Hello, my name is AJ Koikoi. I am from Baltimore, Maryland, and this year, I will be in Kurashiki, Japan during my Princeton in Asia Fellowship.
At first, I didn't really know why I chose to study Japanese. Maybe I wanted to be different, or maybe I just wanted to challenge myself. Either way, it was one of the best decisions I ever made, and it continues to be a passion of mine. Learning the language is only one part of understanding, though. To fully understand any language, you must venture to understand the people as well.
While studying psychology at Franklin and Marshall College, and because I am in love with football, I began to develop a dream. I decided that I wanted to go to Japan to participate in football while learning more about the team-oriented nature of sports. I also wanted to teach students about American culture: not the American culture that everyone sees on T.V., but rather a section of culture that often gets lost in mainstream media.
Now that I live in Kurashiki, Japan, I volunteer during my free time by coaching football at Kibi Kokusai University, and I also play football in Japan's X-League for the Okayama Standing Bears. In my classes at Notre Dame Seishin Junior High School and High School, I incorporate parts of Hip-Hop and African-American culture into my classes whenever possible, in order to offer a new perspective on American Culture. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures as much as I love writing about them.
