Chubu-OHIO Reflections
Reflections and Memories
In 2023, Chubu University and Ohio University are celebrating 50 years of collaboration and friendship. Students, faculty and staff have had opportunities to visit each other’s campuses and interact with individuals from both institutions.
To capture the flavor and importance of these intercultural experiences, we invite our community to share reflection essays through the lens of these dynamic engagements.
Explore these accounts, memories, photos, and reflections below.
Learn how to submit an essay and photo memories for inclusion!
Guidelines and Format
- Submit responses in Essay format (500-1000 words).
- Answer in paragraphs (not bullet points).
- Prompts are meant to provide a guide for you, not required to answer the specific questions only.
- Not intended to be travelogues or testimonials- we seek thoughtful, personal answers based on the four themes provided.
- Choose to focus on as many of the questions as you like!
- Focus on your experiences affiliated with Chubu (either in Japan or interacting with Chubu faculty, staff, or students in Athens).
- Pictures welcome!
- Submit up to 4 for consideration
- Recommended file size up to 2 MB
- JPEG JPG GIF PNG all accepted
- If you would like to see what some students from Chubu University have written as examples, you can visit this website: https://ohio-chubu.jp/news/messages.html and translate the page in English.
How will OHIO use these Essays?
Your responses may be featured on www.ohio.edu/oga/chubu/50th or in other commemorative initiatives that OHIO will produce to honor the Chubu-Ohio relationship. By choosing to answer these questions, you grant us permission to do so.
Deadline and Submission Link- DEALINE EXTENDED!
Please submit your responses by December 15, 2023. If you require more time, please let us know.
Submit your Essay and Photos at this link: Chubu-OHIO 50th Reflection Essay Submissions
Questions?
If you have questions, contact Gerry Krzic (krzic@ohio.edu) or John Miller (millerj4@ohio.edu) at Ohio University or Tadashi Shiozawa (shioz@isc.chubu.ac.jp) at Chubu.
Prompts/ Questions to guide your Reflection Essay
Use One or More of these prompts to guide your Essay!
- PERSPECTIVES
- How have your experiences at Chubu or OHIO shaped your thinking and perspective?
- Can you provide specific examples of cross-cultural insights or changes in values that occurred during your time abroad? Were there any particular episodes or interactions that significantly influenced your thinking?
- BEHAVIOR
- How have your experiences at Chubu or OHIO influenced your actions and behavior?
- Can you elaborate on specific instances that affected your behavior, such as exhibiting more patience, demonstrating interest in other cultures, seeking opportunities for intercultural interaction, or improving your problem-solving skills, etc.?
- CAREER AND PERSONAL LIFE
- How have your experiences at Chubu or OHIO shaped your career and personal life?
- Please provide specific examples highlighting the impact on your personal and professional development, the expansion of your personal networks, and the growth of your global perspective.
- COMMUNICATION SKILLS
- How have your experiences at Chubu or OHIO impacted your communication skills, including language learning and cultural awareness?
- Can you share specific episodes or experiences that were educational and transformative in terms of improving your foreign language proficiency and overall communication abilities? How have these impacts influenced your interactions with others, both personally and professionally?
Reflection Essays
Read Essays and check out personal photos from individuals who have engaged with Chubu over the years!
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October 23, 2023
During my time at Chubu, my perspective underwent a monumental shift. My experiences here challenged my pre-existing notions and tore down the privileged lens through which I once viewed the world.
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October 23, 2023
I came to Chubu University in the spring of 2001 to further advance my Japanese studies for the spring semester. A very much humbling experience that had me as the only westerner in my class, the day-in, day-out challenges I faced, especially as a beginner-level student trying to comprehend what my teachers were saying, was truly a blessing in disguise.
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October 23, 2023
My one year study abroad at Chubu University was the most valuable experience I had during my time in college. It drastically changed the way I think about and understand cultures as well as had a huge influence on my career after I graduated.
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October 23, 2023
The celebration of the 50-year friendship between Ohio University and Chubu University marks not just a milestone in time, but a testament to the transformative power of cross- cultural exchange.
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October 16, 2023
I was visiting Miura professor April-June 2000. I was impressed by the hospitality given to me. For lodging they provided me with a three-bedroom apartment across from the Nagoya university and a car for transportation.
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October 16, 2023
My visit as a Miura visiting professor to Chubu University at Kasugai, Japan, in 2002, was indeed an unforgettable memory.
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October 16, 2023
I am honored to contribute a short essay on the 50th anniversary of the Chubu University-Ohio University friendship. I arrived at the Athens campus of Ohio University in June of 1983 as an exchange student from Chubu Institute of Technology.
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October 16, 2023
My decision to go overseas was because my father, Dr. James Gilfert, was the first exchange professor between Ohio University and Chubu University (at that time, Chubu Institute of Technology). He went to Japan by himself from Sept 1973 to December 1973. We, the rest of the family (my mother Sara, myself, and my two brothers Ted and Charlie), joined him for his final month. He had written letters home about his initial loneliness and isolation, which prompted him to study Japanese language several hours per day. My reaction on landing at the airport was “Wow, I can’t read anything here! I’ve got to come back!” and “Wow, the people look homogeneous! I’ve got to come back!” On the drive back to Nagoya from Haneda (yes, he chose to drive rather than take the shinkansen), he kept us and himself awake by telling us various anecdotes of his life in Japan.
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October 16, 2023
When I think of my life as a whole, I think of it in three parts: before studying abroad in Japan, during my study abroad, and after studying abroad. The experience was so important and life-changing that it is now how I define my life. Without it, I truly believe that I would be a different person than who I am right now.
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October 16, 2023
When I was finishing high school and looking at universities to attend, the deciding factor for me to go to Ohio University was the fact that they had an exchange student program with Chubu University. I had high hopes for the experience, and I was not let down in the least. I can without a doubt say that my participation in the study abroad program with Chubu University not only helped shape my path in life, but also gave me some of the richest experiences and deepest friendships as well.