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Japanese Senior Reflects on Four Years on the Hill
by Kevin McMahon
Four years ago Yohei Kaga was sitting at his desk in Tokyo, Japan, surfing the Internet, researching colleges in the United States. Kaga didn't know exactly what school he was looking for and can't recall how he came across the Mars Hill College website, but when he did, he saw something special.
Kaga had never visited the United States or Mars Hill College before he arrived in the fall of 1999 for his freshman year. He applied through the Internet, packed his bags, said his goodbyes to his family and traveled thousands of miles to a place he had never been, to a country he had never visited.
"I just liked how Mars Hill sounded in the web site, so I applied to come here," says Kaga. "When I first came to Mars Hill, the hardest transition was the language barrier. I didn't know much English when I first got here." Kaga recalls how patient and helpful everyone was in overcoming the problem with language.
After the first year Kaga's English was coming along very rapidly, and now after four years, if you had a conversation with him, you would think he was born and raised here in the United States. Kaga had English learning tapes that helped him with his English, and watching television helped him pick up English more quickly.
Now that Kaga has lived in the United States for so long, he has to readjust when he returns to Japan. He says it takes a few days for him to be able to speak the language as clearly as he used to. He talks to his parents and sister on the phone often, so it does come back quickly. It also takes a few days to adapt to being in a major city again. "It seems like everything is moving ten times faster back in Tokyo," says Kaga.
This touches another reason why Mars Hill was so attractive to him. Kaga says he couldn't believe how quiet and slow life was here. "I was just so used to a loud and fast-paced life. I couldn't believe how quiet it was during the nights here," Kaga recalls. He wanted to experience what it would be like to live in a small community and have a slower speed of life.
When he arrived in Mars Hill, people were very nice to him and tried to help him with anything that he needed help with. Although the language barrier was a hard wall to tear down, he had to get used to other differences in things like clothes and cars. "In Japan people don't drive those trucks with huge tires on them," he says. Nevertheless, he adapted quickly to our culture and to how people live life here in Western North Carolina.
Kaga is an athletic training major. He was always interested in this because of his love of sports. In Japan he loved playing basketball, and the NBA is his favorite league. Because of his major, Kaga was able to meet many different students and faculty members. He believes this helped him adjust to the differences in culture and language more quickly.
He has touched many people by his laid-back attitude and carefree personality. He will be remembered for driving in his jeep wrangler and for whistling his favorite song in the training room.
One of the biggest reasons Kaga stayed at Mars Hill was the relationships he had with people. "After my first year or two here, I couldn't imagine leaving. I had so many close friends and just loved the comfortable atmosphere the college has," said Kaga. He was even able to find time between his busy athletic training schedule and his academics to join the Theta Chi Fraternity.
After graduation this May he plans on moving to California to live near his sister and to possibly attend graduate school there. He would also like to work as a trainer for some athletic team or club. "If I got a job with a professional team, that would be a dream come true for me," says Kaga with a grin. "My experience at Mars Hill has taught me to always be willing to take a chance. There is always the opportunity for something great to happen."
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