はじめまして! (It’s nice to meet you!)

My name is Alexa Fronczek-Lewis and I’m a junior Anthropology major with an EALC/Japanese minor. I am studying abroad at Sophia University, and the semester is already well underway. Although this introductory posting is a bit late, I felt that it was much needed as my interviews might come across as a bit unsatisfactory without some background knowledge beforehand. I arrived in Tokyo in late March, so it is safe to say that I have been living here for a bit over a month now. But, of course, placing myself within a timeline doesn’t say much about my experiences in Tokyo thus far. 

For my semester abroad I opted to stay with a host family – a decision I have not doubted once since officially moving in. Despite my host siblings and I having an age difference of up to 16 years, all four are excellent company. I don’t think I’ve ever played so much rock, paper, scissors in my life, and they find my broken Japanese very funny. Truthfully, many people I encounter in my daily life find my Japanese skills endearing despite the clear lack of mastery (a fact I greatly appreciate). An air of amusement often surrounds my shopping trips in Shinjuku or random conversations with station staff as I usually supply odd word choices or textbook-like phrasings in conversation. But, honestly, I am just glad I can be understood while also understanding the other person.

Communication is the least of my problems while on Sophia’s campus. My coursework is entirely in English, and many of my peers are from abroad as well, so my friends and I usually default to our confident English skills for communication. There are many, many things I could say about the differences and adjustments I have found in just my one month of classes at a Japanese university, but I am most interested in figuring out my professors. As someone on track to be a professor (hopefully one day!), every non-Japanese professor I am being taught by carries a long history that I am eager to explore. This hope for the future that I hold will be guiding me as I begin inviting people within my life to interview. I will focus on speaking with educators or students planning to enter into academia in order to gather a better sense of the way Japanese academia is constructed and the various journeys that have led people to teaching in Tokyo.

With a few close friends, a fully charged commuter pass, and a daily journaling routine, I’d like to think I am finally settling into a routine here – but I know better than to tempt fate. Today officially starts our Golden Week vacation, so my routine is already off to a shaky start. However, the start of this vacation also promises its end, and I am eager to begin my internship placement at a nearby kindergarten shortly after this week. I’d like to thank Professor Torii for making this opportunity possible, and I look forward to the changes it will bring. For now, I will be keeping myself busy with my aforementioned journaling routine. Thank you for reading!

よろしくお願い致します (Best regards)