Whirlwind, Life-Changing Experience in Japan! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Honestly, though at first the homework/classwork load seemed simple and easy enough to do, the workload did build up, to the point some kids thought it was too much work! Though the teachers could have given us "harder" work, I'm glad they didn't. With all the traveling we did in three weeks, at times we didn't have time to just sit down and work on homework. To me, this trip was academically challenging enough. The material was simple to understand, just sometimes challenging to execute. For instance, for COMM class, we had to perform a group presentation in class. It was indeed tough to fit in the time and get everyone in my group (and in everyone else's group for that matter) motivated and working on the project. Even though a few of my classmates complained that they didn't have enough time to work on their projects, it was really their own fault, as they hadn't managed their free time well - they had spent it exploring Kyoto. Also, we had to write a 5-8 page paper for our final for the film studies class. I'm glad the professor extended the deadline, because I spent the flight from Osaka to LAX working on the paper, and when I arrived in Los Angeles, I spent the night working on it. So, yes. This was challenging. But so worth it.

On-site administration of your program

Some of the AIFS staff were a bit unorganized, and one tour guide had a little bit of an attitude (until his boss gave him a talking too), but otherwise, I liked all of our tour guides, teachers, etc. I love my teachers, actually. They are so great, I'd recommend them to anybody :)

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The accommodations in each city we stayed in (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima) were all clean and comfortable. In Tokyo, the arrangements were a bit cramped, but that's to be expected because, in Tokyo, they tend to have more limited space than in other parts of Japan. I would say the living arrangements in each city were the equivalent of a nice Marriott.

We always managed to find very tasty yet extremely affordable food everywhere we went. For instance, I would spend about $10 worth of yen a day for a light breakfast, a couple water bottles, linner (lunch + dinner, I don't usually eat both), and a snack (ice cream, momiji manju, shaved ice, etc.). $10 a day! Can you imagine that?! Or, if you want something more specific: *large bowl of curry on rice in Hiroshima = $7 worth of yen *good-sized portion of udon in Tokyo = $4.50 worth of yen *huge mound of fried rice with a side of miso soup in Tokyo = $4.50 worth of yen The food ALWAYS tasted awesome - save for that one bowl of ramen I had :P

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Well, this was a very short trip. So, we didn't really have a chance to do all the touristy things whilst making a bunch of friends with similarly aged Japanese people. We did go, on the night before our last night in Japan, to Ryukoku University in Kyoto, and got to meet a bunch of Japanese college students. Those people were great, and I wish we could have spent more time with them. It would have definitely been awesome if our classroom could have been closer to a college campus, so that we could have really made friends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any health issues, but the kids that did have issues were immediately taken to the hospital with one of our tour guides/teachers. When my teachers found out that some of my classmates weren't eating anything for breakfast (and we didn't have time for lunch during classes), they would bring bags full of food every day for people to snack on during class. Mostly, the health issues were due to my classmates deliberately not taking care of themselves. Some people refused to carry water on them because they didn't want to have to carry a lot of weight - even though it was tremendously hot and we would walk all day! Others just refused to eat or eat enough! This, of course, caused people to need to go to the hospital.

I would say, though I never felt afraid or threatened in any city we visited, it is not wise to ever go out by yourself, especially in a city in which you can't speak/read the language and are a foreigner. So, travel in groups. You'll be safe and you'll make friends that way.

My classmates are like family, my teachers are friggin' awesome, I loved every place we went, and part of my heart is still in Kyoto. I had so much fun.

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

For me, it was easy because I'm really conservative with my money, food was cheap. I don't spend money wastefully. Some of my classmates blew all of their money the first week, going clubbing every night. Bring your ATM card. You will need it, as hardly any place in Japan accepts credit card (except for chain restaurants, malls, etc.)!

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• Apartment
• Hotel
• Hostel

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• the places we went/activities we did
• my SBCC teachers
• my SBCC classmates

• AIFS staff needed to be a bit more flexible and organized
• Our study abroad group should have met together more than once prior to departure
• Organizing it so the study abroad group are able to have more interactions with local students

The Avid Adventurer