It's safe to say that when MJ Jabbar first visited Saitama, Japan, two years ago, it left a major impression. In fact, he’s been working nonstop to find a way back.
“I first visited Saitama through a two-week nutrition exercise summer class with professor Takahashi, whose hometown is Saitama,” Jabbar said, referring to Shinya Takahashi, professor of practice, associate department chair and academic program lead in nutrition and human sciences. “We got to visit an Olympic training facility, learn about their work and meet with local students, but more so we just got a taste of what the city was like. The whole time, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how cool this place was.”
A new, five-month exchange program through Saitama University presented the perfect opportunity for Jabbar to immerse himself more fully in their culture.
“The program is called STEPS — Short-Term Exchange Program — through Saitama University, about 40 minutes from Tokyo," Jabar said. "It's a brand-new program, and myself and one other student are the first to attend from Nebraska."
The program, which began last month, will have Jabbar taking language and global studies courses while getting to explore a city he’s become even more interested in since his first visit.
“Before this new program even began, I met some students from Saitama University who were at Nebraska for an internship through the International Quilt Museum. We became friends and started this language exchange where I’d help them with English and they’d help me with Japanese,” Jabbar said. “I really value cultural and language exchange like that, and it’s a big reason I want to do this program.”
As a global studies student, Jabbar sees this opportunity to live and study in Saitama as a possible test run for his future goals.
“I know I want to work internationally during my career, so I see experience as kind of my trial period," Jabbar said. "I ultimately want to work in Japan, so getting this chance to spend six months living there is an incredible opportunity.”
