I am an international student studying at Chemeketa Community College, from Tokyo, Japan. I am going to talk about my daily routine during the term. I will describe my campus life and what I do after class.
Morning
I wake up at around 7:30AM and have a small breakfast. On weekdays, I usually have cereal. On the weekend, I cook food such as eggs, bacon, and toast. Then I take my packed lunch from the refrigerator. I will leave my house around 8AM. My house is very close to my school and it takes me three minutes to get there by driving. I usually attempt to leave my house by eight, because around that time many school buses pick up students and make a long line. Sometimes I worry that I will be late because of that, even though I live very close to school.
When I get there, the first thing I do is work as a tutor in the Japanese classes offered at Chemeketa. I spend most of my time as a Japanese tutor outside of classes. As a tutor, I attend Japanese classes and support the instructors, fix students’ mistakes and prepare for the class by doing things such as making copies of handouts. I tutor from Monday to Thursday, from 8:30 to 11:30 am. I spend all morning tutoring. I like to be a Japanese tutor and help people. I enjoy being a tutor and making friends during the classes.
Afternoon
After Japanese tutoring, I usually have lunch. What I eat for lunch depends on the day. Sometimes, I buy something to eat from a convenience store or cafeteria at the school. They have hamburgers which I like, pizza, and Chinese food. Usually, I bring food from home, which I prepare the day before. The place I have lunch is usually my workplace, which is the student government office or main building at the campus. I really like to have lunch with my friends and talk to them. Having lunch is one of my favorite times on campus. At this time, I am ready for the afternoon class with good food and sometimes with coffee.
After lunch, I go to my classes. I take classes in the afternoon because I am a Japanese tutor in the morning. My classes usually meet for two hours, twice a week. Some classes are every day for an hour, such as math. Class is the most important part of college life, but actually, I spend more time with a job or some other activities rather than classes. However, I need to think about the time of the class because I have to spare the time for homework and my jobs. When I consider my schedule, the first thing I need to do is consider my classes.
When it comes to jobs as part of my campus life, I have two jobs on campus. They are Japanese tutoring and Student Government. Japanese tutoring is consistently in the morning, but Student Government is very dependent on what classes I take. I work as the Student Government for ten hours per week. It is usually right after or before the Japanese tutoring or my classes. I usually work on Friday a lot for around five hours. What I do as a Student government is student engagement. This includes planning events, club activities, and attending meetings as a student representative. I want to work and contribute to the school as much as I can outside of class.
I am running the Japanese Culture Club since last year, and there is one meeting every week. The meeting is one hour, from around 3-4:30 every term. The club activities are also part of my campus life. What I do in the meeting of the Japanese Culture Club is Japanese calligraphy, board games, and traditional card games. Sometimes, we have food such as riceballs. I sometimes join other club meetings such as the international club and knitting club. I really enjoy club activities after class and my jobs. I have made a lot of friends at the club meetings and it helps me enjoy my campus life.
Evening
After club meetings, classes, or jobs, I go back to my house. When I go back to my house, it usually around six or seven but if I have a tutoring or evening class, it is around eight or nine. After I get home, I cook something for dinner or eat some leftovers. I usually take a break because I cannot really focus on studying right after I get home. Mostly I study and do my homework at night. In the United States, there are many assignments, unlike Japan. I need to spend a lot of time to finish them. However, what I am looking forward to doing is calling my friends or my family. My friends are in both the United States and Japan. When my Japanese friends call me, we talk about our recent news, and sometimes talk about our future lives. I really enjoy calling my Japanese friends and I am excited about hearing new things from them. When I talk to my American friends, I usually ask for help with English and my homework. They always help me a lot and support me. I thank them for their help and for being my friends. Furthermore, talking to my family makes me feel happy at night. I do not call them often; I usually call once every two weeks. They give me emotional support and understand me all the time. This is the happiest time. Then I will be ready for the next day and pack my lunch. I usually go to bed around 12 or 1AM.
During the term, my daily routine is almost always the same. I attend classes, jobs, clubs, and hang out. I really enjoy spending time every day at school and especially with my friends in the United States. Each day in the United States is a valuable treasure in my life. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my time studying abroad.
Yoshinobu 'Yoshi' Enomoto of Tokyo, Japan, is majoring in Political Science at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.
