Introduction

My nephew Mohamad Talass is going to study abroad in Japan with AFS-USA from March to August 2025, where he will attend a Japanese school and live with a Japanese host family. Despite winning a fully need-based scholarship that pays for the basic program fees, Mohamad is in need of your financial support to pay for the expenses that aren’t covered by the scholarship, ranging from food that complies with his faith’s dietary restrictions to school supplies and local public transportation. Help Mohamad pursue his lifelong passion for Japan and become a more globally aware citizen by contributing to his dream.

Mohamad's dream to study in Japan

“I am Mohamad Talass, a 16-year-old originally born in Syria but I immigrated to the US as a refugee with my family in late 2016. As the Syrian civil war started in March of 2011, my family was concerned with our safety and thus fled to Jordan soon after. That was the place I called home for 5 years and gained most of my childhood memories and experiences.

One of the treasures of my childhood was watching Japanese cartoons dubbed into our Arabic language. TV was a major part of my childhood at the time, and many of the cartoons that aired on TV were anime dubbed for Arab audiences. They were so influential and rooted in my family culture that even my parents watched them during their childhoods. At the time, I did not know much about Japan or the world outside of my home — or even the fact that those cartoons were from Japan — but I was already in love with this mysterious culture as I saw its charm, as well as the values and traditions resembling mine.

Years later, my family was fortunate to migrate to the United States, pursuing the American dream of opportunities and a better future. Growing up here in the States, I learned more and more about Japan and the origin of many of my childhood treasures, and I soon became very passionate about Japan. Japanese media like Anime, which I watched during my early childhood and as I grew up in America, was a major factor in starting my interest in Japan. It taught me about Japan, its people, and culture in a way I found fun and engaging.

Another one of my major interests and hobbies is cooking, so that later played a major role in things as well. I remember seeing many traditional Japanese foods in those cartoons I watched, from onigiri in shows like Inazuma Eleven to Dorayaki in Doraemon, and I wanted to one day try these foods myself. I learned a lot about Japanese cuisine along the way, and initially faced challenges regarding it as a Muslim due to the frequent use of alcohol (in the form of mirin and sake) and pork in cooking. I was determined, however, to engage with and learn more about Japan through its food, including finding ways to make it more accessible for myself and others with similar dietary restrictions.

Fast forward to when I entered high school, I noticed that my new school offers Japanese as a language course, and so naturally, I signed up for it without hesitation. This was my opportunity to finally learn more about Japan and its rich culture through language in a supportive environment. Since then, I learned a lot, and I mean a lot, about Japan's culture, traditions, customs, and language with the instruction of the best Japanese teacher I could've ever had. Day after day, my love for Japan grew, and sparked in me a desire to master the language and visit the country.

Thankfully, in the 2023-2024 school year, it was announced that my high school's Japan exchange program was finally resuming after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was fortunate enough to join my school's Japanese National Honor Society and participate in meeting and welcoming actual students from Japan visiting my school. It was an unforgettable experience for me and was the time I got serious about my Japanese language study. This was when I initially got the idea to study abroad in Japan. I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in Japanese culture, honing my language skills and increasing my understanding of Japan and what the world has to offer.

Through my research of study abroad programs, I stumbled upon AFS-USA, a non-profit, government-recognized international student exchange and study abroad program. Despite my family's very difficult financial situation, which was further exacerbated by my father's disabling back injury, I was determined in pursuing this goal of mine and decided to apply to study abroad in Japan with AFS-USA and applied for a scholarship.

The application process was lengthy, and despite missing the opportunity to go to Japan through the Asia Kakehashi program in the fall of 2024, I was notified that I still had the chance to apply for the next session and study in Japan before I graduated high school. I am very thankful to have gotten this opportunity and was extremely fortunate to win AFS-USA's need-based scholarship that covers the basic program expenses. Unfortunately, however, I was told that there are some expenses that the program doesn't cover. I learned that I would need to bring extra money for personal expenses, such as special food items to comply with my Halal diet, school items and uniforms, clothing, in-country travel, etc. Food would especially be a major burden, as many of Japan’s daily foods have alcohol or meat that don’t comply with my dietary restrictions. I would have to personally pay for many special food ingredients that are outside of my to-be host family’s expected budget. I know I would face difficulties in paying for these expenses considering my family's inability to provide financial support. I would need an estimated $2500 total to cover all pre-departure fees, such as visa-related fees and domestic travel to my international airport, as well as all of the aforementioned expenses incurred during my 5-month stay in Japan.

In supporting me in this endeavor, my dream of studying abroad in Japan would finally be realized, without causing further strain to my family's already precarious financial situation. Every donation, no matter how small, can help set my study abroad journey to success. Thank you greatly for your time and considering this request.”

Mohamad is a dedicated, hard-working student who gets all As in his studies and I hope you will consider being one of his supporters by making a gift of $25, 50 or more to help Mohamad achieve his dream to learn more about Japan and study its language, culture and people through studying and living there.