みなさんこんにちは。タイトルを見てどんなサークルなのかと思った人も多いかと思います。どうもフットサル部部長小那覇千尋です。「フットサル？国際的？あれ、思ってたのと違った。」と感じた人も多いかと思います。ここ豊橋技術科学大学には多くの留学生が在籍しており、普段の講義でも周りを見渡すと実に多くの様々な国の留学生がいます。大学内にはたくさんの部活・サークルがありますが、その中でもフットサル部に所属する留学生の数は体育系の中で一番多いのではないかと勝手ながら感じています。

現在、フットサル部に所属する留学生は5ヵ国10名を超えています。一緒にフットサルを楽しむ中でところどころ英語の表現が出たり、また、ヨーロッパからの留学生との間ではフランス語で表現ができたりと、とても国際色豊かなサークルです。私は、本に向かって黙々と英単語を覚えたり、英文法の本を読んだりするだけが勉強ではないと思っています。大好きなフットサルを通して英語に関わることで、本だけでは決して学ぶことができない実践的な英語を学べるのもここ、技科大フットサル部の特徴です。

Hello everyone, I would like to give a warm welcome to all of you. I am definitely sure all of students are eager to join a club and make new friends when we start our campus life in TUT. All of us from the futsal club would like to welcome all TUT students to come and join us.

Never kicked a ball before? Can't speak Japanese language? No worries, as long as you have the spirit and determination to play, you are very welcome to join us. When I first joined the club, I was able to make many new friends. By joining the club, not only we can make new Japanese friends but we will also be able to meet many new people from different countries. We have students from France, Germany, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and not to forget the locals as well.

We do not only improve our Japanese language skills but we also even learn a new language by making new friends from these countries. For those who are looking for a challenge, competitions as well as league matches are held throughout the year so come on over and join us to represent Toyohashi. We always welcome anyone to come and enjoy the beautiful game with us. We are waiting for you!

My name is Liliana, I am from Mexico. I am a second-year Master student of the Computer Science and Engineering Department. I arrived in Japan on April 2016 and it is my first time living in another country. At the beginning it was a bit difficult but nevertheless interesting getting used to the Japanese lifestyle. Mexican and Japanese cultures are quite different, however, Japanese people are always kind and willing to help even if they don't speak your language or you don't speak Japanese.

There are many interesting aspects about Japan, for me, one of them is the contrast between Mexican and Japanese food, totally different from the ingredients and preparation to the serving of meals and drinks. I always get surprised when I end up in a small Japanese style restaurant tasting new flavors I have never tried before.

In Mexico, we have a lot of churches, pyramids and many other historical monuments, and here in Japan we can find temples and shrines. It is always amazing to observe the architecture of those buildings, I must mention that big temples and shrines are regularly reconstructed or restored, so you will feel the Japan's old and new atmosphere.

Living in Toyohashi has been very convenient for living expenses and traveling costs, since in general it is less expensive than other regions in Japan. Because of this, I have had the chance to visit other cities in different prefectures, plus, due to the discount tickets offered on certain periods by some trains, it has been easy to get around Japan. I like to travel alone and discover new places but my Japanese language skills are not good enough yet to read and understand everything I need, so sometimes I get lost or feel confused about if I am going in the correct direction; nevertheless and as I mentioned before, Japanese people always helped me when I faced those situations. It has been awesome to meet new people in every new place I visit.

I am absolutely satisfied with TUT. I have the good fortune to be in a laboratory where my Sensei and lab-mates are kind and friendly, I felt welcomed from the very beginning. All my lab-mates are boys but despite being the only girl in the laboratory, I have never felt alone and I found many good friends in them.

It is common in Japanese culture, therefore in my laboratory too, to have parties for some special occasions, for example a welcome party for newly arrived students at the beginning of each semester as well as a farewell party when students graduate, the so-called Bonenkai and Shinnenkai parties before and after New Year and some others celebrations during the year.

Some lab-mates belong to the swimming club, and I love to swim, so they helped me to join and be part of the club too. Also, sometimes they gather to play futsal or basketball and they always invite me, although I don't play those sports that much.

There are many other clubs that TUT offers, like Kyudo, Japanese tea ceremony, dancing, singing, robotics, and so on.

One of the important points is that TUT has a dormitory for newly arrived international students. Also during your first year, a student from the same laboratory you belong to is assigned to be your tutor and supports you with whatever you need, whether it is an emergency or just a question about everyday life.

TUT organizes some events where all international and Japanese students can participate, know more about other cultures and meet each other. I have made very good friendships during those events and, of course, shared food, drinks and facts about Mexican culture and also learned a lot about eastern countries.

I am studying the International Master's Degree Program which is offered in English. At first it was challenging because I wanted to take as many lectures as possible to finish all of them the first year, and the second year entirely focus on my research. So I had to manage my time to be able to take a lot of lectures, study Japanese language, write reports and do my research for weekly meetings. It has been hard but not impossible and I have found the right balance and enjoyed Japan as much as I can when I have free time.

It doesn't matter where you come from, what your hobbies are, what language you speak, what research you want to do, TUT will always make you feel welcome and provide with an excellent study environment with every tool, machine, software, robot or anything you might need, this being one of the most important points about the school.