James Oliveira: Life in the Fast Lane

When James Oliveira, a California State University, Dominguez Hills senior, arrived in Japan as an exchange student, he quickly discovered the country had a number of unspoken “rules.”

For example, whenever you ride an escalator in Tokyo, the left side is for standing only and the right side is for people who are in a hurry and walking fast.

In life, it could be said that this marketing major, who is minoring in Japanese, is always on the right side of the escalator, seizing every opportunity that comes
his way.

The opportunity to go abroad began after talking to his advisor, Albert Carpenter, coordinator of Business Advisement and Student Services. Oliveira mentioned that after graduation, he was considering the Japan English Teaching (JET) Program, a Japanese government-sponsored foreign language education program for university graduates. Carpenter suggested he first look into the study abroad programs offered through CSU Dominguez Hills.

At the International Education Center on campus, Oliveira learned about his options and decided to participate in the California State University’s International Programs (IP), an overseas study program that is affiliated with over 70 institutions of higher learning in 17 countries. He learned that IP is partially supported by the state of California, making the program the most affordable study abroad program available for California residents.

“It was a whole ordeal,” says Oliveira, who had to fill out an application, get two faculty recommendations and get through an interview in order to be considered for the program. “[However], what’s nice about [the IP is that] all the expenses are the same expenses you pay at a CSU, tuition fees, books, housing… so you are not paying any extras.”

IP students are given the choice of living in university housing or doing a “homestay” – living with a family in the country they are visiting. Oliveira thought that living with a family in Japan would be a richer experience and allow him to become more immersed in the culture.

“I opted for a homestay because I wanted to feel how life is living with a [Japanese] family,” Oliveira says. “I wanted to build a relationship with a family… so when I do plan to go back to Japan or visit, I can still visit them and see them.”

While spending the academic year at Waseda University in Tokyo, Oliveira tried to make the most out of the experience.

“I did a lot of sightseeing, tried to make friends with other Japanese people, and basically tried to practice my Japanese and learn as much as I could,” he says.

One of the places that stood out the most for him was Himeji Castle in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan due to it being in its original state since being built in the 1300s. In fact, Himeji was bombed twice during the second World War and the beautiful white castle survived. The World War II aficionado was also amazed by his visit to Hiroshima, one of the places, along with Nagasaki, where atomic bombs were dropped.

“It was interesting to see something I’ve learned about,” he says, “and it was a very powerful image to see, especially because they said nothing would grow in the area for years and years [because of the bomb] yet trees, plants and flowers have all grown back.”

Sight-seeing wasn’t the only thing Oliveira did in Japan. He also used his time there to make business connections, saying, “I decided to push for contacts and network [in Japan].”

Before he went to Japan Oliveira met Motoshi Natsuno, the president of the Japanese magazine Cure, at an anime convention in Anaheim. While in Japan, he e-mailed Natsuno and told him of his interest in working for him some day. Natsuno met with Oliveira and they became friends. Now, Oliveira freelances as a contributing photographer for Cure.

Oliveira, who is of Vietnamese and Portuguese descent, says that his year in Japan opened his eyes to different cultures and he feels he really grew from the experience. Continuing to walk on the faster-paced right side of the escalator, he looks forward to graduating this spring and finding out what life has in store for him. Whether he returns to Japan through the JET program or takes advantage of opportunities that are presented here, he concludes, “Nothing is set in stone, but I have a lot of options.”

- Perla Villegas