Alumni Interview with Sam Turcot

What inspired you to go abroad?

I have always wanted to go abroad and I love to travel. My parents have been supportive of my passions and they knew how much I wanted to go on this trip. At first I did not even think about going to Japan until I found this program and realized that I should do something that challenges me and pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I also have a phenomenal abroad team here at Western which allowed a very easy and fluid application process.

Why did you choose you Japan?

I do not know why I changed my mind about doing a semester in Japan, but while I was looking through the programs that were offered, I realized that it was somewhere I had not considered and a place I had only been to once to ski. I found that this would be a challenging destination for me to go to knowing that I had no experience with Japanese culture, but in the end it was the support I got from everyone to push me to do something different and to be the first student from my school to travel to Japan (through abroad programs).

What was your favorite part about Kyoto? 

My favorite part was the people I met. I was introduced to so many people from Japan along with many people from other countries. I was right in the heart of Kyoto and being at a station for buses and trains, it was very easy to go out and see more of the country. I loved how the buildings in Kyoto are all traditional and you can walk 10 minutes and find a temple of shrine. It was VERY safe and comfortable and the living arrangements were phenomenal for accommodations usually found in Japan.

What made your experience abroad unique?

The most unique part about this program is the fact that you will meet many Japanese students. You will be able to connect with people from the actual country. I know some people that did other programs where they did not meet locals as much and most of their connections were with other abroad students. I love that I am in contact with so many of the Japanese students and the fact that they gave me a reason to visit places I had not even thought/known about.

How did local staff support you throughout your program? What challenges did you/ fellow students face? 

This is where I think the program fell off. The coordinator helped us a lot, but his focus was more on the excursions and making connections with the school. The issues came when we had to communicate with the school. We were told different things about what to expect in terms of how many classes we were taking and what we were going to take. This lead to many people having to change their entire plan with their home schools and messed up a lot of things.

I personally didn't care because most of these classes were electives. They needed to make it more clear that you will not take a ton of English classes like they say you will and you will have to take very specific classes that they force you into. I think this is one of the only places that the program fell off, but for me it was not detrimental and did not have a massively negative effect on my experience.

What's one thing you wish you would have known before going on your program?

I wish I would have known to practice more Japanese before getting there. I did not know I was going to have most of my classes in Japanese and this made it very difficult to get through classes.

Describe a typical day in the life of your program.

I would get my 100 yen breakfast at school after walking or taking the public transit to school (average 20 minutes to get to school). Then I had Japanese class for 3 hours straight with a short break in between, then one more class, lunch, and then home. I would occasionally go to an onsen after school or walk around. I also never made food at home. I always ate out because if you budget enough and go to the right places you could eat out for very cheap in Japan.

How did you spend your free time?

I would be studying or at my apartment hanging out, but usually I was going to other areas in Japan, like Osaka. This place also allowed for me to go see temples, shrines, and local events almost every weekend.

What was your accommodation like?

The place we lived was huge for somewhere in Japan. They had heat and AC and a balcony. It had everything you needed even if the bed was a pull-out cot that was pretty stiff. I did not spend a lot of time in mine other then to sleep so it was perfect for me.

What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?

You have to know how to read elementary hiragana and katakana. This was a major problem for me and something most people assumed I already knew, but when I asked about it I was told I did not have to know anything.

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

This has given me an incredible experience and has allowed me to make many new friends that I plan on visiting in Japan and all over the world. It also challenged me and showed me and others that I can push myself to do a lot more than just basic classes.

Would you recommend your program/provider to others? Why?

Yes, I would recommend this because it was an amazing experience and every college student should try to do something like this. It gives you perspective of a different culture and humbles you to what you have in your own world.