中国　３年
Both Alun and Andrea’s story are amazing and surprised me. I’m half Chinese and half Japanese, so I probably can get how Andrea’s children think about their family. When I was a little child, I used to feel confused about the different cultures and languages, but if I had not experienced the differences, maybe I can’t speak and use both Chinese and Japanese. So, I really appreciate my parents. I think Andrea’s children have the same feeling about this. 

Alun’s experience was really scary. I can’t imagine how scary it was. But it also inspired me to think that if you overcome some big difficulties, you will grow up. I finally realized what being mature is. Thank both of you for your speeches.

国際関係　１年

Thank you for wonderful presentations today. I enjoyed both a lot, and I’m looking forward to attending this class next week, too. I really inspired and felt a connection to the quote from Andre’s presentation that, “Good things happen when you meet strangers—Yo-Yo Ma”. When I was in high school, I met a lot of Japanese people as well as a lot of foreign people. They have different backgrounds and of course different opinions. By talking with them, I could have new ideas and plans, and then good things happened, I will try to meet new people more in this university and in the future.

ドイツ　２年

I always think that some people should have more flexible way of thinking. After listening to the presentation, I feel this strongly. In my daily life, I try to have a view of stranger and others in which I think, “In the situation like this, how does he or she do/feel/think/behave?” These ways of thinking make my sensibility richer and spreads my field of view. My situation is not as special as yours, but I try to keep diversity in my mind.

ドイツ　２年

Thank you for speaking about courage, Mr. Alun. I sympathized with your story of fear and guts. When I was a high school student, I was a member of the baseball club. This club was so tough. For example, I did weight training and running shirtless in the water. I thought that I wanted to quit the club again and again. But I could remain in the club for three years. Through this experience, I could get a strong heart. So I want to confront everything without escaping when things are difficult.

国語国文　２年

Thank you for your introduction, Mr. Roger and Ms. Carson. I chose this class, though I’m majoring in Japanese literature. It’s because I’m interested not only in Japanese culture but also in English and foreign culture. Today, I was attracted to your speeches. First, I’m surprised to hear Ms. Carson’s family is connected to different countries because my family is only Japanese. And I thought it seems enjoyable to know people who have different cultures. Second, I really enjoyed hearing about surfing because I know nothing about it. I have never done it and I think it’s scary. Mr. Roger said it’s scary but it’s good, so I became interested in it. I can’t understand very well, but I want to know more about what is said in English, so I will study English more!

英米　２年

I was quite moved by Andrea’s idea because I understand how difficult it is to adjust to the differences in another culture. Firstly, I sometimes feel offended by Japanese people even though I’ve been living here since I was born. I know what typical Japanese people are like and I’m completely used to it. It’s really tough to be tolerant of someone even from the same culture. Secondly, I’ve seen many people who reject other cultures. Many people around the world regard Muslims as dangerous for there is a lot of terrorism all over the world. It is not beneficial to have prejudice based on a slight amount of information. I think in this technological world, the reality is a little hard to see. That’ll be why it is sometimes challenging to conceive the truth.
It is not always easy to trust in others, but I do know the importance of TRUST. Your short talk inspired me a lot.

英米　１年
What I learned from Alun’s presentation is that the important thing which helps improve my English skill is not being afraid of making mistakes. I want to speak English fluently, but I often stop speaking English because I’m ashamed of making mistakes. He didn’t quit because he overcame his fear. So I thought that I have to try to speak English without fearing my mistakes.

国際関係　３年

Ms. Carson’s story is really wonderful. She has her family from all over the world, has e.xperienced various kinds of culture, and also has a deep understanding of diversity. One statement that impressed me the word is “you need to trust first, and then be tolerant to include other people to get the most from life”. We are living in a time when we need to understand that people are different, that we are living in a diverse society, Not only culturally, we need to also accept that there are transgender or lesbian people and not be less appreciative of them because of what they are. We are people, we are all different, but still we are human, so we need to learn to accept each other. I believe if everyone thinks the way Ms. Carson thinks, I believe there will be no war and we would all be living in peace.

フランス　１年

I really enjoyed listening to Alun’s story. He told us about his hobby, surfing. I’ve never done surfing before and I was quite interested in it. However, when I heard his story, it made me scared. All the problems he had with big waves, hitting his chest and so on, made me think that I don’t want to try surfing to be honest. Although it was one of the worst experiences he had, he didn’t quit surfing and he tried to go into the water and I thought that this was great.

As he mentioned in his talk, there is a time when we want to quit something or want to run away from something, but I learned today that disciplining ourselves is very important. I would like to keep that in mind and enjoy my life.

留学生　１年

I really enjoyed today’s class, especially Ms. Andrea’s talk, and I have three points that I feel were important for me personally. First of all, I was really surprised by what I’ve heard of Ms. Andrea’s oldest child who was her son for 25 years and then became a daughter. I can’t forget her saying, “I’m proud to have a daughter!” I feel really impressed by a mother’s love. Secondly, I was inspired by Ms. Andrea’s words about international relationships. Before today I was unsure whether this kind of relationships can exist, but now I‘m starting to believing in it and don’t feel anxious anymore. Finally, there was a question to Ms. Andrea—why is her family wandering around the world? She said that she’s not sure about it. This made me remember a good saying –a traveler keeps wandering just because he’s seeking a home. It feels like Ms. Andrea has found her home after all. I hope I’ll be lucky enough to find my own home soon, too.