"Studying" Abroad

To be clear, no one ever told me that I should study abroad for the great academic rigors it would provide. However, after my experience of international college life in these past two days, I never could have known the ironies that the term "study abroad" lends itself to.

A little background is perhaps in order. In the same way that many things about my life in Japan are different from my life in America, academic life also has its differences. In Japan, the major push is put on high school students. These students work themselves to the bone attending high school plus multiple cram schools afterwards to prepare for their college entrance exams. However, once they are accepted into college, the pressure is off. In Japan, one's college transcript does not matter much, rather the college (and the reputation it has for itself) that one attends.

In America, myself and most of my peers work very hard once we reach college. I used to feel frustrated that the US high school systems were "easier" than the Asian systems, but now I feel differently. I think that I can now really appreciate all that goes into serious academic learning now that I am out of my teens, and enjoy the rigors of the liberal arts education, even if it is demanding. In high school, I don't know if I could have been mature enough to do that.

Moving back to Japan--   From the very beginning, our resident director told us to put our academics second to the cultural and linguistic opportunities that will open themselves to us. In fact, he even went as far as to advocate for taking the minimum amount of class required as to not be bogged down by the day-to-day hassles of homework and class time. He also told us that, because most of the other students in the class are taking it with English as their second language, they would be very easy for us. Just how easy though, I couldn't have guessed.

My Japanese class is substantial. Nine hours a week of language is a lot, and although it's easy now (a lot of review), it will get more difficult quickly. However, my other classes are basically a joke. Interesting, but almost no work involved. I am taking a course on comparative cultural studies, looking specifically at Japanese and Western portrayals in the last century or so. For this class, all that is required is three TWO HUNDRED word "essays" reflecting on films and lecture, readings, and then a final at the end of the semester. Apparently for the final only general concepts are required- minor details and nuances are not necessary.
For my other course, Theories of Religion, all that is required is a small amount of reading every week, one group presentation, and a mid-term and final paper. Wow. I understand what a huge advantage I have as a native English speaker, and that if I were to be taking college courses in Japanese they would need to be much simpler and less intense than my US college courses, but it really makes me wonder what the courses taught in Japanese to the rest of the university are like. Are they just as "easy"? If so, I would think it would be very frustrating to have worked so hard in high school to enter college, when in college academics are second to the revival of one's social life!

However, it is only the first week and my comments are probably premature. Still, I was very surprised by the little amount of "study" that seems to be expected in this "study abroad" program! I guess just more opportunities to experience Japan first hand!  It will be interesting to see how the semester unfolds---

The New Normal

It's amazing to me how quickly a sense of normalcy can develop in one's day to day life. Two weeks ago, I was at my house, absolutely no idea what was waiting for me across the ocean. A week ago, I met my host family for the first time and started my life with them. As I walked home from school today I was struck by one's ability to adapt to a new routine and make it feel normal. I feel very comfortable in this new setting. I thought it might take me longer to begin to adapt to a completely new rhythm of life, but it surprises me the ease in which I'm able to navigate new situations. I'm sure six months from now I will look back on this moment and realize how little I actually know, for all the rude awakenings that lie ahead; but even so, I appreciate the fact that it is beginning to feel like I am carving out a small niche for myself in Japan. In many ways I am, and always will be, and outsider- I am obviously not Japanese, do not speak the language very well, and lack the social and kinesthetic graces that those born and raised in this country naturally come by. In other ways, though, I feel happy enough to have a family here that cares about me, friends to drink coffee and eat ramen with, and a school where I have a place, even if it is as an international student.

While today was the first official day of classes, I have Mondays off so I didn't need to make the trek to school. Waseda just couldn't keep me away, however, and by 10:30 am I was off to campus. I am looking for a circle (club) to join, and while I was doing that ran into a friend and we decided to eat my favorite Japanese food, ramen. It's been a cold and rainy day, so the hot broth was welcome. Then we sat and chatted for an hour or so until he had class, and I left to buy my textbooks and school supplies. I'm all set for my first day of school tomorrow!

Oh, happy days

First order of business: I'm going to be attaching a link to each post linking to a site where I will post my pictures. It's easier for me to just upload them there, so, although I'll probably add a photo or two to some posts, the linked site will have many more. 


A recap of my first weekend as a free agent (not constricted by orientation schedules): In summary- extremely wonderful! Saturday was spent bopping around Takadanobaba (try saying that five times fast)-an area near Waseda- with some of the Japanese students. They were helping us get our cell phones in the morning, and then, as I didn't really have any plans and neither did they, we decided to just hang out together for the afternoon. Really great to get to know them better, practice my Japanese, and have a fun day out in the city. That night I met another Japan Study friend for dinner along with another Japanese student. Okonomiyake was on the menu, basically a pancake-batter liked substance with lots of cabbage and other add-ins. To garnish, add seaweed, dried fish skin and mayo. Actually very very tasty. Our Japanese friend had to leave after dinner, so my Japan Study friend and I had fun wandering the streets of Tokyo. A really great day.  


Today was so wonderful. It started out at five fifty am, the time I got up to get ready for church. Going to church was a much bigger ordeal for me than it normally is, especially as I had to find this church myself without the benefit of clear directions. In normal Gillian fashion, I completely misinterpreted the directions and didn't find the church on time BUT, I did find the church! I had been biking for over an hour, at this point long past having given up making it to Mass, when I saw a hospital that Machico-san had been saying was close to the church. Getting warmer, no. Then, I saw a statue of the Virgin Mary. Even warmer. Then, I saw a Catholic nun walk out of a parking lot in full regalia and I knew I had succeeded in my mission. I might not have made it to Mass this week, but in my failures I ensure success for the weeks to come.


After that, the fam and I headed to a beautiful park that is only blocks from our home. There was a celebration going on in honor of the fall solstice, so there were entertainers, food vendors, flea markets, and lots and lots of people. Machico-san and I headed to the flea market for a while while Kenichi-san and Kojiro-kun had fun looking at a firetruck. Kojiro is absolutely obsessed with trains, trucks, and airplanes. It is so adorable to watch how his eyes light up every time he sees a train or hears it tooting its horn in the distance. After this, we all had a picnic lunch together. I wish I could better relate how wonderful it was to be outdoors in the sunshine, eating delicious food and soaking in the sights and sounds of the festival going on around us. A fantastic memory!


Kojiro had to take a nap after lunch, so we all kind of parted ways- Kenichi-san returning to the house with Kojiro-kun, Machico-san returning to the flea market, and myself exploring the bike paths of the park. The park is huge, and I'm so excited to be able to take walks and bike rides as the trees begin to change color.

My family!

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The evening was quiet- a delicious dinner of rice with chestnuts, raw fish, and an eggplant/pepper vegetable dish. I just had a really nice conversation with my host-parents and am getting ready to go to bed. Classes start tomorrow, but I have Mondays off, so I'll probably just go to school and explore and try and get a few things done. 














For more pictures, go to http://gillianjapan.shutterfly.com/

Can't think of a title

Right now, I'm sitting in my living room with my host-mom listening to some kitchy Japanese music and feeling very happy! It's been a really long day, but a good one most definitely.

I had to leave the house around seven twenty as the Japan Study crew was meeting near a station near Waseda to go to Kamakura, a town near Yokohama (where we visited yesterday) known for its temples, big Buddha, and for its shops and restaurants. As hot as it was yesterday (and it was very very hot), a total 180 went down during the night and the morning was very wet and cool, cooling down thoughout the day until it was almost downright cold. Please imagine going from probably 95 degree heat and constant sun to maybe 60 or 55 degree heat and perpetual rain. Quite a switch, no?

Another very long trek to Kamakura but a very rewarding one. The town has many old buildings that give it a unique characteristic. Also, there were two temples we were able to go to, the first in Kamakura (Shinto shrine) and the second a few stops on the subway away (Buddhist temple). All I can say about the temples is how beautiful they are- The patterns and textures of the trees, combined with the bright green leaves and the grey sky, combined with the simple beauty of the temple structure--- very refreshing to spend time there.  The second temple was unique because it housed a very big Buddha. We were even able to walk in it and see the inside. Apparently it is about seven hundred years old! Impressive..

By the time we were done eating, window shopping and Temple-going, the group was pretty tired and cold. Like I said, the weather changed very abruptly and drastically, so many students were underdressed and cold. Most of the Japan Study students left to go back to their homes, but a few of us decided we wanted to stop at the beach first. Fantastic decision! We had such a wonderful time on the beach, and the sky and water were very beautiful. Probably the highlight of the outing. The ride back was definitely the low point. After being on our feet for about seven hours already, we had to stand the whole subway ride back (about 1.5 hr) as the car became more and more crowded. Plus it was still raining as I walked home.

BUT-- all was redeemed tonight through the time I spent with my host family! We had a wonderful dinner together and had fun afterwards playing with Kojiro and also looking at Machico-san and Kenichi-san's wedding pictures! They were married in a traditional Japanese style wedding, so it was very interesting for me. I feel so happy with my host family. I feel we are getting closer and I am so thankful for all they are sharing with me.

The warm waters of the ocean!

Offering to Daibutsu (Buddha)

My epic love of trees

Where it's hot, hot, hot (Tokyo)

A day full of heat and action-packed adventure to be sure!

To start, I was wrong to brag last night about how I had completed all of my foreign documentation correctly- I noticed before I went to bed that the house number on my foreign registration paper and my health insurance card was wrong! Bad news all around. I must have been so flustered yesterday that I didn't even think to double-check that all the information was correct. So, this morning bright and early I headed back to the ward headquarters to get everything straightened out. It went well and the mistake was corrected quickly. At least no one harassed me about an ugly photo this time!

After that it was back to Waseda for a two hour Japan Study group session before heading out on a group excursion. I came out of the wrong exit but, luckily, ran into one of my friends before I had time to even wonder where I was, so we walked to school together. It was a very very very hot day here in Tokyo-land, and we were both happy to reach the semi-sometimes-air conditioned confines of Waseda building 22.

The lecture was a brief overview of Japanese history taught by our resident director, Professor Nordmann. Actually a very interesting presentation. I haven't studied about Japanese history or even historical culture, so it was very enlightening. He also touched on Yokohama, the point of destination for our outing today, a city that didn't really exist until the 1800s and even then was mostly comprised of foreigners. There is still a large foreign presence in Yokohama- the city is laid out in a grid style, there is a special cemetery for foreigners, and there are many foreigners who still live there today.

A long subway ride, once we got there we were all famished and foraged for food in China town. Really exciting for me actually- I've never been to a China town, even in the US, so it was neat to see all of the specialty shops and decorative signs. Unfortunately, a group of us chose the worst Chinese restaurant to eat at- really expensive, really slow, and nothing to write home about taste-wise (although I guess I kind of am).  It was still fun, though. After that we marched up an epic hill, baking under the raging sun, until we reached a look-out over the ocean! It was wonderful in that it was both beautiful and breezy!

Really long commute home today, probably about two hours, but it was fun to see another part of Japan. Tomorrow is supposed to bring rain and (finally) cooler fall weather. We are all very much ready to say good-bye to summer, even though it seems to like sticking around.

Really long post

These last few days have gone by too quickly- dangerously quickly for a girl who is trying to, in some capacity, record the things that are happening.

I'll start here. The last few days in our hotel in Ikebukuro were really fantastic. We went on lots of outings with the Japanese students and saw many wonderful sites and ate many wonderful foods. Even better, I felt like I really got the chance to get to know some of the other Japan study students and form friendships with them. Lots of late nights, long talks, and long walks along the streets of Tokyo.  It was almost scary, though, how fast the days seemed to be going by and how much was being crammed into them. One day felt like two, and it's difficult to remember the chronological order in which things happened. But that's okay-- It was really wonderful being able to get to know the city, the language, and the other US students in such a fun way. I was complaining to a friend before leaving about how lame orientation would probably be, but looking back it was a really fantastic way to get our feet wet without having to dive in head first. I feel that it did actually prepare me for having to navigate Tokyo while speaking a foreign language and living with people I've never met. Check-plus, Japan Study orientation!

As great as orientation was, I am so happy to be with my host family! The afternoon we were to meet our families, everyone was nervous, including me. Before leaving for Japan, I really didn't feel any sense of anxiety, but I definitely did as the hours slowly wound down before we were to meet the strangers we would be living with for the next ten months! Unfortunately, my host family was the very last to arrive! The orientation session where the families and students meet was over and everyone else was gone, so I was by myself with the Japanese assistants and our director. (Actually, one of my friend's family wasn't able to pick him up at all that day, so he had to go back to the hotel and spend the night alone with no Japan Study students around!)

After much anticipation, my host dad came for me, along with my little two-year-old brother, Kojiro! My dad's name is Kenichi-san, and my mom's name is Machico-san. They are such a nice couple- Machico-san was busy in the kitchen making a wonderful dinner for us when we arrived home. Machico and Kenichi are both very warm and outgoing people, and they also are very busy people! Kenichi-san has spent a lot of time traveling and has even lived in New Zealand for a year teaching English. He really loves hiking and "trekking" and has been to Nepal and Europe as well! I didn't fully understand what his work is now, but he works for a company and writes articles and takes photographs. I'll work on figuring out the rest of the details! Machico-san has also traveled some- Africa and Europe- and now works with the elderly. They are a busy family between work, their son, and keeping house, but they have been so kind! I feel really fortunate to be living with them.

Kenichi-san and Machico-san live in an area of Tokyo called Higashi-Koganei, about forty minutes via subway from my school, Waseda University in the heart of Tokyo. It is a much more residential area than other parts of Tokyo we've seen, and very quiet. So far, I like it a lot! They live in a house as is pretty typical it seems in Japan, a fact I was surprised about as most of my Korean friends live in apartments. The house is small- entryway, room with a toilet, living area, room with sink and shower, kitchen, and then a second floor with my room, a second bedroom, and a room that I think holds laundry. It's a very cosy home though, and Machico-san is an excellent cook. She's even been letting me help with the dishes! (my favorite household task..)

Today was very eventful. My second day in the home, first full day, I successfully was able to navigate from the house to the Higashi-Konagei ward-headquarters where I had to register, by myself, for my foreign alien identification card and health insurance. I didn't really get lost- an amazing feat in itself- and made it from there to Waseda. One traumatic moment: For our foreign id cards, we need to provide two small photos of ourselves. I used the photos I had been using for my visa and Waseda id card. Much to my surprise, as I give my photos to the seventy-five year old man helping me, he suddenly looks shocked and asks if it's really me in the photo! When I say yes, he starts laughing and shows it to his co-worker who also starts laughing. They then show it to another co-worker, pointing alternatively at the photo and me while laughing. Apparently, the photo is really hideous and doesn't look like me. He said I was too pretty to be the girl in the photo. Compliment? I was actually very offended. However, I suppose a random foreigner showing up with a really awful photo might make someone's day. He redeemed himself though when he helped me correct a mistake on my application. Just another reminder on how dependent on others I am in this country. He was actually being very nice to me, even if his kindness was a little offensive!

Also, big official beginning of the year ceremony for Waseda SILS students today! We had to dress up and listen to the dean of the SILS department, along with other faculty, speak. Also, course registration is happening today and tomorrow, but we won't find out what our finalized schedules are until the day before classes start!

Ah, so much to say, but I guess I have a year to say it so I'll quit for now.

Salutations from Sunshine City

After two days of rain, the clouds finally parted and the sun emerged from the smog to reveal patches of blue sky.  I was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather by storming the streets of Ikebukuro, the Tokyo neighborhood where we are currently staying. The first stop of the day was Sunshine City, a neighborhood mall as happy as the name sounds. As we were there relatively early in the day, it wasn’t filled with many people with the exception of a few kids in uniform possibly ditching school and some older men and women walking around. We stopped in a crepe store for brunch- a bitter chocolate and strawberry crepe. Nom nom! Then we perused the shops in the next couple of floors. While all of the stores were filled with very fun, pretty, and-dare I say- even “cute” things, I can’t help but think about how useless some of them are! Ah, my mom has had a deep impact on my life in this sense.. But, it was a nice way to spend the morning.

From the mall, we really put our navigation skills to the test and took a trolley from Sunshine City to the Waseda campus, a successful and rewarding adventure. Once at campus, we had about forty minutes to spare, so we found one of several beautiful parks that cover the campus. It is so refreshing to enter an area full of trees and water and stones and dirt! The Waseda campus is a beautiful haven, filled with green trees and temples. Lovely, lovely.

From there, a four-hour “survival” language session with some of Waseda’s language professors. Sounds like it could be a nightmare, but it was really fun! My instructor was very enthusiastic- even started salsa dancing with one of my classmates! We also learned about Japanese futons, table etiquette, and how to enter a home (more complicated than one might think).

While the class was more entertaining than originally anticipated, it was still a very long session, and we were all very happy to be done. Especially because immediately after we were to be given our host family assignments! I am very happy with mine-  My host father is 39 and a business man, my mother is 38 and has an unspecified part-time job, and I have a little brother who is two years old! I was surprised to be placed in a family with a child because many ACM students especially requested having siblings while I really didn’t have a preference, and apparently there was a shortage in families with children. But I’m really excited! I don’t have a curfew, which is nice as some host families can be overprotective, especially for girls, and only have a forty-minute commute to Waseda. I’ll meet them on Monday, so until then this basic information is all I have to go on.

Almost done, I promise!

After receiving this much-anticipated information, we were all famished and I ended up going to a Ramen restaurant with three Japanese students and one other friend from the ACM program.  Oh man, it was so good! We put money into a vending machine before we entered, selecting the type of ramen we wanted to eat and then received a corresponding ticket. When we sat down, we gave the ticket to the waitress and our ramen was brought to us. I wish I could describe how good it was, but I can’t. I’m such a sucker for noodles, and Japan did not disappoint tonight!

Nom nom nom

Getting Oriented

After four days in Tokyo, we have apparently been oriented. What this means, I can’t quite say. Our first two days were filled with information sessions regarding our specific program, interviews with Michiyo, the site coordinator, regarding our host family placements, and excursions around the city with local Japanese students. These last two days have been official orientation days for the SILS program at Waseda University. SILS (School of International Liberal Studies) made sure that we, along with all of the other international students, were well acquainted with the processes required to register for our alien card, open a bank account, acquire a work visa, and other such important things. They also introduced us to the pinnacle of student life at Waseda- student clubs or “circles”. Japanese students make most of their friends in the clubs they join, ranging from Travel clubs to Uninhabited Island clubs (they talk about uninhabited islands while they drink, and then once a year go to an uninhabited island) to Volunteer network clubs. One of my high school friends is involved in an environmental club at Waseda. Japanese take their participation in circles very seriously, and these groups become their prime interest, even over their studies. In high school, these students were worked to the bone, attending regular school along with cram schools to help them place well in their college entrance exam tests, so by the time they actually reach college they are burnt out and, on the whole, are less concerned about school and more concerned about social events.

Another very key component to our orienting process has been the cell-phone selection process. Literally, the cell-phone meeting caused more chaos and excitement than anything we have done in Japan thus far. Service in Japan is relatively cheap, my total monthly bill (after the first month) coming to around 1300 yen, or less than $15. Plus, Japanese phones are literally years ahead of US models, so although our only options were the simpler free phones, they are nicer than most one can find back at home. We all feel very excited to get this lovely piece of technology back in our hands—In some ways it is very freeing to be disconnected from the world, but I think in this new place we are all looking for ways to stay connected to those we meet, so it’s going to be pretty exciting when we get them next Friday.

The final step to our orientation has been weaning us off of our Japanese student volunteers to haul the 29 of us around Tokyo and instead learn to navigate ourselves. Even myself, with my fatal flaw of apathy towards paying attention to where I am going, am finding my way and am maneuvering the subways better. The Tokyo system is different than others I have used before, so it takes a bit of time to understand the lay of the land. Plus, all of the signs use kanji (Chinese characters), and I am a really awful kanji-reader/writer, so the terminals are a difficult place, but also a great teaching tool!

Anyways, I am officially oriented to Japan. Well, not really, but I can’t believe all the things we’ve done while here already- so much more than I’ve written about yet. I still feel very green, but we sure have packed our days and gotten lots of great experiences. We learn our host family placement results tomorrow!

Small talk makes the world go round

I know what you're thinking. I know what I'm thinking. What could I possibly have to say less than twenty-four hours after last posting? Confession: We need to keep a journal for the first three weeks of orientation, and I thought this blog would be a convenient medium for writing, so in the next few weeks, I'll be posting more than is probably necessary.

I should explain a little bit how the program works. A large consortium of schools brings together twenty-nine students to Japan under the care of one Japanese Program Coordinator, one consortium-university Resident Director, and, for the duration of orientation, four Waseda student Assistants and other Waseda student volunteers. The Waseda students have been absolutely wonderful- they speak to us only in Japanese and allow us the opportunity to make mistakes and improve our comprehension. They also help us navigate the subway, and go with us in small groups as we explore different areas of Tokyo, be it shopping or sharing coffee together after dinner. I wish I could express how wonderful it has been to get to know Japanese students our own ages and really put our language abilities (or lack-there-of) to the test. I am still amazed by the fact that I'm able to converse actively with them, even making jokes or ironic statements once in a while.

Last night myself, several other ACM students, and a group of Japanese students had dinner together and  spent the evening laughing and talking, a great time had by all. Today, my small-group excursion was lead by three of the guys who had been at the dinner, and it was really great to get to know them better. One thing I thought was telling- I tend to be someone who doesn't put up with awkward conversation. When I talk to someone, especially someone I don't know, I work to keep things moving and feel very uncomfortable with awkward pauses. Today, when chatting with the boys, I felt this need for quality conversation content kick in and found myself, in my state of linguistic weakness, racking my brain for topics of conversation possible with my limited communication skills. I was proud that, even though I am still pretty green, I was able to indulge my need to engage in small-talk. A lot of meaning was lost on me in terms of comprehension, but it really helped to propel relationships forward and I learned a lot about the boys and had a great time. Oh, the simple things.. !!!

The Land of the Rising Sun (written as the sun is rising)

It’s four-thirty am on my second official night in Tokyo. A lot has happened in the blur of the last three days, but before I start to forget I really wanted to write about the voyage from mighty Minnesota to the Land of the Rising Sun. [I think when I was in Korea, the grip of Jetlag also compelled me to write very early in the morning, very early on in my stay. I guess the tradition continues!]

I have always thought plane rides were a poignant experience. When I see one flying in the sky I wonder where it is coming from and where it is going to. I wonder about each passenger’s story, why they are flying across the country, across the world. A plane ride marks the beginning of a new adventure, perhaps even a new chapter in a person’s life. Maybe I sound a bit dramatic, but for a girl who is moderately sedentary when it comes to travel of plane proportions, I believe this is true, regardless of how well-seasoned a traveler one is. So as I set out on my own grand voyage across the sky, I felt excited to be among the ranks of those I had been watching from my own window.

The ride itself was fine- twelve hours, really terrible food, relatively enjoyable films, and a back-row seat with no neighbors! Hours seven and eight were rough, but there’s really nothing you can do but sit tight and try to get through. Once we started to land I found myself getting anxious- once the wheels touched the ground I would really be starting my life in Japan. The ride felt like a strange no-man’s-land that shielded me from the realities of the journey I was embarking on, a calm before the storm, and once we touched ground I knew that the calm would end.

I emerged from the plane donned in my Minnesota long pants/sweater combo and was greeted by hot and humid air that brought me out of fall and back to summer. Getting through customs and immigration was easy as was picking up my bag [yes, one bag! Bahaha I was determined to only carry one and feel maybe a little too proud of this accomplishment!] and finding the Waseda students who were to meet me. In some ways I am pleasantly surprised with my language skills—Maybe because I’ve studied three languages now but am fluent at none I sort of expect myself to have trouble communicating. But I do better than I was afraid I might and actually get along relatively well, although listening is still a challenge as is my small vocabulary. Also, I have a feeling this feeling of confidence might change when I’m placed with my host family and I have to support a Japanese conversation all day everyday. But, time will tell.

So now I sit in my hotel on my futon, the smells and sounds of the city wafting through my open window, thinking about the day ahead. Life is good and I’m happy to be here!