My Definition of Home, Redefined Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Japanese classes were intense and all in Japanese. At first that was difficult to get into, but after a while, I definitely saw my language ability greatly improve. The area studies classes were taught in English and by professors from different countries. They were all interesting courses, but the work load was almost non-existent (a lot of lecture, not much discussion/critical thinking) and I did have a couple professors that were really boring and rude.

On-site administration of your program

IES was always there when we needed them. I had a host family, so most of this time I did not use IES, but whatever questions and concerns I did have, IES was there for me when I need them to be. At Nanzan, the CJS staff was also very helpful and always checked in to see how I was doing.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Deciding to live with a host family was the best decision I made while abroad.

Living with a host family, I had the opportunity to eat delicious home cooked meals and not have to worry about going to the grocery store and cooking for myself (with ingredients I knew little about).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living with a host family definitely helped, but IES also took us to a lot of cultural concerts/events and trips that helped to ease myself into understanding Japanese culture. At Nanzan, there are many opportunities to meet and befriend Japanese students. I decided to join a dance circle, but other students decided to go to World Plaza (a place where you can go and speak to students in any language besides Japanese).

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick many times while I was abroad, but one particular time when I first arrived prevented me from going to the hospital again. In Japan, you usually can not get medicine over the counter. Everyone goes to see a doctor when they are sick to get the medication they need to get better. I got really sick during my first week in Japan. My host mom took me to the hospital with my 2 year old host sister and we spent 5 hours waiting to get seen. When I finally went to see the doctor, who my host mom said could speak English, we ended up discovering that her English was not better than my Japanese level at the time (which meant there was no hope in me understanding any of the medical terms she used). My host mom had to translate between us the entire time. It was actually pretty horrible. Every other time I got sick during my stay, I usually would just take some ibuprofen and fight it out. I highly suggest bringing any medication from home with you or asking family members to send you something in a care package, because I don't think visiting a doctor is worth the hassle (unless you are very ill or it is an emergency). IES always requested that we tell them when we were sick and to let me know how we were doing. I never inquired with IES about any of my later sickneses because they were not as bad as my first one, but I am sure they would have came to my aid if I needed them to. There was also a clinic on Nanzan campus, but I never went.

I felt very safe when I was in Japan. I am use to being constantly catcalled in the USA, but I was never catcalled unless I was out late and it was usually by other foreigners.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Living with a host family meant that I had to commute to school every day. The cost of transportation was definitely a huge expense that I had to pay for when I first arrived. Every month afterwards, I tried and could easily live off of a $450 budget (for food, travel, shopping, anything outside of school that I participated in; I often had money extra money that rolled over to the next month). For those who decide to live in the Nanzan dorms, you wont have to pay as much for transportation monthly. Food is really inexpensive and I think students can easily live on a budget of $250 a month (if they decide to not do monthly travels and splurge on Japanese fashion hauls).

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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