Shanae Sung
She was born in Singapore and raised in Australia. Studied abroad at Waseda University for 2 semesters and currently interning in Japan. One of the 2022 New Colombo Plan Scholars.
This time, we have an interview with a current resident of U Share Nishi-Waseda, Shanae Sung who has been in Japan since September 2022. She has been living in the U Share for over a year now and is planning to stay at U Share until December 2023.
We asked her what brought her to U Share, and how her life in Japan has been.
I wanted to study abroad since I have always lived with my family and I believed that it would be a good opportunity to become more independent. Japan seemed to be a good place to try. Japan is a very safe place with great food and I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship from the Australian government.
I found out about U Share through a Google search. I chose U Share because, compared to Waseda University’s dorm, it seemed like less adjustment was needed. U Share wasn’t big so I thought it would be easier for me to get to know everyone and since it’s main language is English, I thought it would be easier for me to settle in. I also liked that it’s close to Waseda University.
One thing I like about U Share is that everyone is very open and friendly. I heard from my friends that at a lot of the university dorms, they don’t get to communicate with their roommates, but I think U Share residents were very welcoming. On the first day I moved in, my roommate shared her shampoo with me since I didn’t have one yet. I had times when I felt really lonely but my roommates were there and it made me feel so much better.
I also liked that U Share has a grand opening at the beginning of the semester, where we get to meet the other roommates and also understand the rules of U Share. This was a good chance for me to know what I can expect in my dorm life because the rules were clarified in the beginning, I think it made my life here easier.
One piece of advice I would give is to get an online tour of U Share if possible, so that you have a better idea of what you expect. I was personally surprised by how small my room is!
Overall, life at U Share is fun, so just be open for things to be different from what you’re expecting. Also, don’t forget to ask for help. I reached out to my roommate and that has helped me so much when living away from home in a new country!
