Oh Japan! Past Review
By Katie P (East Asian Languages, Literature, University of Florida) - abroad from 08/27/2007 to 05/23/2008 with
Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It's difficult to condense everything from my year abroad. I certainly learned a lot about myself and my capacity to deal with ambiguous situations or seek help from others. I did learning in the classroom, but much of the application happens outside of the classroom and both pieces were important. My study abroad experience shaped much of who I am in terms of my intrepid nature and eagerness to learn more about different cultures.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses weren't too hard if you kept up with homework. Language courses usually met daily, whereas subject courses met 2-3 times a week. I felt challenged in what I was learning, but also pretty confident about my grade. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a host family that I thought I would stay with for just a semester, but they were so wonderful I requested to stay the whole year. We did mostly day to day things like talking about the news or game shows at meal times, but we also would occasionally go out for a special dinner. They threw a party around the holidays for my friends and I! |
| * Food: |
I never got sick of the cafeteria food and I ate there most days. They always had curry, noodles, and other a la carte options. My home stay also had excellent food. If you are vegetarian, you do need to take extra care to explain what you don't eat many places, although they can usually accommodate you unless you are a strict vegan (a lot of stocks and soups may have fish ingredients). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You do have to make an effort to get involved. The International Center where all of my classes are has local students too taking classes and eager to practice their foreign language skills. Taking part in some of the organized trips and events helped meet some Japanese students and living with a home stay family helped too. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The one time I remember visiting a doctor while I was abroad, the International Center sent me with a staff member to translate if needed. They helped explain how to take the medicine I was prescribed. Otherwise, for most things you can go to a pharmacy and let the pharmacist know your symptoms. |
| * Safety: |
Japan in general is one of the safest countries. You do need to pay attention at orientation and relearn some common sense in terms of road safety. The biggest concerns seem to be bike theft, other petty theft, and groping of females on packed rush hour trains. This did happen to one of my classmates. They cover what to do at orientation, but if something happens you should ask the center staff for help or guidance. |
| 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) |
It depends on how much you eat out and how much you travel. I had a commuter pass I purchased every 3 months and I usually was purchasing only lunch and snacks during the week. On the weekends I would pay for train travel and entrance fees usually. My home stay saved me a lot of money. |
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 |
You weren't held to a Japanese only policy, but I made an effort to try and use it as much as possible. Everyone liked to try out their English on me, so I wanted to also practice my Japanese. It usually took saying something 2-3 times to a new person before they realized I was speaking Japanese, because most people didn't expect I knew any Japanese. |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Beginning 2 |
| 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 afraid to use it! I was really hesitant in the US to speak Japanese, but if you are on a campus with exchange students from Japan or a Japanese program, then you likely have people you can practice with. Make an effort to reach out to them. You can of course watch Japanese TV (I recommend looking for news and game shows) and try reading articles in Japanese. You can download Rikaichan to help as most people aren't at a fluency level to read the paper (it isn't until 6th grade that most Japanese can read the newspaper). |
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? | How difficult making lasting friendships with locals can be and how many times my credit union was going to lock my account on Friday before the weekend I was traveling. |
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! |
