Japan: The Place Where I Want To Be Past Review
By Janira C (Asian Studies/Japanese, University of the Pacific) for
Kwansei Gakuin University: Nishinomiya - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I really enjoyed my experience abroad and if I could, I would do it again. I definitely feel like my language skills greatly improved, especially my listening skills. I also feel like I as a person grew. I feel more open minded about the world now and feel ready to take on challenges now. If anything, I even feel more motivated to be a better person in society and volunteer my time.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I am pretty satisfied with my overall educational experience. I really feel like I learned Japanese better than how I was learning it in my home university because I was being taught by native speakers and I think that it is the best way to learn better. The grading system was different and that actually confused me a bit, and I did find that a little harder to get used to though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt like there weren't a lot of strengths or weaknesses to the program. I did feel like they tried their best to answer questions I had and they were really nice and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did not really need to buy any sort of utensils because they were provided by my host family. The house where I was staying at was really close to the train station so it was convenient in that way. Japan is one of the safest countries so I never really felt unsafe even in the night. I was treated very nice by my host family, but I'm not sure if it was because they were an older couple, but I didn't really feel as part of the family because we never really had "family time" other than having dinner together and on special holidays going to the temple. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
During orientation week, all of the exchange students went on a field trip to the city of Nara. It was a sort of fun event because it gave all of us the opportunity to interact with each other make new friends. "Coffee Hour" which was once a month was also a fun event where we had the opportunity to make Japanese friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never really felt unsafe while being in Japan even in the night time. In the beginning I was a little skeptical to walk by myself from the station to my house, which was a 5 minute walk, because I was used to being insecure sometimes in America but after a few times I never really felt that way again. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I probably spent around $50-$80 per week. Lunch wasn't provided since I was at school during that time so I had to buy my own everyday except on the weekends. Lunch ranged anywhere from $3 to $10 sometimes. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There were some school fees that I wasn't aware of so that came as a surprise. Cost of living was something I wish I was more prepared for because I really had no idea how costly it was going to end up being. It also did not help that the Dollar was at a constant rise and fall, but that is something that was unavoidable. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Japanese Level 2nd year |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I tried practicing the language with local people if I ever had the opportunity. Also since I was in a home stay program I was speaking everyday with my host family. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It is good to be a very outgoing and positive person and not be afraid to try new things. People in Japan are generally shy and don't really take the initiative to start a relation so it takes effort in order to do that so you have to be willing to go all out and meet people. |
