I learned a lot at Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language Past Review
By Carolina F (Linguistics., University of Georgia) for
Japan Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Any study abroad experience is worth it. You'll learn about other people, politics, culture, nature, art, and of course, yourself. I personally gained the ability to not be so unbearably shy when speaking another language. I learned other lessons about myself and the world I live in...but you've got to find them out for yourself!
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a tad too fast paced for me. My brain could not absorb the 25 new vocab words and 12 new kanji (and their combinations) everyday. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people there were all very nice and took a personal interest in my welfare. When I got sick, one of them even translated my moans for the host mother. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was great~! I was nearly right across the street from the school too so it was very convenient...I even had my own room. I will say though, studying in a busy household can be a bit difficult. |
| * Food: |
Daily home-cooked meals were great, but there were often things I just plain didn't like much... |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I liked seeing the ancient shrines as a class. The trip on Lake Biwa was fun, but I think my favorite was seeing the leaves changing at the shrines... |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Except for a 24-hour stomach bug, I didn't get sick the entire trip. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Pay off all your national health insurance ASAP, so you don't have to factor it in all the time on your budget. Check the 100 yen stores in the Teramachi Street shopping arcade. They have a lot of nifty things. Really that whole Kawaramachi/Shijo area has great shopping. However, don't be afraid to check small shops, or to see which are popular with the natives--they'll have a better sense of what a good price for that item is than you. There's also a lot of used bookstores for the manga lovers that will sell back issues for 100-300 yen. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Any time one's forced to use the language to interact all day,they're bound to get better. |
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Work on it early and don't leave things to the last minute. Read all the available literature on your area and courses so that you know precisely what people are referencing in regards to official documents and procedures. If you study hard and can take a fast-paced lesson style, this program should be good for you. It was a bit of a vocabulary overload for me, but grammar was somewhat easy to keep up with. |
