I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Okayama during the summer of 2024 as part of the US State department-run Critical Language Scholarship. CLS is a summer program in which the government sponsors the study abroad of a group of American students to study one of the 12 languages the US Government deems critical to US Safety and Security, and I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the Japan cohort of 2024.  

During my 8 weeks in Okayama through CLS, I lived in an apartment with one other CLS Student, and two Japanese students of the local university we were studying at. I had experience living in Japan, I studied abroad in Kyoto just the previous spring and lived with a host family, but this was my first experience rooming with others my own age. I was honestly really nervous about it, since roommates in general can be a challenge (cultural differences notwithstanding) but it ended up being a really great experience. I believe I got incredibly lucky with my roommates (or the administrative team at CLS did a wonderful job matching us) because the 4 of us got along great. My other American roommate, Lexa, was fun and outspoken and helped balance things out when the rest of us got tired. Sakura was boisterous and invited me to all her martial arts club meetings where I went and met her friends. Wakana was quieter but no less fun when she wanted to be, and always went on late night runs to the convenience store with me. 

I grew to love that little apartment. When I got home, I knew someone would be sitting in the living room ready to chat about their day, the classes they took, the test they almost flunked, the lunch they had. Even more than living with a host family, living in a sharehouse with people my age really boosted my confidence with Japanese, simply because of how often I spoke with my roommates. We’d get meals together, joke while brushing our teeth, and chat late into the night. 

More than anything, I was struck by how incredibly adaptable humans can be. Just two weeks into the program, this little apartment in the sharehouse was so important to me. It was the place where Sakura and Wakana taught me how to make Tamagoyaki. It was the place where Lexa explained the entire plot of Star Wars to me on a maddened sleepless night. It was the place I was excited to return to after a long day, because I knew my roommates would be there. In such a brief time, it had turned into home. But it’s not really about the place itself, at least I don’t think so. It’s about the three girls I lived with. They had turned into home for me. 

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, going into the program. That these people would become such an enormous part of my life, if only for a brief time. I don’t like crying in front of people, but the day we had to say goodbye, we all sobbed in each other’s arms. I learned I don’t mind crying as long as it’s together. I suppose that’s the wonderful thing about studying abroad, you meet all kinds of people, become deeply involved in their lives, and just like that you’re on a plane back to another home. 

I’m fortunate enough to have many homes, and they’re pieces of me I’ll cherish as I go forward in my life.

A photograph of my roommates and I, taken the very first time we all met

(Lyla Normand, 13.06.2024, Okayama)