Students from Japan's Wakayama University gained first-hand opportunity to experience Limkokwing University’s cross-cultural learning approach in the recent Japanese Summer Camp which concluded on 2 Sept.
During the month-long summer camp, the Japanese students studied different corporate values and practises from visits to various multinational corporations within Cyberjaya, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur. They were also exposed to local cultures at iconic locations such as KLCC, Kuala Lumpur Towers and the UNESCO Heritage Site of Malacca. Through these field trips, the students learned not only to enrich their English proficiency through interactions with other people but they also learned to appreciate Malaysia’s rich multicultural environment.
“Ever since I came here, I have not only improved my English skills, but also learned the importance of human relationships, cultural appreciation and changed my way of thinking,” said Yamada Kenta.
Kenta also added that the experience was very interesting for his fellow Japanese friends because they found Malaysia’s unique diversity refreshing as opposed to Japan’s monoculture society.
“From this experience, I’ve learned that even if you don’t know the correct language, you can still share your thoughts and feelings with people from other countries,” he said. “When I had problems or questions, they helped and answered me kindly.”
For Moe Obata, she was fascinated by the University’s multicultural environment.
“There is a lot of freedom here with people from various countries studying together which is very different from Japan’s monoculture practises,” she said. She also added that this allows her to practice conversational English skills with people from other countries.
“At the same time, I was able to make new friends and people here are always very kind,” she added.
Ichiro Fujiyama, Vice Director/ Associate Professor from Wakayama University mentioned that he believes such exposure will allow students to develop their presentation skills while conversing in English.
“More importantly, we also want our students to gain a better understanding of different cultures which will benefit the students in the long run,” he said.
Being immersed in Limkokwing’s University’s multicultural approach to learning allows the students to develop networking skills while encouraging cultural understanding and appreciation.
The Limkokwing Summer Camp programme is an immersive English language programme which focuses on student participation to achieve fluency, accuracy and confidence. Classes are interactive with activities that focuses on speaking, pronunciation, listening, grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing. For more information, contact Limkokwing English Centre at +603-8317 8855 or via e-mail at pb.antarabangsa@limkokwing.edu.my.