BY AI YOSHIDA

Many international students come to SU to study Japanese language and culture every year. Yolanda Collins is one of the exchange students from Ball State University (BSU), and now she is a sophomore in the English Department of the Faculty of Foreign Languages. At BSU she majors in Japanese and Chinese, and minors in fashion and psychology.

She majors in Japanese mainly because she is very interested in Japanese nature and in Japanese culture, including the behavior of Japanese people and Shintoism. Yolanda said, "I like the Japanese spirit of wa , which I can see in its sculpture and architecture." She become interested in Japan after reading books about Japanese history. Concerning Japanese modern history, she could see firsthand how Japanese were able to uphold the Imperial system. It was very interesting for her, and she had studied Japanese history and always asked many questions. Yolanda also said that she studied Japanese language using Japanese cartoons and books before she came to Japan.

She likes nature, too. When she went sightseeing around Sapporo with another exchange student and three members of Youth Forum News, they rode to the top of Mt. Moiwa by cable car. Then she said merrily, "I want to go camping." She also wants to visit Shrines and eat strange foods in Japan. At SU, Yolanda is a member of the calligraphy club and practices calligraphy every Tuesday.

Yolanda has two goals: one is to travel throughout world and the other is to become a fashion designer. She said, "I can only study fashion design using the Internet, from books I buy myself and library books. Now I have to study Japanese language mainly. After I go back to BSU, I would like to take more fashion design clases. Then I'll come back to Japan again and I want to study at a Japanese fashion school." Yolanda is interested in Japanese trends and teenagers and happily observes Japanese life with her shining eyes.

Now Yolanda has a home stay and is doing everything for herself. When she first came to Sapporo, I lived with her for three days. And, she is trying to challenge everything which she wants to do. When we went shopping, she was very surprised and attracted to Japanese foods. She boils the rice in a pot and eats the food just like Japanese do. She is getting used to living in Sapporo. It is no different for her in either Japan or America because Yolanda lived alone in America after she entered BSU. Yolanda always hums to herself and has a great smile. She said that she has no anxiety or problems though she may sometimes feel embarrassed. Yolanda looks like a typical American girl who is cheerful, bright, open and fearless. There are many things she can experience right now, and she is enjoying her life in Sapporo surrounded by the nature which she likes. It is surely good for her future.