Studying abroad has always had a huge appeal to me. I see the program as a way to go to places you normally wouldn’t get the chance to see and as a way to further your academic career.
When signing up for a study abroad program, I was hoping I would get to go to London or Japan. In the end, I decided that the most important thing was the classes that most aligned with my major, leading me to pick the program that set out to South Korea.
Perhaps as a blessing in disguise, that program was canceled due to a lack of student participants, and I was given the option to transfer over to the SJMC Japan program. Transferring to a Japan study abroad trip was an easy switch since I had wanted to go there more than Korea, and I had more pre-trip knowledge of their culture.
After getting signed up and learning about class content, I felt more assured that this was the right decision. When imagining living in Japan, the experiences that I was most looking forward to were tasting the unique food, observing the local fashion and shopping in stores exclusive to Japan.
After going on this trip, I realized that I enjoyed Tokyo much more than Kyoto. My favorite things that we did in Tokyo include the Tsukiji Outer Market where I got to try black sesame ice cream and Enoshima Island which had fantastic ramen and cool shops. In Kyoto, I loved the tea ceremony that our group did; I even bought some of the matcha that they used. After the abroad program, I extended my stay and my mom met me in Tokyo. My favorite part of the whole trip was spent with her at Tokyo DisneySea.
I learned a lot from coming on this trip. A life skill that I feel like I didn’t have before coming on this trip is navigation. By spending almost a month in Japan, I was able to figure out the train system and confidently navigate to get to my stop.
By the time my mom joined me in Japan, I pretty much had it down, and we were able to get around easily. I also learned that as a society, they recognize that what’s good for others is good for you, and what actions you take as a singular person will have a great effect if everyone does their part.
You can see this reflected in their lack of litter and work ethic. It was very refreshing to be brought into a culture that cares so much for the good of society and others. I learned that if you need help, most Japanese people are very accommodating. They have shown me multiple times that they will go above and beyond so that you feel safe and get to where you are going if you get lost.
The classwork wasn’t too bad, and I feel like it taught me a lot of useful skills that I will be able to use in the business world. Assignments like the daily blog post and daily Instagram reels have taught me how to prioritize deadlines and manage tight schedules. All of my media assignments have helped me learn how to build brand identity, make trendy content and build followers. My writing assignments have taught me about the inverted pyramid method of writing and improved my blog writing style.
Now that I’m reflecting on this trip, I can see how much I’ve grown. I’m very proud of myself for going on this trip and for staying open to the experience.
For me, this program was a way of proving that I can adapt and be self-sufficient. In the future, I will be able to look back on this amazing experience and be less intimidated by the next big chapter, whatever that may be.
