- 11/13/2025
On October 31, 2025, Connie Ho a former exchange student from Singapore brought her family to Hiroshima and to Hiroshima University of Economics (HUE) to spend some time at the place where she had developed so many nice memories during her study abroad period 15 years ago.
When she came in 2010, she was the first exchange student from Nanyang Polytechnic and was full of curiosity about her first study abroad opportunity to Japan. She would be the pathfinder that would introduce her experiences to the many others who would come to study thereafter. She quickly made many friends among her international student cohorts (Mexican, Polish, French, German, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, etc...) as well as leaned about the Japanese culture and studied Japanese Economics and Business in the English taught courses offered in the program. She also studied basic Japanese which enabled her to converse with the Japanese students on campus.
Experiencing the changing seasons of Autumn and Winter created additional memories since she came from a country that was hot almost all year round. Witnessing the Autumn maple tree leaves change color on Miyajima Island was surely an experience that cannot be forgotten—in her words, “breathtaking and awesome.” After visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park and seeing the exhibits in the museum, she learned about the significance of why Hiroshima and Japan have advocated for world peace and a world without nuclear weapons.
She lived in the Japanese culture for one semester. Taking off her shoes before entering the room she was living in became a daily routine. She also learned to divide trash between the burnable and non-burnable, as well as dividing recyclable materials for separate collection (now a global norm). She was also active in sharing her own food culture to the Japanese students by serving Ba Ku Teh at the annual University Festival.
We have many international students come to visit us with their families after 10, 20 years to introduce their families to the place where they had so many pleasant memories. The Center for International Education Exchange will continue to do our best in making our international students’ stay a memorable one.