Danielle discovers new friends, a new culture, and a confidence in her Japanese language skills! Danielle Egeler Home School: Colorado State University Host School: APU Summer Gateway Program Why did you choose to study abroad in Japan? I'm majoring in International Studies, Asian concentration and minoring in Japanese, so it was the logical choice. I also have a lot of friends in Japan and love the culture and the people. Did anything about Japan surprise you/was it different than you expected? I had been once before in high school and have studied the culture a LOT (my Japanese friends tell me I know more about Japan than they do!), so I was pretty well prepared. I got caught off-guard once or twice though, especially when I stayed at my friend's house and had to meet her grandmother (who spoke zero English and didn't enunciate well) while my friend was still asleep. There was also an incident in Tokyo where a guy was trying to pick me up, but I couldn't understand him very well because he was using way too much slang! Both those situations kind of freaked me out a bit. What was your favorite trip you took while you were there? It's so hard to pick a favorite! But one of my favorites was definitely when me and one other of the Gateway students took a trip to Fukuoka for a Japanese rock concert. I'm huge into the Japanese music scene and this was one of my favorite bands, so it's a really great memory for me. I also have fond memories of the giant aquarium in Osaka and getting lost with my friends in Nagasaki! It looks like you made many local friends, how did you meet people? Have you stayed in touch? I'm a really shy person, so it's hard for me to meet people, but everyone at APU was super friendly to me. People would often just come up to me out of nowhere in the cafeteria to talk to me! The "APU buddy" system they have was also really great - my buddy was super sweet and we got to hang out a lot. Those I became better friends with I still keep in touch with - we have each other added on Facebook and Skype. How do you think study abroad will help you in your future? I'm planning on living in Japan once I graduate, but other than the obvious of helping my language skills and that sort of thing, it helped me become a little more independent and WAY more confident. Things that used to make me really anxious and stressed out are a lot easier for me now, and will only continue to get easier. I'm also a lot more confident in my Japanese now, as well as more confident in my ability to be on my own. What advice do you have for a student thinking about studying abroad in Japan? Do a lot of research on REAL Japanese culture, including the history, customs, and do's and do not's. I think a lot of people who want to go to Japan have a skewed perception of the country due to anime (which is ok to like!), but it's important to know that anime is not the real Japan, just like our TV shows are definitely not what life is really like in America. And although it's not limited to just going to Japan, but all new cultures, keep an open mind and always be respectful of differences you might encounter. Things aren't weird, they're just different! |