Are you afraid of making mistakes? Do you always try to do your best? How do you feel when you are insulted? Does your life in your birth country give you the answer? My stay in New Zealand helped me to answer these questions.

"Communication Skill" On the first day of school in New Zealand, there were also four international students from Germany. They could speak English fluently. So they were able to get along with other students very soon and very well. I could not, because I did not even try to talk to people, as I was very shy and nervous to talk in English. I did not want to make mistakes and I was afraid of people laughing at my pronunciation. I did not want anyone to think that I could not speak English. I asked my German friend, "Why are you able to speak English well? " She said, "I cannot. But by making mistakes, I can learn." I was very impressed. Since then, I have tried to talk to people without having negative thoughts.

"Never Give Up on Anything" Before I went to New Zealand, I could not stick with things that I had decided to do. This changed after I went on a hiking trip for five days with my P.E. classmates. We had to carry all our belongings and walk in the forest for twelve hours every day. It was a survival trip. I had never experienced one before. I wanted to give up. However, I cooperated with my friends and we reached our goal. After the trip, I felt very good about my accomplishment. Through this hiking trip, I learned not to give up on anything, whatever it is.

"The Way I Thought" I met a lot of people who had never met a Japanese person because they lived in the countryside. They asked me, "Are you Chinese?" "What are the differences between Chinese and Japanese?" In Japan, people care about how they look. I care too, so I was shocked when they said, "All Japanese people have small eyes" However, I learned to not care about that, and just be myself.

I had a lot of feelings during my stay that I had never experienced before in Japan. My New Zealand life gave me a chance to change myself and I grew a lot. So now, how do you feel about making mistakes, trying your best, and being insulted?