Exchange in the Netherlands - Expanding My Worldview

I studied at Leiden University as an exchange student in the Netherlands for about 10 months. My curiosity about Dutch culture and the flexible working environments in the Netherlands drove my decision to choose the Netherlands for my exchange study. My experience in the Netherlands has expanded my world view in different ways. It changed my understanding about society and culture. Here, things are very different from Japan. The systems within the society (e.g., education, employment) are closely intertwined with one another. Unlike Japan, the Dutch society is culturally diverse—there are people of different races, nationalities, and speaking in different languages, as well as people who look like Westerners but are able to speak Japanese.

It brings inspiration to my career path, so I can choose my career more flexibly. In Japan, it is still common for employees to be loyal and serve one company for life. During my exchange, I met several young Dutch working adults who returned to graduate school despite having studied a different discipline in bachelor study. Their life course is not a single-track, it was like jumping from one track to another depending on their own choices made at each turning point.

Currently, I find staying in Japan and immersing myself in the local culture more preferable. I am about to graduate from a master’s course in gender and education study this spring. However, I will not forget the memories and the experiences I have gained while abroad. I look forward to studying abroad or interacting with people with different backgrounds soon.