If you are an English major on campus, you are most likely familiar with Dr. Tony Magagna. He has been enlightening minds on campus for the past ten years, specializing in my personal favorite subject, American literature. This year, he traveled to Japan to teach under a Fulbright scholarship, teaching in Sendai and Kyoto, Japan.

Within his ten years at Millikin, Dr. Magagna has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship not once, but twice. This fact sets him apart from other faculty.

“I’m the only person here who’s had a Fulbright as a professor [at Millikin,]” Magana said. “I like to encourage other faculty to do and encourage students to do it.”

The Fulbright program is a scholarship program created by senator J. William Fulbright. Its main purpose is to give scholars and students the opportunity to forge relationships and experience cultures across the globe.

Dr. Magagna’s first experience teaching internationally was during the 2012-2013 school year when he went to Germany on the same scholarship. Germany was certainly an easier experience since most people spoke English and the culture was not too far off from the western world.

Japan, however, was an entirely different language and cultural environment.

“This one was a lot more challenging than Germany was because I didn’t know the language,” he said. “I knew some German. The culture was just very, very different, as was the language.”

Even though it took much adjustment, Dr. Magagna thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the Japanese culture and found that even though it was a struggle at times, the experience was quite worthwhile.

“I really enjoyed it there, but by the time I was done, I was ready to come home,” he said. “You don’t understand the language, you’re looking around for someone to help you and I think you have to be open to that if you’re going to take those challenges and gain those rewards.”

While he began his first semester in Sendai, he had to transfer to another school for his second semester.

“That came with challenges, because I had just begun settling in and meeting people but had to move again,” he said.

Dr. Magagna’s favorite part of his trip was that every day was a learning experience. He also became a huge fan of the local ramen.

“I love food and I became this ramen nut,” he said. “I tried to eat most everything [and] there are some things I would not eat again, but I at least tried them. So that was a fun experience.”

On the other hand, he at times felt isolation. In Japan, nearly everyone is Japanese, unlike in America, where there are a mix of races. The lack of cultural diversity made him feel alone since he had neither his wife nor family or friends with him on his trip.

“That experience over a long term can be hard,” he said.

The Japanese language was also a big challenge. It’s quite complex, consisting of three different alphabets. Dr. Magagna utilized Duolingo during his time there, which helped him learn a bit.

Working with the students was an eye-opening experience for him.

“People in Japanese culture are a lot quieter and a lot shier and worried about embarrassing themselves,” he said. “I mean, I knew they could speak English, because I had read their writings, but they wouldn’t. That was frustrating for me as a teacher because I knew they could do it. I think they were afraid that their English would come across as broken somehow.”

When comparing the two international experiences, Germany was easy for him.

“Germany was really personally and professionally enriching,” he said. “I was able to experience new directions in my research because I didn’t have to worry about the language and culture barrier.”

Japan was a lot more of a challenge for him.

“Even though there were more challenges in Japan, I think that made it more worth it,” he said. “This is something I wouldn’t have done had I not forced myself to do.”

Overall, though the whole international experience was challenging and scary at times, Dr. Magagna would do it again in a heartbeat.