Since I was very young, I have a professional project that is particularly close to my heart, I wish to become a judge of children. The only way to reach my goal is to pass the contest of the National School of Magistracy. So I decided to integrate Sciences Po Lille to continue during my fourth year my studies in the field of "Trades Public Action", to better prepare the tests that were very selective.
Indeed, in addition to quality education, the program proposed by Sciences Po Lille implied the validation of the third year of the diploma by a university mobility, lasting one year, in the country and the university of my choice.
However, for me, this constraint was more of a chance, because in my opinion, I was offered the opportunity to enrich myself in the best possible way, personally and professionally, by traveling and discovering a culture and a way of life. Life is different from mine. In addition, very quickly, Japan and especially the Kobe University seemed to me an obvious choice. Several reasons motivate this decision.
Firstly in the continuity of my choice of Master and my professional project, this year abroad would allow me to study law at the Kobe University. Indeed, the University offers a high quality education, but it is particularly specialized in the field of law. This allows me to deepen my knowledge throughout the year and to prepare the ENM (Ecole nationale de la Magistrature) contest, while offering me a new look on the subject. This is a huge advantage for a contest where standing out from others seems indispensable.
Secondly, proficiency in English is one of the expected skills for one of the ENM competition tests. So the ability to speak and take courses in English daily would allow me to significantly improve my level in this language. Moreover, by studying in Japan, I can start learning Japanese, which is a considerable advantage, especially in the professional world.
It has now been almost four months since I arrived in Japan. If the beginnings were a little difficult in front of a culture so different from mine, today I feel very happy and grateful to be able to call Kobe "my house".
During this first semester I learned a lot about Japanese culture and the differences that can exist with French culture : I was surprised to see how Japanese people are helpful and nice. However I also noticed that if the Japanese are particularly benevolent, they are also a little shy and it is often hard to cross the language barrier. I was also able to discover another aspect of Japanese culture since I tasted many specialties: udon from the cafeteria, sushi from Tokyo, an okonomiyaki from Hiroshima or ice melon-pan from Osaka. And I can say that lovers of good food will not be disappointed here! I would soon like to taste the famous Kobe beef before I leave. These first months were also synonymous with meetings. I have made many friends since I have been here, especially at the university where I got to know other international students who help me improve my English day by day. I think dating is the best way to learn about yourself and others.
Travel is also a very important aspect of my stay here. Since I came to Japan my desire to travel and discover other cities has been growing. I have already had the opportunity to visit Kyoto and its magnificent temples, Himeji and its spectacular traditional Japanese garden, Nara and its huge natural park in which you can pet free fallow deer, Osaka and its large illuminated avenues and finally Tokyo, the city that never sleeps. I particularly liked the capital, there is an excitement there that I do not find anywhere else. I loved walking around the city among the huge buildings, the small traditional alleys, the many museums and restaurants. A highlight of this stay in Tokyo was the sunset we attended in Odaiba, in front of the Rainbow Bridge by the sea ... I look forward to continuing my discovery of Japan and being able to discover Japan.
Finally, I will finish by discussing the courses that I have been able to take since I have been studying in Kobe. Many of them helped build my professional project. I was able to learn many things, and assess some of my skills through the lessons offered at university. I was lucky to be able to take a first course called "Global Active Learning". It was a question of retracing the history of Hiroshima, from the end of the Second World War to today, through the tragic events which marked the city in 1945. So we spent three days there, and it is between visits to the city from different angles, that was born my interest in town planning. I observed throughout the stay that everything had been reconstructed through the memory of past events : museums, parks, architectural choices, monuments, voluntarily preserved ruins ... all of its elements contributed to creating a true identity in the city, very different from that of "traditional Japan" which we can be used to. Secondly, my "Strategic International Business Consulting" course also confirmed my desire to learn more about project management. More focused on tourism, this course aimed to teach us the basics of event organization, designing tourism experiences and destination marketing. Finally, I also followed with great interest a course entitled "Environmental Law and Politics in Europe". It consisted of discussing how the EU approaches environmental law, this course was able to make me aware of the environmental issues that we know today.
To conclude, since I arrived here I have been particularly fulfilled, I am learning each new thing and I hope that this will continue during the next six months. I wish everyone to have an experience like this !
It is from my room, in a little city in the North of France that I am writing this last report about my exchange in Kobe. Indeed, with the sanitary crisis caused by the Corona Virus I had to came back in France earlier than what I expected. It was a hard decision to take but I preferred to leave Japan with all my wonderful memories rather than stay and tarnish my experience here.
So my seven months in Japan, was the occasion for me to meet new people, other students form all around the world who became real friends, amazing professors that taught me a lot of things an helped me to improve my English but also Japanese people who showed me what means Japanese culture. I realize how different French culture was different from Japanese one, and it helped me to grow and to supersize my limits.
Travel was also a very important aspect of my stay here. Since I came to Japan my desire to travel and discover other cities has been growing. I have already had the opportunity to visit Kyoto and its magnificent temples, Himeji and its spectacular traditional Japanese garden, Nara and its huge natural park in which you can pet free fallow deer, Osaka and its large illuminated avenues and finally Tokyo, the city that never sleeps. I particularly liked the capital, there is an excitement there that I do not find anywhere else. I loved walking around the city among the huge buildings, the small traditional alleys, the many museums and restaurants. A highlight of this stay in Tokyo was the sunset we attended in Odaiba, in front of the Rainbow Bridge by the sea...
Now I decided to continue online courses to accomplish my externship, which is really important for me. In one month I will have the result about my Master and in September I will going back to my French student life. Being here allowed me to construct a real professional project in urbanism and environment that I can’t wait to realize. For now, I know that one day I will come back in Japan, maybe with my family to make them discover how wonderful Japan is, and to discover all the things that I could discover this year. I look forward to continuing my discovery of Japan.
