My time at Iwate University in Morioka Past Review
By Alaina C (Philosophy., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 03/25/2013 to 08/11/2013 with
Iwate University: Morioka - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained a deeper appreciations or what it means to be a foreigner in a new country, the value of being able to stand on your own two feet, that people from all around the world are just individual opportunities to recognize how similar we are, show those people are going to be some of the greatest friends you could ever ask for, and most importantly, how to toast the night in 9 different countries!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were rigorous, and I had many opportunities with my classes (Iwate Studies, Internship Course, and Non-verbal communication) to visit sites in and around Iwate University and the City of Morioka. Some of these trips included cultural festivals, an international seminar with a nursing school at Mizusawa hot springs, and a field study trip through the Sanriku region to visit areas effected by the 2011 tsunami. The sensei's cared about the students a and encouraged us to do our best as well as grading fairly and generously. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The international office and staff at Iwate University are phenomenal and so so helpful! This also goes for the students that volunteer to tutor exchange students and teach them about life in Morioka. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The international house of (国際交流会館) was such a wonderful experience. I met so many fantastic people, and learned so much about life while being there. It's not as nice as an apartment, but if you've lived in a dorm, you will recognize the benefits of having a room (albeit a smaller room) all to yourself as well as a small kitchenette, and toilet, and small balcony all to yourself. |
| * Food: |
While you cook for yourself if you don't feel like going out, when you do I must say the food in Japan is PHENOMENAL! Don't be afraid to gain weight! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Above all, what I consider to be the best decision I made about my exchange to Japan was picking a location far away from huge metropolitan areas like Tokyo. The reasons are simple, 1) in the north, there are few foreigners. Your experience is more authentic and much more of a culture shock and a big adaption. That's exactly what I wanted. 2) the beauty of the area surrounding Morioka is astonishing and the people have a deep appreciation and respect for the earth around them. Don't be afraid of taking a 30 minute bike ride just because! I experienced some of my most profound moments during my exchange simply because of riding around watching the beauty of the mountain ranges change with the seasons. 3) while the people are generally very shy with foreigners, those that weren't can give you a true understanding of what it means to immerse yourself in a foreign culture. They are not afraid to show you their world, and speak to you about yours. I tutored a little girl in English and her family was so open about their lives as Japanese citizens and so curious about my own life. I felt like I had been adopted into their family while I was there! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues. But I'm also into more holistic/natural medicine, and brought that with me during my stay. |
| * Safety: |
While you have to be safety conscious and smart about what you do overseas (don't accept job offers you don't know every detail about! Generally speaking it can be dangerous, especially for foreign girls!). I always felt safe when traveling through morioka. I would ride back and forth from downtown all the time and was never once bothered. If you went to the mall, you could leave small purchases from previous stores in the basket of your bike and no one would bother it. People were generally very approachable especially the college students! |
| 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) |
The most expensive things you will pay for are food, and travel expenses if you want to go visit other places in country. Housing was the equivalent of $80 a month at the international house and I would say utilities were around $45. Extremely reasonable. I was never concerned about finances. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Apply for scholarships, go to the sales for meat and things like that at the local stores (ask any resident at the International house And they will be able to tell you where the cheapest places to get things are!), go to the local market on Saturday mornings, and something I did, was bring my toiletries from home. By the end of the trip I had all but run out so I had extra space to bring back trinkets! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
All classes were in Japanese except for my nonverbal communication. So that was intensive. But outside of the classroom it really depended on who you spent time with. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | JPN 611D |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't be embarrassed to make mistakes and decide early on what your focus is! If you want to get better at the language than make that your focus from the beginning. This will require more study hours than socializing. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish that I knew how much of my stress about the program was unnecessary! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
