Field Study of
Economics Department
経済学科のフィールドスタディ

Report from Student 3,Hawaii, 2023

Expectations and confidence

From August 27 to September 9, 2023, I went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Hawaii, USA.
It was my first time to go abroad, so I got on the plane with anxiety, nervousness, and the expectation that something would change inside me. However, it was all new to me from the start to the end, so when I returned to Japan, I was full of anticipation of what I could do in the future and the confidence that I overcame the two weeks. At first, I was embarrassed to speak English in front of people because I was not confident, but as I used gestures and tried desperately to communicate by connecting words. The shame of making mistakes decreased, and more I was able to understand English.
In addition, I went there and learned a lot, and I saw some things that were different from the original image, and not only what I learned in my university classes, but everything I felt in my life was a learning experience. For example, by using the dollar, I experienced the appreciation of the yen. Also, before I went there, I thought that Hawaii was full of tourism and state-of-the-art machinery. However, the actual town was full of nature, and it was a relaxed and very livable environment. The most powerful part of nature was the cliff where King Kamehameha once fought. I was very tired because I went to several places on a field trip that day and also swam at Waimanalo Beach, which has strong waves, but the magnificent view from the cliff and the strong wind that seemed to flying were surprisingly pleasant, and my fatigue was blown away with the wind. I also went to Waikiki Beach after school and climbed Diamond Head on my days off, which was an active two weeks. I felt that the magnificent scenery of Hawaii that seemed to go on forever would expand my possibilities as much as possible.
At university, I learned about Hawaiians, native and alien species, and environmental issues. Hawaiians were few, many moved abroad when Kamehameha III began selling land in Hawaii, and people from many other countries began to live in Hawaii. In addition, the alien species brought with them when they migrated, and the soil attached to the shoes destroyed the ecosystem of Hawaii and led to the extinction of native species. It turns out that although the big themes are different, everything has a connection and can be connected by a single line.
Being able to find a single connection to the problems that are happening in Hawaii in this way made me think that I could find connections in the problems that exist in this world. I feel that it would be a waste to finish what I learned in Hawaii passively. Therefore, I want to convey what I have learned about environmental issues to the people around me, and I want to do activities where I can make use of the knowledge I have gained. Through this field study, I learned English proficiency, the greatness of experiencing it, the seriousness of environmental problems, and the connection between things. From now on, I would like to deepen my learning and devote myself to realizing my motto, “It is best to improve not only myself but also everyone.” I had a very valuable experience during the two weeks. It was an exciting day in my life that influenced me a lot. I would like to thank the University of Hawaii and the professors and students of Meiji Gakuin University for leading me.