along the Nakasendo (a historical trail) one crisp autumn day in my Ohio hoodie, and suddenly run into a Chubu student I met in Ohio over a decade ago; And when I enjoy the bright crimson koyo (autumn leaves) at a nearby park and unexpectedly run into my Japanese 111 teacher from Ohio; When I catch up with old friends over the warm atmosphere of the annual bonenkai (end-of-year party); Each hanami (blossom viewing) season, when I picnic with two of my close friends who first met in Ohio, and watch their family grow under the sakura; When I cheer on the Chunichi Dragons in the sweltering heat at our summer baseball outings. No matter where I go, the Ohio-Chubu community is close by and it continues to grow with every professor that visits and every study abroad group that comes and goes. The partnership is a force that enriches the lives of students and educators in both institutions, offering growth, opportunity, and a sense of belonging in either place. It continues to remain strong over the many years, despite time and great distance, because of the lifelong connections made by the people involved in its programs and their lifelong commitment to continuing to support the programs and opportunities that allow others to do the same.