Fun interactions with students like these made this trip so fun!
To find your way in this world, you must get to know the world personally. This was the exact mindset I had when deciding if I would be studying abroad or not.
I have been surrounded by people who have traveled the world and have felt it was the most important thing they’ve done in their lives. From my parents to other relatives, everyone has told me that one of the best things you can do to educate yourself is to grasp the world in your own hands and travel. I knew I would eventually travel to another country in college, but I didn’t know where. When the opportunity arose to go to Japan I felt so much excitement for the unexpected.
Something I was looking forward to the most was interacting with locals. I didn’t know what to expect even with all the preparation I took to educate myself before going. There are just some things you must experience for yourself.
That is one of the reasons I wanted to be a part of this program, to broaden my global perspective and interact with people worldwide. Culture and history have always been fascinating to me, and along with my growing love for social media, I knew that these study abroad classes would teach me so much, and they did.
An exciting experience that the whole Texas State group had was visiting students at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. I absolutely loved this visit and adored the young women that I was grouped with. Getting to know the similarities and differences of students my age from a different country was so fun and honestly an eye-opening experience to our connecting cultures.
One of the them, Saya, who is a sociology major, answered all of my questions about free time, favorite music artists and daily schedules. Then a delicious lunch was had near the end of the visit. It was a wonderful way to connect with my peers on the other side of the world, and we finished the visit by exchanging social media handles to keep up with each other.
Some of the other interesting things that I encountered were all the different foods. Japan has a broad selection of specialty dishes, and I tried my best to try as many as possible. A food experience that stuck out to me was during my time in Osaka when the group I was with went and got okonomiyaki, a savory pancake made with a batter of shredded cabbage and egg, often including toppings such as pork belly or green onion.
Okonomiyaki translates to “grilled as you like it”, reflecting its customizable nature. It was amazing to see them mix and cook the pancake tableside right in front of us. We had it topped with eel sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes. After one bite, I understood why that dish is a beloved comfort food in Osaka and throughout Japan. Learning the background of certain foods or why they are made the way they are was a great joy to me while traveling through Japan.
Academically, I learned an outrageous amount in the short amount of time we were there. I gained a greater understanding of Japanese culture and history by visiting beautiful temples, shrines and cities, along with my interactions with locals. With the mobile storytelling class I was able to utilize parts of Instagram I didn’t know I could and gained further confidence in my posting skills regarding captions, setup, and follower engagement. With the feature writing class I learned more about developing my writing skills to be able to use freelancing techniques. These skills will be of great value to me and my future career.
On a personal level, what I learned was much more of an internal education. Living my day-to-day life in Japan for over two weeks, interacting with the people and the customs that they have there, was incredible.
Japan may be fast paced but it is not hectic. Everything was organized, clean and respectful. This made me reflect personally on how I live my life back home in Texas. Waking up and seeing Japanese locals calmly go on through their day, be courteous with others and not be in a rush has shown me that not everything has to be done in a panic.
Since being back in Texas I’ve slowed down my routine to enjoy each step of my day. I’ve also learned the power of patience. In Japan, there are many lines to wait in, communication boundaries and late opening times compared to America where a traveler must learn to be patient. I’ve noticed that in Japan the communities are much tighter knit, they really care for each other and want the best for one another. There is so much more I want to learn from Japanese culture, and I cannot wait to return.
This program meant everything to me. I was feeling so stagnant in my routine and life, in general, wasn’t making sense to me. There is no better remedy than experience, especially with something like this opportunity has given me.
This trip has opened my eyes and made me reflect on how I am living my own life. The courses and encounters I’ve had on this trip have forever changed the way I view the jobs for my major. I have higher expectations for myself after this and my professional awareness has grown and developed.
I feel like I have gained more skills like group discussions, patience and appreciation for the small things. I am excited to say that this trip has influenced how I will be viewing my last year at Texas State. If there are more opportunities in my future to travel and experience even more of our world, then I will take every step needed to get there.
