My Unforgetable Memory

I had a wonderful time on the Portland trip. I visited many places such as colleges, museums, some historic places, and I enjoyed watching the ice hockey game and shopping. I especially remember visiting two colleges, Columbia Basin College and Reed College. I was able to meet many students, and I enjoyed talking with them. Also I realized that there are many differences between universities. Visiting two colleges is a good memory of the trip.

First, I had a good opportunity to talk about my presentation topic. Before I talked about my topic, I thought the students would not know the word "Yakuza", but they did, so I was surprised and I realized that Yakuza is famous in the U.S., too. Since the students knew a little, they seemed to be interested. Also I was glad that they listened attentively to me. Talking about my presentation, I realized that I have to still work hard. However, this opportunity was good practice for me.

Second, I was surprised when I talked to my partner because he was sixteen years old. At first, I thought he was a university student like me, but he had skipped a grade. There was not only him, but also many grade-skipping students were in the class. Moreover, they go to high school and college at the same time. It is very different from Japanese universities. It is really impressive to me. If I were them, I could not go to two schools at the same time. However, I think it is a really good opportunity because they are able to study many things and it broadens their outlook remarkably. Compared to me, they are younger but they are reliable and hard-working, so I was really impressed with them.

Finally, I found that Reed College is very different from other universities which I have seen. One of the differences is the number of students. There are only 1400 students in Reed College. Compared with other's, the number is few, so I felt that this college is rare. When I heard the tuition, I was surprised because it costs fifty thousand dollars per year. It is truly expensive! If I were very smart, I could not go to this college. I also heard a surprising thing: the professors can bring their pets to class, so I saw some dogs on campus. This college is unique.

This experience of visiting colleges will be one of my good memories of the trip. I had a good opportunity to practice my presentation. I will not forget meeting the students. Visiting there, I was impressed and surprised by many differences between Japan and other colleges. I am glad to have had a wonderful time.