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My Story in Japan
A big change happened when I was 18 years ago. It was a big turning point of my fate. When I was 18 years ago, I had a chance to go to Japan for youth exchange through the recommendation of Lion's Club. Thanks to Lion's Club for giving me this opportunity, so I could meet my host family, Kobayashi family in Tokyo. My stay in Japan is about a month. We had become so close like a real family within a month. Especially my elder sister Suzuka, She treated me the best. Sometimes, I will think," Maybe in our previous life, Sister Suzuka was really was my elder sister. Thanks to God for arranging us to meet each other in this youth exchange program." After I came back from Japan, to maintain our good relationship, I had always called them even the phone bill costed me so much.
As I had met a very good host family in Japan, and I also wanted to talk with them in japanese, when I was 19 years old I had made my decision to continue my further study in Japan. First, I was studying in a japanese institute about 18 months. In these 18 months, I was staying with my host family in Tokyo. It was so happy to stay with them. Just like a sweet dream. However, sadness and gladness succeed each other. 3 months later, my host father's company became bankrupt. Soon after this, my host mother was hospitalized following a severe stroke. I thought everything bad would be stopped by here, but the answer is "No". Sister Suzuka became the next victim in this "family disaster". Sister Suzuka fell down in sudden and was diagnosed as cervical cancer. All the incidents happened in this house seemed to be a drama, misfortune never came singly. I was so shocked and so depressed about all the incidents happened in this house. However, Sister Suzuka still was the one who kept encouraging me not to give up. She said, “Teh, even though I am suffering from a very serious disease now, I won't give up. I will fight against disease until I recover. So, you should never give up. Study harder and make your dream come true." After Sister Suzuka finished talking, tears fell in my heart like the rain on the town and I said, "Sister Suzuka, don't worry. I won't give up. I will study very hard." Well, the miracles never happened. Sister Suzuka passed away after a long battle with cervical cancer. I just could not believe that, "Why a good person had to die so early? Why do the miracles only happen in drama and never happen to Sister Suzuka?" So much why in my head, but nobody was able to change the truth.
I always remember everything Sister Suzuka told me in my heart so deeply before she died. I studied very hard. Finally, I had passed the examination and got into a government university called Yamagata University. I met a lot of friends from different countries in Yamagata University. Furthermore, I had received the Monbukagakusho Scholarship (japanese government scholarship) during my study at university. After I graduated from Yamagata University with a master's degree in electronic and electrical engineering, I was hired by Mitsubishi Chemical Company. My life after Sister Suzuka's death, it just all went together. I do believe wholeheartedly about "If you think you can, you can. Never give up and study harder. Then one day we can build a brighter future."
Sister Suzuka, thank you. Thank you for everything you thought me and all the memories we have together.I will treat them as the most important thing in my life. Thank you............