In a response to this post, please give your thoughts about what you wish to
accomplish in Japan, how you think you’ll be able to accomplish them, and what
concerns you have about either your preparation for or your stay in Japan.
Please post by 2 pm, Friday, April 28.
The main thing I wish to accomplish during my time in Japan is getting a better understanding on what it would be like to live in Japan. I am thinking about the possibility of living and working there after I graduate. While living on my own and living in a dorm are very different things I hope that my year there will give me a very basic idea of what my life would look like if I choose to go down this route. During my time I will get more serious about learning the language, join a club to form a group with people, and make some “omiyage” friends. I am just concerned about how much my time there will simulate actually living in Japan. Also I still don’t know what I am going to do about a phone in Japan. Because I checked and my phone company has zero coverage in Japan.
ReplyDeleteThere are several things I want to accomplish in my trip to Japan. One of my biggest goal is to get a better understanding of how people really talk in Japan. I have only had one year to study the language and I worry that my Japanese language skills will keep me isolated from Japanese native speakers. I also want to understand the culture more and the historic reasons behind the Japanese traditions. I also really want to learn some cooking skills if possible because I really admire the Japanese diet and their choice of ingredients for most dishes. All of these are tasks that are difficult to learn in the classroom. In the classroom I can learn of them, but it is impossible to really learn about one's culture without being a part of it to some extent. Beyond my low language skills, I am also concerned about being alone in a foreign country and how well I will be able to adapt so far out of my comfort zone. It will be interesting to understand have the knowledge of an infant at 20 years old. While I am excited about this it is also very daunting because I do not want to make too many mistakes or get terribly annoyed at being treated so inferior. I think there will also be a lot of technical difficulties that I do not know how well I adapt to them. Despite all these fears, I am overall excited for the experience.
ReplyDeleteWhile I’ll only be in Japan for 2 months, I am hoping that Nanzan’s language intensive program helps advance my ability to speak in Japanese to a point where I don’t have to worry about not being able to figure how to reply during a normal conversation. I feel like this can be accomplished by not only going to class and actively participating in activities, but also through making an effort to interact with the Japanese students in the dorm, and going to the Japan Plaza (a place where you are only allowed to speak in Japanese) whenever possible. I’m a bit worried about using the transportation system, mainly because it seems very complex to me right now. I also sometimes worry about not being able to properly express myself if I have a problem or don't understand how to do something. However, I would hope that the Japanese students and staff would help us if I needed help figuring out where to go. I also feel like many of the other foreign students at the program will have these same issues and we’ll be able to work through them together. Overall, it will be a very new experience for me and I’m really looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI think my main motivations for studying abroad are to help with language comprehension (both reading/writing) and just to experience the raw and un-westernized culture. I have been on excursions in foreign countries before, but none as long as this one. In Spain, I went with my Spanish class (as it was the language I was studying at the time) and I was able to pick up on a few phrases and other words commonly used in day to day life which helped me in the long run with that language. I was only there for 12 days and already I felt I had a greater understanding of the language and culture than what I had within the 2 years I had taken the westernized language course. When I went to India for a service trip I knew NONE of the language. I was there for 14 days and was able to understand what people were saying just from listening (although I couldn't speak the language myself), and so I know from past experience that this studying abroad will greatly aid, especially with the lengthened time compared to the previous trips. My only worry is that there won't be that much Japanese spoken on campus, but I think that you have to be paired with a Japanese speaking roommate so I hope they can help me or speak it around me!
ReplyDeleteThis coming summer experience in Japan will most likely be one of, if not the biggest, momentous occasions of my entire life for several personal reasons.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the main, pragmatic goal of this study abroad experience is to improve my skills in the Japanese language - this will be rather easy to accomplish, as HIF's main focus is on language study, so following the course material will most likely be enough in accomplishing that goal.
But a more "soul-connected" motivation for the coming summer experience is a last resort chance to change myself into a better person. In all honesty, I am the closest individual to an actual "Peter" in this class: loud, oblivious, and immature - what would probably be viewed as the very opposite of an ideal personality in Japanese society. I realize all of these problems, and have desperately tried to change them for years, but to no avail. This somewhat ties into concerns I have with the experience in Japan, as I easily possess the potential to cause massively uncomfortable friction between myself and my host family, teachers, and the local townspeople.
I am, of course, very excited to have such an amazing opportunity to study at a high-level institution. But at the same time I am very apprehensive, because this entire summer will be a rite of passage for myself, in a sense - one that I am very capable of entirely failing.
Most of you are probably wondering just what I'm talking about. That's not surprising.
Also, Mizenko-sensei, sorry for making this response so personal. It's just that this is my honne, I guess.
I just can't wait to be done with my finals and start 6-week summer program at Nanzan University! Throughout the course, I wish to improve not only my Japanese language skills but also communicating skills. I think having a coffee break with Japanese students there is a perfect way to accomplish these goals because I get to know that person while I practice my Japanese. Although I am little nervous about meeting new people, I am going to do my best to get to network with many different people at Nanzan and hopefully, I become more well-rounded, independent person by the end.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound ridiculous, but I am bit concerned about the bugs during summer time in Japan. I heard from several Japanese students in the past that there are a lot of mosquitoes and cockroaches in the house. I am scared of bugs, and I just can't kill them on my own.
Spending a semester abroad has been a goal of mine since I took my first Japanese class in high school. I believe this experience will help me to grow personally, expand my world view, and prepare me for my career. From a personal perspective, living in another country will force me to step outside of my comfort zone and become more independent. I hope to improve my understanding of both the Japanese language and culture by attending AIU. Studying the Japanese language while being immersed in the culture and living with Japanese students is the best way to increase my fluency.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to live in Japan for some amount of time, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad. I think this experience will improve my Japanese comprehension skill by being able to talk to Japanese people on the daily. I'm also excited to see the culture difference between Japan and America, and the knowledge that I will gain from this experience of being on my own in another country away from home. I also want to meet as many people/friends as possible that could help me get out of my language comfort zone. I think my main concern is to be abroad without my parents for the first time and having to figure out different currency and culture norms on my own. Nonetheless, I believe this will be an fascinating semester for me both culturally and educationally.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to Japan for a few reasons. I first gained interest into the country and its culture through the show Mind of a Chef. The chef David Chang was talking about his experiences living in Japan and how the culture changed the way he experienced his food. I rewatched this episode so many times that i would predict what he would say. My fascination with Japanese culture was furthered when i listened to a podcast of a guy who said his time in Japan changed his outlook on life. I dont know exactly what i wish to accomplish, but i hope something interesting enough that it changes my life happens. I am going to immerse myself in as much culture as i can. The one concern i have will be the language barrier. Both icons i was inspired by were fluent in japanese, so i hope this does not screw with my oppurtunities.
ReplyDeleteEver since I was 5 years old I wanted to visit Japan. As a Ghanaian learning about different cultures has always been a pastime for me but Japan is just a cultural pot waiting for me to discover. I have read so many books about the culture of Japan and now I want to experience it for myself. I won't lie my anime loving self is excited to discover the places where my favorite manga and animes originated from, but I also can't wait to see the traditional clothes ant try the traditional food, as well as seeing the different crafts made in Japan. I guess my biggest concern is to not be completely disrespectful, because as a Ghanaian learning respect was one of my biggest lessons.
ReplyDeleteAs a child/younger person, I visited Japan without any goals or expectations. Having done so, and been fulfilled in my tourist ways, I really want to be able to actually meet goals I set, and accomplish things other than just "going to Japan."
ReplyDeleteThings I think I would very much like to do would be:
- Visit lots and lots of museums.
I'm an art student. It's what I do. But on top of that, I want to be able to experience contemporary Japanese art, something I'm not necessarily able to do here in the US. I would of course like to go to history museums and local museums and be able to experience them as well, but I am really hoping to be able to see contemporary art.
-Visit family/family friends.
This one depends very heavily on communication through my family, and I would never want to impose or invite myself anywhere, but my family is almost expecting it of me. It's a little anxiety inducing, but I hope I can be a good guest, and not disappoint my family.
- I want to go lots of different places.
I know how vague this sounds, but I promise I have something in mind. I've never been anywhere in Japan for an extended period of time outside of Kyoto and Nara, just because my family loves it so much. I'll be living in Akita, so that's a start, but I want to be able to visit as many places as possible. I want to see Hiroshima, and I want to go to national heritage sites and parks. I also want to try different reigonal foods, haha. Different kinds of Okonomiyaki…. and maybe be able to re-visit Nara and Kyoto again, knowing more about anything this time around.
-Language learning
This is pretty self-explanitory, but I really, really want to be able to expand my language skills. I'm currently finishing my last year of Japanese at Ursinus, but I do not want to have to stop my language study, and I want to get as much out of immersion as possible.
-Studying an art form under a master
This one is also very dependent on my ability to communicate. I am very desperately hoping I will be able to study under a master of some art form. Mizenko-sensei really wants it to be shakuhachi, but I would also be very interested in learning some sort of visual art form. I am a studio art major, and art is important for my physical sustenance.
- Join a club.
Like. Really join a club. Mizenko-sensei has talked about it so much I am not worried about him understanding what I mean.
I'm sure there are more things I want to do, but this is what comes to mind.
Things I'm worried about:
-My anxiety
It's funny that my anxiety makes me anxious, but I am worried about going abroad, and living there for more than a month, with minimal medication. It's a little worrying.
-Just everything to do with actually going, but nothing actually sticks out as a PROBLEM, just as nerve-wracking.
-Doing too much in Japan.
Or trying to, anyways. I tend to burnout really easily because I put in more than 110%, and while it tends to pay off, I'm too tired to reap the benefits. I'm worried about balancing everything I want to do with clubs and schoolwork and other time obligations.
I'm gonna post before 2:00, but I have alot I've been thinking about, and what feels like so little time to think about it.