On Friday, November 20^th, “Appreciation Day” was held online by the Foreign Student Association (FSA), and around 40 international and Japanese students participated.

Appreciation Day, planned and organized by the FSA, was held with the aim of expressing gratitude to the Japanese language instructors and International Affairs Office staff who always support international students. This is an annual event as an opportunity to express gratitude to family, friends, and seniors who support the dormitory life behind the scenes. This year's event was held online in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Three FSA members were in charge of “Appreciation Day, Hwang Siyeon (3rd-year Faculty of Law student from Korea), Byeon Jihon (2nd-year Faculty of Science and Engineering student from Korea), and Chen Hsiang- Ling (3rd-year Faculty of International Liberal Arts student from Taiwan) they reflected on the event by mentioning, “During our study abroad at Soka University, we face a lot of troubles and difficulties due to the unfamiliarity of living in Japan. However, with the support of the staff of the International Affairs Office, all the international students have been able to study hard and enjoy their lives. We are also very grateful for the teachers who carefully and gently teach us Japanese so that our life in Japan can be as fulfilling as possible.”

Below are a few comments from the participants.

I was reminded of the importance of expressing gratitude through this event. I was able to realize the importance to be a person who is grateful even for small things, and a person who will never forget to give back. (2nd-year Faculty of Letters student from Korea)

I am glad that I had the opportunity to think about gratitude. I especially enjoyed the time when we talked with each other in groups. It was a great time to write thank you letters and do group work. (1st-year Faculty of Science and Engineering student from Thailand)