听
You鈥檒l never guess where I鈥檓 sitting as I write this right now鈥擩apan! For serious! I鈥檝e finally begun my study abroad program, and I can鈥檛 tell you how excited I am about it (note the excessive use of exclamation points)!!! I鈥檝e wanted to go to Japan for more or less most of my life, so this is kind of a dream come true for me. I鈥檝e only been here a couple of days so far, but they鈥檝e been awesome, let me tell you. My program is in Kawagoe, which is just outside Tokyo, but I arrived here a couple days early with a friend to explore the city a bit beforehand. We stayed in Asakusa, otherwise known as the historic/nostalgic district. Unlike a lot of the buildings in Tokyo, most of the original buildings are still standing, making it home to some of the oldest structures in the city.听 Our hostel literally had Kaminarimon in the backyard (note: Kaminarimon is the iconic big red gate with the huge lantern. See the pictures).
We also got to see some cherry blossoms, which Japan is well known for. In fact, part of the reason I wanted to study abroad in Japan during the spring semester was because of the Cherry Blossoms, or Sakura. By the time we got here, they had already started to fall and were past their peak, but they were (and are) beautiful, as expected.
I think one of the most surprising things so far is how easy it鈥檚 been to adjust. Maybe I won鈥檛 think so after I鈥檝e been here longer than 2 days, but that has yet to be seen. I am just so happy to be here, I can鈥檛 even express it in words. If you鈥檝e ever read the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho鈥攐ne of my favorite books, by the way鈥攜ou might be able to understand a little bit of how I feel right now. I don鈥檛 want to say too much about the book and spoil it for you if you haven鈥檛 read it鈥攚hich you should鈥攂ut I feel like Santiago.听
Although I gave up certain things by studying abroad, I really have no regrets. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves (stay or go???), but the IPO at Oxy (IPO= International Programs Office) really makes it easy for students to study in other countries. They鈥檝e really helped me out A LOT with the whole study abroad process, both before and during. For example, when I thought I might not get a Visa after I sophomoronically (that鈥檚 a portmanteau of sophomoric and moron, fyi, coined by yours truly) misunderstood that a Certificate of Eligibility is NOT a visa, the IPO calmly explained what would happen, but that I probably would be fine. It made me feel a lot better, anyway. Sometime I鈥檒l tell you the whole story.
The best advice I can give anyone concerning study abroad is that if you think there is any chance, no matter how small a mote it may be, that you鈥檇 like to study abroad, get in the classes you need beforehand so you don鈥檛 end up with no options.听 Not deciding is still deciding, and it鈥檚 not fair to yourself to limit your options by getting a late start. Assume from the beginning that you might like to study abroad, and plan accordingly.
Maybe I鈥檓 getting ahead of myself, or it鈥檚 intimidating to think about, which I do understand; it鈥檚 tough enough deciding where you want to go to school in the US, let alone what country you might want to study in, not to mention that if you don鈥檛 know what you want to major in, it鈥檚 hard to plan. I don鈥檛 mean to overwhelm you, but my personal secret to success is to have at least 3 different plans.听 Things don鈥檛 always work out the way you think they will; in fact, they almost never do. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 good to create a plan B, and C, and D, and maybe even F if you鈥檙e feeling up to it. Having plans gives you options and a direction to head in.听 and the best part is that you can always change your mind and abandon a plan, not that you should give up. To reference the Alchemist again, life works in mysterious ways.
While it鈥檚 scary to think about these things, it鈥檚 also kind of fun. If you think about it, life is really just a series of decisions.听 What to do with yourself after you鈥檙e done with high school, or college, or grad school, etc., is a big question, but it鈥檚 exciting, too.听 When you make a choice, you are shaping your own story, which is really pretty neat (note the ). Wherever you are on your personal journey, you probably have a decision to make. Whether it鈥檚 something as simple as "skim milk or soy?" or something much bigger, I hope you rejoice in the fact that you are personally shaping your own story.
Anywho, sorry to get all philosophical on you (though really, it鈥檚 #sorrynotsorry). As soon as I get my act together a bit more, I鈥檒l create a blog to track my experiences abroad, and of course I鈥檒l share it with all of you. Until next time鈥擩yaa mata ne!
P.S. Here鈥檚 a funny cat video. You鈥檙e welcome, procatination!