News
Aug 1, 2024
- International
Ceremony honors exchange students from France’s Université Le Havre Normandie
This year’s quartet of exchange students from Université Le Havre Normandie in France visited the Sugimoto Campus on July 24, 2024, for a ceremony to mark the successful completion of their four-week program.
During the past month, the students stayed with host families, learning about the Japanese way of life. Lecturer Hong Myungcheol supervised their stay and helped them with the Japanese language.
Back row from left: Dean Naoki Taguchi, Lecturer Hong Myungcheol, Professor Junya Tatemi
Front row from left: Corentin Colin, Nathan Beudaert, Lorine Essid, Raphaëlle Decourval
At the start of the ceremony, each student gave a speech in Japanese.
“Every day was fun,” said Raphaëlle Decourval, whose hometown is Caen. “We received detailed lessons here that were also difficult.” The 21-year-old added that she only started learning Japanese after entering her university.
Lorine Essid, who hails from Gruchet-le-Valasse, said Japan was a “clean, pretty country.” Also 21, she was grateful for all the reasonably priced places to eat in Osaka, making it a good place for students studying abroad here.
“It’s always been my dream,” said Nathan Beudaert about visiting Japan. The 21-year-old native of Le Havre was thankful for the help he received from OMU professors and fellow students, though he found the Kansai dialect “very difficult.”
“It was an experience I won’t forget,” said Corentin Colin, a 20-year-old from Gonneville-la-Mallet. He loved the nature he found in Japan and the food he had here, saying that “everything” was delicious.
Raphaëlle Decourval receiving her certificate
Lorine Essid receiving her certificate
Nathan Beudaert receiving his certificate
Corentin Colin receiving his certificate
Dean Naoki Taguchi
Before School of Business Dean Naoki Taguchi gave the students certificates and commemorative gifts, he asked them what left the biggest impression during their stay.
For Raphaëlle it was an onsen hot spring, while for Lorine it was the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Minoh in northern Osaka was on the minds of the other two, as Nathan cited Minoh Park and Corentin said he enjoyed hiking in the area.
Dean Taguchi then mentioned ichi go ichi e, referring to the concept of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, hoping that the students would remember the host families, student volunteers, and other people they had the chance to encounter in Japan.
“After you go back to France,” Dean Taguchi said, “please keep contact with all the people you met here.”
Lecturer Hong and Professor Junya Tatemi, who is on the business school’s global exchange committee, were among those from OMU also in attendance.
Université Le Havre Normandie is one of OMU’s over 240 academic partners from around the world. As part of the student exchange program, four students from OMU will visit the French university in November.
Casual conversation at the ceremony
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