Hello, my name is Lisa and my internship at SUiTO is slowly turning towards its end.
Nearly five weeks have quickly passed since I first arrived in Fukuoka. I came here in order to experience life in Japan with its all its features, local people, rich culture and delicious food. When I packed my suitcase and headed for the airport, an atmosphere of happy anticipation lingered in the air, mixed with slight worries about staying roughly 9000km (air distance) from home all on myself and being confronted with a language, which is still difficult for me, despite learning it for some time. But those thoughts disappeared quickly after I found myself in the middle of a great city full of friendly and openhearted people and it never came back. I’m utmost happy that I got the chance to do an internship here at SUiTO, where I am surrounded by an amazing team and I am able to experience new things every day. When I reminisce about my internship so far, it’s impossible to identify a highlight, because my time at SUiTO was packed with so many great activities like the Music Calligraphy Event, Origami Workshop, Haiku Course, Udon Workshop and Sushi Workshop. I was not only allowed to participate at the opening of the Canal Tourist Lounge, but got the unique chance to dress up in a beautiful kimono and to perform Calligraphy and Origami in front of a professional photographer and TV team. It was an extraordinary experience! Although my Japanese is still lingering somewhere between advanced beginner and lower intermediate, everybody at SUiTO is always encouraging and patient and makes lots of efforts to explain everything to me! Various occasions to practice and improve my Japanese language skills really helped, like writing a blog about events (in English and Japanese) and translating pamphlets and documents.
During my stay in Fukuoka I also managed to visit beautiful spots around Fukuoka, like Nokonoshima, Aburayama, Dazaifu, Nanzoin, Tachibanayama and many more. I like the modern and busy atmosphere of the city combined with tradition and the feeling of community. I was able to taste many different kinds of Japanese food (even handmade at a SUiTO workshop) and still savor its delicious taste. But most striking are all staff members of SUiTO with their warm and kind heart, who really made me relish my time in Fukuoka! I want to thank everybody at SUiTO for their commitment and for the great time! I totally enjoyed my internship so far and although I’m curious about visiting different places in Japan, I’m sure I’ll miss the spirit of SUiTO and Fukuoka!