Momoka Fujita

How I first learned that "It’s okay to be different"
How I first learned that "It's okay to be different"

Momoka Fujita
Participated in host family and dispatch projects. In 2018, became Bridge Club Japan President. Currently a second-year student in the Department of International Culture at Seinan Gakuin University. (As of 2020) /
Participated in homestay program, mission projects (BRIDGE challenge trip), President of Bridge Club Japan in 2018. Seinan Gakuin University. (As of 2020)

My brother received an APCC flyer at school, and that's when we welcomed a boy from Malaysia into our home as a host family. After that, we hosted child ambassadors from several countries. My interest in different cultures grew, and I experienced homestays in Mongolia and other countries through APCC's dispatch program, and I also participated in Bridge Club Japan, and my involvement with APCC expanded. APCC is a place where you can interact with people from various backgrounds. Even if we have different nationalities, religions, languages, and customs, we are all like family. The biggest thing I learned was that "it's natural to be different." Having come to understand that diversity is acceptable, I was able to live with my identity as a Japanese person even when I studied abroad in Switzerland in my first year of high school. I am who I am today thanks to my family who supports what I want to do. I am full of gratitude to APCC for giving me this opportunity.
When my brother brought back an APCC flyer from school, my family was inspired to become a host family and welcome a boy from Malaysia into our home. From that point on, my family continued to host JAs from several other countries. My interest in different cultures grew, and my involvement with APCC expanded as I joined BRIDGE CLUB Japan and experienced homestays in Mongolia and other countries through APCC programs. APCC is a place where people of different backgrounds have the chance to interact with each other. Even though it is a mixture of various nationalities, religions, languages, and customs, APCC is still like one family. What I learned the most through APCC is that it's okay to be different. With this understanding of diversity, I was able to live with a Japanese identity even in Switzerland, where I studied abroad during my first year of high school. I wouldn't be where I am today if my family hadn't been so supportive of what I wanted to do. I am extremely grateful towards APCC for opening these doors.