Summer language exchange unites international and local students

Tristen (right) with Tokyo Tech tandem partner Kasumi

I had many meetings with my partner, Kasumi. Usually we would have lunch together and talk about our school progress and activities, but we also went off-campus sometimes too. Kasumi would ask me about my current research studies, and I would ask her how her classes and tests were going. During these conversations, we would switch between English and Japanese while correcting each other's grammar. Often we would ask each other about word meaning or how to express a certain phrase. We learned a lot from each other and grew in our language abilities.

Jamie (left) with Tokyo Tech tandem partner Yuki

I met with my partner, Yuki, every week during the Summer Program. She brought me to really nice cafes and restaurants, including a traditional teahouse, a shaved ice cafe, and a restaurant specializing in omelets with rice, amongst many other places. It was a great experience getting to know Japanese culture through chatting and hanging out with a local student!

Crystal (right) with Tokyo Tech tandem partner Yuka

Yuka and I did a lot of things together, such as getting green tea desserts, going to izakaya restaurants, meeting up in the cafeteria for lunch, and most interestingly, going to a summer fireworks festival. The Katsushika Fireworks Festival was the best fireworks show I've ever seen. We also got some festival food, and Yuka explained the culture behind the food and summer festivals. I got to learn a lot about Japanese culture and also made a great friend!

Olga (left) with Tokyo Tech tandem partner Yaoki

Yaoki and I met once every week, speaking in English during one half of our meeting and Japanese during the other half. We had so much fun together! Thanks to Yaoki, I got to know many awesome places in Tokyo, and he explained many aspects about Japan, including the Shinto religion, flower blossom viewing parties, politics, and melon bread! I tried my best to help him prepare for his experience as an exchange student at MIT.