Alumni Interview with Kate Lucas

What inspired you to travel abroad?

I've wanted to go abroad to Japan since I began studying the language in high school. I thought of it as the goal I was working toward, an adventure to have after all the time I had spent working hard as I learned to speak Japanese. I studied Japanese for five years before going abroad, and nearly decided not to go for the full semester, since I loved my home university so much. However, after a conversation with my friend from home, I remembered how long I'd wanted to have an adventure like this, and decided to dive in headfirst.

Why did you choose IES Abroad?

My college actually has three other study abroad programs in Japan, but none of them would have let me study near Tokyo during the fall semester, so I had to go with an outside program. IES Abroad was the only one another student from my school had done before, and that (and my study abroad advisor) reassured me that it could and would be done successfully. I hope that I can be a good resource to others on my campus who may want to study with IES Abroad before I graduate next year.

What was your favorite part about your host country/city?

Just doing normal, mundane things in Japan was so exciting to me. I loved to go to the mall and to the movies, to the bookstore, to the konbini for breakfast. Every aspect of daily life in Japan is somehow so different than it is in the west, and getting to live the life of a (mostly) normal student in Chiba was so valuable to me. I also loved being so close to Tokyo, which was so full of fun things to do, ranging from tiny little izakayas to enormous tourist attractions.

What made your experience abroad extraordinary?

I joined a wadaiko (Japanese traditional drumming) club at my host university. I was the only foreign student in the club, and meetings were conducted only in Japanese. It was terrifying at first, but drumming was always such a blast for me, and the people I met became my good friends on campus, and my Japanese improved as a result. We went to Disney together, performed at local street festivals, and played amazing music. Japanese club culture is intense and extremely fun!

How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?

The local staff and program admins were so encouraging when I wanted to involve myself in the local community (when I sent them a picture of my playing wadaiko, they put it on the wall in the IES office!), and are quite supportive and helpful if you express to them that there's something in Japan that you want to do. They even helped one of my other friends find a good onsen to visit when she was having difficulty (she had tattoos, which are prohibited at many onsens in Japan). They really want to help you make your experience exactly what you want it to be.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?

I wish I had studied a little more kanji on the train! For Japan in particular, it's very good to have a background in the language beforehand. Even though I had studied Japanese for over five years before studying abroad in Tokyo, I found myself struggling to communicate every day - when it comes to daily life in Japan, take every opportunity you possibly have to practice using Japanese. Ask as many questions as possible to native speakers while you have the chance! Other than that, there's nothing I regret about this program.

Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.

I would wake up, ride 50 minutes on the train, and go to Japanese class. After class, I'd grab breakfast at the campus store, study in the beautiful English learning center on campus, maybe have a Language Learning Partner meeting. Then I'd eat udon with onsen tamago at the cafeteria, go to another class, and then do my homework in the library with friends. In the evening, I'd stick around on campus to attend a two-hour wadaiko rehearsal with my fellow club members. After that, I'd take the train home, grab a snack at my local konbini, pet the stray cats in Baraki Nakayama, and relax in my dorm until bed.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?

I loved to travel to new places! My favorite place in the Tokyo area is Nakano, where I would often go to shop for manga and clothing, and eat delicious curry naan and bubble tea. I also traveled to Osaka, Hakone, and Kyoto during my free time in Japan - I went to Universal Studios Japan, a traditional ryokan inn, a sushi restaurant where you could catch your own fish. Tokyo also had a lot to offer - if you like themed bars and cafes like I do, you will never run out of things to do on the weekends.

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?

I lived in a dorm in Baraki Nakayama. I loved getting to eat miso soup with all of my meals there, there were cute stray cats that lived nearby and sometimes let me pet them, and I actually really liked the communal shower - it's not something we really have in the west, and it felt like I was going to the spa every single night. There was also a Mini-Stop nearby, and the people who worked there were always incredibly nice to me and the other foreign students, and made my days there brighter all the time.

What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?

You should know that this program is really what you make it! Your level of involvement can be curated to exactly what is right for you, whether that's joining a bunch of clubs and organizations or simply studying and spending time with friends in the program. The program has a lot of great offerings when it comes to exploring and getting involved in the local community, but you have to take that leap yourself - the most worthwhile aspects of your time abroad are up to you!

Would you recommend IES Abroad to others? Why?

I would definitely recommend this program to others, and if any of my friends in the Japanese program express interest, I'm ready to tell them all about my experience. If you study in Tokyo with IES Abroad, you'll have the freedom to explore as much of Japan as you want, as well as a beautiful campus to come back to and study on. I met so many good friends - fellow Americans in the same program, local students who were my club mates and language tutors, and even exchange students from countries I knew little about, like Hungary or Spain! If I could turn back time, I'd do it all over again.

What do you feel is the biggest benefit of traveling abroad?

For language learners like myself, nothing puts your learning in perspective than getting the chance to utilize your second language outside of the classroom. Going to Japan inspired me to learn the aspects of the language and culture that I never could at home. It also made me realize that my big trip to Japan was not the end of my language learning journey. There was simply so much more to explore than I could ever encompass in three months, and as far as learning the languages goes, there is so much more now that I want to be able to say when I return to Japan.

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?

I've become a great deal more adventurous and independent during my time abroad, so now that I'm back on my own college campus, I want to get out and explore my own local community and spend as much time as I can with the friends that I missed while I was away. After a semester in a new country, I've grown to appreciate little things I take for granted at home, as well as the ways of life of people living across the world from me. I also feel a lot more confident facing challenges that would have upset me before this experience - Studying abroad for a semester and navigating life in a new country primarily in my second language has made me feel as if I can tackle anything!

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel is making the most of your experience - not simply visiting the most popular tourist sites and eating authentic cuisine, but throwing yourself into the local community, exploring new customs and history, learning the language, and using your abroad experience to expand your worldview. I feel as if I was successful in that aspect of my semester abroad. If you can engage in meaningful travel during your time abroad, it makes for a valuable experience that you can carry with you for a lifetime.