BRIDGE TO THE WORLD
Yamasaki was lured to the United States by a federal advertising campaign just prior to the nation's bicentennial celebration. "I still remember seeing the poster of a cute American girl eating a watermelon shaped like a football," Yamasaki said. "So I asked my father about studying in the United States after graduating from Kagoshima College of Economics." The three friends had various reasons for wanting to study in the United States, but the decision to come to USU was based mostly on economics, opportunity, and something all three mentioned: safety. IELI was also a factor. "The advisor of overseas study at a travel agency in Japan recommended USU above all," Murakami said. "He replied to my questions that there was IELI and students could enter USU without passing the TOEFL [Test of English as a Foreign Language] because of IELI. I remember he also said Utah was a very safe and educated state. That's why I decided to go to USU." Kitamura had somewhat similar thoughts about choosing to come to Utah State as a CHaSS student. "You could come to big cities like L.A. or New York," he explained. "But it is so expensive and not so safe to study there. On the other hand, Logan is such a nice place to live and study. You can find great professors and facilities to have a high-quality education." Although the three continue to live busy lives in diverse areas ranging from Nishiwaki to Kagoshima, their shared USU experience keeps them in touch and every once in a while, as happened this fall, the call to come home to Cache Valley becomes too loud and persistent to ignore. "Logan and USU are so special in our minds," Kitamura said. "All of us are proud of being students there once before even though many years have already passed." The trio's most recent visit to campus included much reminiscing, visits to favorite old haunts, a dinner hosted by !ELI's Jim Rogers, getting acquainted with old friends, and making new ones at IELI. Friendships with USU students and faculty are especially precious to the three. "My journey was supported by my friends , my family, and USU. The most important thing was these relationships," Yamasaki said. "I hope they are always as unchanged as Aggie Ice Cream." One thing that did change for the men upon returning to Japan was a heightened ability to conduct international business. CONTINUED PAGE 44
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LIBERALIS • winter 2015