What started out as an idea for fulfilling my A&H credits and a hope for adventure turned into a wonderful and unforgettable learning experience.
Before I committed to participating in this program, one of my goals was to simply explore Japan. Visiting this country has been one of my biggest dreams for years, and this program offered two months of education in Japan while allowing me to complete my missing Arts & Humanities credits. It also introduced immersive ways of learning about history and intersectionality.
After two years of chasing perfect grades and no specific direction in life, I decided to try something I wouldn’t normally do by taking this opportunity that may not repeat itself ever again. What I hoped to gain from this trip was to build independence by stepping out of my comfort zone and navigating a foreign city. Academically, I wanted to explore some topics outside of my major: learn about something cultural and different.
The study abroad program lived up to my expectations, and I was actually able to learn more about myself and the topics than I thought I would be able to.
The class structure itself was pretty simple, but the learning felt very immersive. We weren’t just listening to lectures about history and the culture of Japan, but we were also able to experience it in real time throughout many field trips to different cities (including Hiroshima and Osaka), museums, and while speaking to the students from local Japanese universities. We collaborated with them in group work during in-class discussions, between breaks, and were able to hang out with some of them during the events happening on their campuses. Comparing our education systems was very eye-opening as the Japanese and American systems of schooling are very different.
Now, as I am writing this blog, I am nearing the end of the program and as the last few days approached, I have realized how time was moving way faster than I wanted. Japan is filled with endless things to do. There are countless beautiful places that you can go to every day by using the very convenient public transport system and now I suddenly feel like I didn’t have enough time to see and experience everything I wanted to.
The people here are incredibly kind and helpful. Even when I didn’t know the language, there were many situations where I got more help than I anticipated. I learned how respectful, community-oriented and detail-focused Japan’s culture is. The food is just as amazing as people say – I don’t think I had a single dish that I didn’t like, and I tried MANY things while being here (my bank account’s balance got hurt in the process but it was definitely worth it).
In the end, studying abroad made me realize many things. One of them is that it would be very helpful to learn at least SOME Japanese before arriving. I think that even a week or two of teaching myself basic sentences for daily interactions would have made my trip much less stressful. Another piece of advice is to have at least a general idea of the places you want to visit. It makes traveling much more satisfying and rewarding, especially when you have to balance it with being a UW student completing assignments and participating in lectures every week.
I think my final message to anyone interested in studying abroad reading this right now would be to try things even if they scare you. If you are unsure about studying abroad, this might be a good sign to go for it. You are more likely to discover something new about the world, and about yourself.
After all, that’s what being a student is about, right?
