What inspired you to travel abroad?
I always wanted to study abroad even before I entered college as I wanted to see the world. My family was never wealthy enough to take me overseas so I never really got the chance to go abroad until I went to Israel for communion and then in my 2nd year at college for birthright. I've always been yearning to go to all sorts of places and I still have many places on my list. I was learning Japanese long enough to know that If I was going to study abroad, I had to study abroad in Japan.
Hiroshima Okonomiyaki
Why did you choose IES Abroad Nagoya Direct Enrollment – Nanzan University?
My school is a co-op school meaning I must take internships/co-ops as part of my degree program. This meaning that I had to get a summer internship. I also needed to go through a school program so I could use my financial aid. The IES Abroad Nagoya program was the only one that ran from January through May, allowing me to take a summer internship.
What was your favorite part about Japan?
Japan is very convenient and very affordable. You can go almost anywhere in Japan without ever setting foot in a car. Nagoya is no exception and is a great location to travel from do to it's proximity to other tourist cities. The people there are also super friendly and the lack of tourists means there are a lot more people speaking Japanese to you when you speak Japanese.
Inuyama Castle
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
I think a study abroad experience in Nagoya is unique in itself. Most of the other programs are in either Tokyo or Kyoto. Nagoya never feels overly crowded and never makes you feel rushed or overwhelmed. You get all the benefits of a city without ever feeling like there are too many people or feeling like it's difficult to get to the countryside. I spent three months of my summer in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and I very much prefer Nagoya.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
The IES Abroad staff in Nagoya are wonderful. They really understand what you are going through with culture shock and the fast pace of Nanzan's language program. They take you on well thought out trips and help you experience all sorts of amazing Japanese places and events. Aside from the listed trips, they took us to Inuyama for the first few days and brought us to all sorts of events.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
I wish that I tried to put myself out much more and engage with people outside of class and campus more often. Living an hour away from campus made it easy for me to make excuses for myself and I wish I never let myself make them. I also wished I budgeted a lot more. If you don't budget, you can end up spending a lot of money very fast.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
Since I lived about an hour away from campus, I would start my day waking up at 6:30 am. I would then go downstairs and make myself breakfast. Breakfast with my host family consisted of toast w/ butter, plain yogurt w/ jam, and coffee. I would then let myself wake up a bit before I left at 7:30 am. It took me 15 minutes to get to the train station and I would typically arrive at the campus around 9:00 am. Depending on the day, classes would end as early at 10:30 a.m. or as late as 5:30 p.m. On days that I didn't end in the evening, I would usually spend my time at Stella, where I would either relax or chat with friends. then I would go home in time for dinner. On Fridays, I would occasionally eat out with friends.
Itsukushima Floating Tori gate at night
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I loved going out and exploring parts of the city. It's very easy to find something interesting just by walking around. In the middle of the program, I usually had a lot of work so I, unfortunately, didn't go many places or do much on the weekends during that period of time.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
I lived with a host family for my first four months and in a dorm for the last month. My host mother was very kind and supportive and I was able to use a lot of my Japanese by living with a host family. The dorm was very close to the university so I was able to wake up at 7:30 a.m. and leave at 8:45 am. The students living there were all very friendly and I quickly made friends with them. One of the students was Japanese so I was still able to practice Japanese with a native speaker even while at the dorm.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
The language program at Nanzan university is very fast-paced so prepare to study hard. Also, if you are more interested in big cities, Nagoya might not be the right place for you. However, the lack of foreigners means that fewer people are treating you like you don't know any Japanese.
Would you recommend IES Abroad Nagoya Direct Enrollment – Nanzan University? Why?
Yes! I learned so much and grew so much as a person thanks to this program. If you are limited to a U.S. semester than IES Abroad Nagoya is the perfect opportunity. You will get to improve your Japanese in Nagoya much more than if you were able to study in Kyoto or Tokyo as English is much more frequent there. Both the staff for IES and Nanzan University are super helpful and supportive, and the language program is great.
Nagoya Port
What do you feel is the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
You will gain a lot of confidence, and you might become a lot more proactive and motivated. then you were before. You get to learn a lot about yourself, the world, your host country and become a better person as a result.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
At the time of writing this, I am still in Japan and I am seriously considering coming to work in Japan post-graduation. I gained so much self-confidence and grew so much as a result of my program and I cannot imagine growing this much if I had not come to Japan.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
To me, meaningful travel means to try and experience travel from an inside perspective as well as an outside. When you get to learn a language and spend some time going to places most tourists may not go to, you will feel like your experience was a lot more genuine and you won't feel like you're part of a tourist crowd. It's a good way to experience the culture and meet some friendly faces along the way.
