Hi
My name is Pooja Bhandari. I live in Pullman, a town on the eastern part of Washington, USA. I am now enrolled in an Extended Learning Program of Spokane Community College. My experiences in this place will be posted soon in this webpage. I was living in Japan before coming to USA. Please, let me tell you about some of my living experiences in Japan.

My first sentence would be "Japan is an amazing place". My first experience there is getting used to their food habits and language. Japan- the country itself is so organized that you would not feel uncomfortable in any aspect of life. They are so much timed, disciplined and self-oriented. They are overwhelmingly High-tech and equally culturally rich. Foreigners are first distracted during their couple of months of stay. Truth is that once you get used to their culture and social system, you would really love being there, and I was one of those luckiest persons.

I started my journey from Sapporo- a beautiful city in the northern island of Japan "Hokkaido". Sapporians are very friendly with foreigners. Foreign population comprises more than 80% of foreign students studying in Hokkaido University. Many non-profitable organizations are working for the welfare of foreign residents, especially through variety of entertainment Programs. This approach has in fact shortened bridge of understanding between natives and foreigners. Of the organizations, House Friendship- catholic volunteer organization and Furubira International Exchange Association (FIEA) are the most actively involved. These organizations organize events and homestay programs for foreigners living in Sapporo. Ms. Asano is the key person in FIEA.

Besides formal events and programs, Nepalese living in Sapporo made my stay more memorable. There is an organization called HONESS established by Nepalese living in Hokkaido and Japanese interested in. HONESS raises funds for the development of education and infrastructures in the rural parts of Nepal. Every year, HONESS organizes cultural events, where Nepalese food is served. Most of these foods are cooked by members and their families. The most helping hands come from Mr. Om Timilsina, Minu Gurung-Hiranabe, Furra Suna-Mukaigawa, without their participation the events would not be successful.  Within the University, Nepalese Student's Organization (HUNSA) used to organize several cultural events and programs for the welfare of students studying in Hokkaido University. Every student and his/her family member participates in and contributes to proper functioning of HUNSA. HUNSA also raises funds for assisting disabled children and their education in Nepal.

After a year stay in Sapporo, we (I and my husband Ramji) moved to Okinawa. Ramji was appointed as a Research Assistant Professor in the University of Ryukyus. His work place was 2 km off our island (Sesoko). Okinawa is one of most beautiful and peaceful places in Japan. People are very friendly, and the nature is unbelievably beautiful. You can see crystal clear water, beautiful coral reefs and colorful fishes just in front of you. You can even touch them and play with them any time. I enjoyed both culture and nature of Okinawa. Okinawan dance and songs are very special to me. Musical instruments are special and songs are fantastic. My favorite band is BEGIN and songs are Shima Uta. Among the Okinawan foods, Goya Chyampuru, Somen Chyampuru, Zenzai and Okinawa Soba are my favorites. Bad side of this place is that UV leakage is too high, and summer suffers from at least a dozen of tropical Typhoons.  However, these typhoons do not hurt people so much.

After one and half-year stay in Okinawa, we came to mainland Japan (Okazaki city). Ramji got a prestigious fellowship to do research in the National Institute for Basic Biology. Okazaki is situated in the central part of Japan, from where you can go anywhere. It is the most industrialized state in Japan. Toyota, Mitsubishi, Sony, NEC, Minolta, Brother are among big industries. Besides this, there are several electronic and mechanical companies, where are thousands of foreign people work. We can meet people from several countries on holidays. After three and half year stay in Okazaki, we decided to move over to USA for the next job. Ramji resigned from his job in September 2006 and joined the new one in Washington State University in November, 2007.