To tell the truth, my first impression of Japan was pretty depressing. I was wondering around the streets of Tokyo trying to understand the way of living beneath all the grey buildings and complicated highways.

Taking the shinkansen to Kanazawa I was almost praying to understand the atmosphere of the country, the way of its functioning. I felt terribly lost and desoriented.

At the first day at Kanazawa I took a lonely trip walking by random directions, staring at houses, streets and people. Finally I made it to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I witnessed the lifestyle of local young as it really is, and after those observations I was finally able to communicate with someone. Later, I had lots of chat with Russian and Japanese students.

Although I am a biologist and my interest in Japanese culture and language is mostly a hobby, it was impossible not to feel that my perceptional and communicational skills were growing exponentionally during the program.

With time and help of our teachers and other students I finally got rid of the feeling that I am all alone, lost in a foreign country. I started to notice the elusive and fragile beauty of Japanese landscapes. The philosophy of getting united with everything in your surroundings finally got close to me.

After all I consider that the whole thing was not about the culture, philosophy or ecology. To me all the program was about perception and understanding of how everything in the world is combined together.

Now, during the last days of program I am completely sure that I became different. Now I can see that the world is a complete system, and so the society is. I suppose, I will never feel like a foreigner anywhere on Earth. So, my gratitude is beyond any measure. I guess, this exchange program was the most exciting way of increasing one's lifestyle mindfulness.