I became interested in the Japanese language and studying abroad in Japan in middle school after being introduced to Japanese pop music and Japanese animation by my older brother. As I grew older, my interest grew beyond just entertainment and I became interested in the history and language of Japan as a whole. My goal for studying abroad is to improve my Japanese language skills and make new friends in Japan. At Konan University, I will take Japanese classes to improve my proficiency in Japanese and Japan studies classes to learn more about modern Japan's actions and Japanese history. While in Japan, I am eager to check out and join various university clubs or groups as well as finding opportunities to get engaged and make connections with the local community. To prepare for my study abroad experience I have been self-studying Japanese and doing research on the differences between American and Japanese culture. I understand that language learning goes beyond textbooks, and I am excited to start on this journey of language discovery and cultural understanding at Konan University.

  It has been 4 months since I have been in Japan. In the blink of an eye, half of my time I have to spend in Japan has disappeared. I have had a lot of fun here learning Japanese, making friends, traveling, and getting involved with the school.
      As for studying Japanese, I started out this trip not knowing much Japanese at all. Learning Japanese was hard. It still is hard. I found that the way the teachers at Konan University taught as well as the textbook style made the content very easy to understand and pick up, however. I picked up what was taught to me quickly and progressed to a point where I was able to buy things at shops and order things at restaurants without much trouble. In the Fall Semester, I was in Japanese Class 1 (the lowest class level). For the Spring Semester, I would automatically be moved up into Japanese Class 2. I began to wonder, however, if I would be able to move up to Japanese Class 3 if I studied the Class 2 content on my own. I borrowed textbooks from my Japanese language teachers and studied hard during the end of Fall Semester as well as during Winter Break. After I retook the placement test, I was given a spot in Japanese Class 3! I am now looking forward to my learning experience in Japanese Class 3!
      Another aspect I have looked forward to is living with my host family and interacting with students of Konan University. Living with my host family has been very nice. I found out many small things about Japan and Japanese culture that I do not think I would have discovered if I had not chosen to live with a host family. For example, I have asked them why Auld Lang Syne always plays when an area is closing and have found out many wonderful things about Japanese food and snacks. I have also met many lovely Japanese friends who are students at Konan University. Through them, I have learned to not be afraid in making mistakes while talking in Japanese and learned various slang words from them. They have also given me good recommendations as to where I should travel and what I should eat while I am in Japan. They, along with my fellow study abroad friends, have also pushed me to try out different activities. Recently, I visited the Kyudo club and tried out kyudo for the first time. I have been looking into joining, but as Konan students are doing their final exams and going into Spring Break soon, it seems a little difficult.
      The longer I live in Japan, the more comfortable I feel here. I really like my daily routine here of going to school, attending classes, doing my homework with friends, going out to play with them, and then going home to eat with my host family (and occasionally eating out with my friends). I love the convenience of the convenience stores, the quality of the products sold here, as well as how nice everyone is here. For the future, I want to improve my Japanese, and I was looking into how I can get more involved with connecting Japanese, Japanese culture, and my other major (Developmental Psychology) together.