Humans of St. Norbert: “I’m from Tsuru University in Japan. This is my second study abroad experience. I studied abroad in Denmark before. I'm originally from a cold place, of course [Wisconsin] is colder than my hometown, but we also have a ton of snow there so I love winter. My university has two choices [for studying] in America which are California or here, so I wanted to enjoy winter here. My life here is very amazing! It’s a small, peaceful town and the people are so nice.

“I’m majoring in education and I know this school has a good education program so that made me excited about coming here. I work after school in an elementary school [with a program called the] Village Project. It's what the freshmen do as education majors. I have already finished teaching practice in Japan. It's very interesting to see education in different countries. Especially comparing American and Japanese education, America has more flexibility for students and represents individuality and personality, but in Japan, we teach the same thing for everyone.

“The food here is a big difference from Japan. At the beginning of the semester, I enjoyed eating pizza and fries everyday, but after a month, I felt like, ‘Oh no, my body feels terrible.’ I do love pizza, but I miss Japanese food and the taste of it is different from here. [Another] difference is that people here are so friendly and even though we might not know each other, we smile at each other or ask, 'How are you doing?' Stuff like that. I love it!

“In addition to my studies, I’m vice president of the Japan Club and also the vice president of SNC Overseas Club. The SNC Overseas Club will be official this spring semester. The president Collin and I created it because we wanted to create a community between international and domestic students so we can exchange culture. It also creates a community or a place for international students.” – Yuna Imasaka ’22