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A number of Bryn Mawr College students applied for and received funding to conduct research projects and study with a global concentration this spring/summer through the Global Bryn Mawr Student Fellowship. Those students were asked to share their experiences and how they were affected by the COVID-19 situation through words and images.

Name: Jillian Lunoe
Class Year: 2022
Major: Comparative Literature and Growth and Structure of Cities
Program: CET Japan
Location: Moved Online due to COVID-19 (Run from Osaka, Japan)

Q. What led you to apply for this program?

A. I applied for the CET Japan program because I wanted to continue my Japanese language study, improving my reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. I also hoped to earn credits over the summer so that I would be in a better position to complete a Japanese minor once I returned to campus. While I had originally planned to study abroad in Japan with another program, the pandemic necessitated a switch to online learning. As I stressed over how to rearrange my summer plans, I was grateful to discover that CET Japan had adjusted for the circumstances and was offering online courses with small class sizes and cultural opportunities.

Q. What did you do as part of the program?

A. The CET Japan program spanned eight weeks, with classes meeting for two and a half hours a day, five days a week. In addition to these synchronous classes, there were also asynchronous activities like grammar videos, written homework, and readings. The program covered two semesters worth of Japanese study, including listening, speaking, and writing assessments. There was also a presentation component, which involved conducting interviews with Osaka residents over Zoom and then preparing a 7-minute speech to give in front of all the program participants. My own project looked at the differences and similarities between Japanese and American breakfast foods.

Q. What effect did COVID-19 have on your experience?

A. Despite the fact that everything was done online because of COVID, the program managed to remain intensive and engaging.

Q. What did you learn that surprised you?

A. During the course one of the topics we covered was keigo, the Japanese honorific language. It involves changing certain vocabulary terms and verb forms in order to show respect to the person with whom one is speaking. There are also different terms and forms used for talking about oneself in a humble manner. This means that certain verbs, such as the verb for “to eat,” will have a standard form, a polite form for referring to someone of higher status, and a humble form for referring to oneself. I found this topic especially fascinating because there is no equivalent honorific language system in English, so it forced me to think in new ways about the terms and phrases I was choosing and how they should change depending on the situation.

Q. What was your favorite part of this experience?

A. My favorite part of this experience was getting to meet people and form new connections. Our class only had three students, so we were able to get to know one another and our professors fairly well over the course of the program. We were also all paired with language partners, Japanese students at Osaka Gakuin University, which provided another way to meet new people. These connections were especially important because we were all separate and isolated at different points around the globe. The sense of normality that came with regular classes and seeing and speaking with one another was a welcome distraction in such unusual times.

Q. What advice or guidance would you offer future students?

A. I would encourage future students to stay persistent in what they want to accomplish and to continue searching for opportunities even as plans change and take new forms. I hadn’t expected that I would be learning Japanese online this past summer, but I am incredibly glad that I was able to participate in this program and grateful to the people who made it possible under challenging circumstances. I believe one should always try to take advantage of the opportunities one is given, and make efforts to remain optimistic when presented with difficulties.