Exchange Student Program Soka University is presently engaged in academic exchange agreement with
96 universities throughout the world. In the Philippines, U.P . had entered
into such an agreement with Soka University in 1988, and De La Salle in
1996. Every year, two exchange students from each university are being
dispatched for the said program.
Aside from that, because this is the only English speaking country in Asia,
many Soka University students come here to study at their own expense.
Furthermore, short term language training program is also launched in Kalayaan
College where Dr. Abueva, a close friend of SGI President Ikeda, serves
as its principal.
File 042: August 2010
Eiki Okazawa (De La Salle University)
Hello! My name is Eiki Okazawa.
I am a third year student majoring in Business Management at Soka University.
I arrived in Manila on May 2009 and studied at De La Salle University as
an exchange student. The original purpose why I chose the Philippines in
the first place was for me to experience a lot of different things that
were totally different from the ones that I have gotten so used to so far
in Japan.
Aside from that, I also wanted to improve my English communication skills.
And since the Philippines could meet both of those criteria, I determined
to study in the Philippines. Although I have already finished my exchange
program, looking back at the experiences I have gone through during my
stay, I can say that I like the Philippines in terms of both her positive
and negative aspects as a country.
My Life in the Philippines
with my friends
with my friends
Share my experience in Discussion Meeting
When I arrived in the Philippines, I found out soon enough that this opportunity
of studying abroad was the way to go in as far as realizing change in myself
because everything was a totally new experience to me. One of the most
impressionable experiences that happened to me was that I was able to see
a lot of street children sleeping on the road near the corner of my house
who used to chase after me to ask for some money and can oftentimes be
seen foraging for food. On the contrary, there were also people who were
living a rich and luxurious life. The big gap between the poor and the
rich was so shocking for me that I started to think seriously about how
I should spend my life in the Philippines and what I should do during my
stay in the Philippines.
Before I went to the Philippines, I had determined to myself that I would like to become a capable individual and make the relationship between Soka University and De La Salle University better. During my first trimester however, I found it quite hard to adjust to the life in the Philippines for it was totally different from my expectations. So in order for me to get used to the life in the Philippines, I tried to make a lot of friends and challenge new things even though it seemed reckless at times.
nfortunately, however, I contracted the AH1N1 virus as soon as I started
the exchange program in the Philippines. I was really discouraged when
I was confined in the hospital because of my ailment. And the fact that
this happened in the period when I was trying my best to get used to living
in the Philippines was indeed a major setback for me. During this time,
I was so much devastated that I was about to lose myself to depression.
But many of my seniors and Soka University alumni encouraged me to overcome
such a miserable situation by giving me some guidance of Ikeda-Sensei.
Thanks to those encouragements, I was able to gain a lot of courage to
get through the difficulties I was in at this time and I was able to restart
my life with a renewed determination. Thus, in order for me to achieve
my goals, I tried to be more positive than before thanks to the Sensei
guidance that says in effect that you can achieve things if you try.
After the first trimester, I reflected on what I had done during that term and realized that if I spend my life in the Philippines in the same way as I did, I would not able to achieve my purposes. So what I did was to go back to the prime point of faith by earnestly chanting and actively participating in SGI activities. When the second trimester finally started, I was able to meet with very important individuals who managed De La Salle University. When I met them, I thought that if I get close to them enough, I would be able to achieve one of my goals, which was to contribute to the betterment of the relationship between Soka University and De La Salle University.
Whenever I was in the campus, I behaved sincerely as a Soka student thinking that these very persons are the ones who were assessing if Soka University was good or not in view of my behavior. Luckily for me, I knew that one of those people liked to play golf, which I also liked to play. So one day, knowing that I liked to play golf, he invited me to go to a driving range. From that time on I got close to him very much that he invited me not only to play golf but also in taking trips to Boracay, Baguio, and other great places. Because he knew that I am a very active person and eager to make new experiences, he brought me anywhere I wanted to go.
When I was with him I tried to tell him about Soka University and Ikeda-Sensei as much as I can. Initially though, he showed no interest in Soka University at all. Nevertheless, I persisted and explained it to him again and again every time an opportunity presented itself. So when he finally decided to go to Japan and visit Soka University, I was truly ecstatic.
Through this experience, I think I was able to somehow contribute to the external relationship of Soka University even a little. And I really appreciate everyone who had helped me towards this end because I believe that this was my greatest success in my exchange program. I also believe that no matter what may happen to me and no matter what kind of difficulties I may face in the future, the important thing is to keep on exerting efforts without giving up on the goals that has been set or in giving in to difficulties along the way. Although my life in the Philippines was very challenging for me, it was at the same time a very precious experience and an important part of my life.
My Determination
I will be more courageous in challenging difficulties while being grateful
to the people who are around me. I will never ever forget to give appreciation
to those who help me become a capable individual with special dedication
to world peace. As such, now is the time for me to ascertain the path I
will take.
Now is the time for me to appreciate everybody behind me. Now is the time
for me to fight against anything that stands in the way of world peace.
I will step forward towards my goal in this manner with appreciation and
confidence.
