Across the Pacific

Japanese transfer photo

Photo: Sophomore Sara Okubo says she that has grown used to life at Blair.

Sophomore Sara Okubo says she that has grown used to life at Blair. Photo courtesy of Sara Okubo.

Most students are used to the culturally and academically vibrant atmosphere that encompasses Montgomery Blair. Most are accustomed to the variety of elective choices, large class sizes, and diverse friend groups at our school. This is not the case, however, for Japanese transfer student Sara Okubo. 

Okubo, a sophomore, says that Blair is like a new world to her with its combination of wide-ranging class choices and diverse faces. Growing up in a small all-girls school in Kobe, Japan, she was never used to the range of classes and different customs. “[At my school in Japan] we had to wear uniforms for both winter and summer,” she recalls. “And the subjects are mostly chosen. The only electives we have are music, art, and calligraphy.” 

Another change Okubo noticed was the size of classes, which she says allowed her to learn about new people. “The other difference is I guess the number of students,” she says. “Because I went to a private all-girls school the number of students in one grade is really small and here there’s a lot of people. It’s nice because I get to bond with a lot of people from different races.” 

Okubo says she left her country six months ago with an American Field Service (AFS) study abroad program. The U.S. was her first destination choice and after a series of tests to measure her proficiency in English, she received a scholarship to study for one year. “I found out about this program from the internet,” she says. “I've been wanting to go abroad so I applied to this program and I had to do several tests. When I got in, I decided to go to the U.S. because it’s so diverse.” 

Living in Takoma Park with a host family, Okubo says that most of her experience in the U.S. has been positive. “I feel like [the] people here are genuinely friendlier and kinder,” she says. “I noticed the bonds here are really tight between not just people they know, but also between strangers. They make small conversations just out on the sidewalk or just anywhere. I feel like that rarely happens in Japan.” 

The one thing that Okubo does miss from her home country is, understandably, her family. However, she says she’s gotten quite used to most culture shocks. “I miss my friends and my family, but I've gotten used to living here,” she says. “I've seen a lot of stores and foods that have Japanese or Asian influence, so that’s helped me get used to things. Nowadays, I rarely get homesick.”

Okubo says she will need to leave the U.S. at the end of the school year as part of her program, but she’s not upset about leaving. “I know I will have to leave, but this experience has impacted me a lot,” she explains. “My lifestyle has changed, I’ve gotten to expand my connections, and I’ve learned about new cultures. It's been a great experience.”