I wanted to study abroad because I needed a change of setting that isn’t in Hawaii. I wasn’t happy with studying science at the time, so I took the first opportunity possible to study abroad. I watched the Chainsaw Man movie, and after watching that movie, I realized that I want to get more out of my college experience and to get experience that can benefit future work opportunities. A lot of my daily life at home consisted of doing the same activities daily, which then made me want to get a different perspective from living outside of my home country for a short while. Having this opportunity to study abroad will allow me to have independence, and this experience will give me a chance to practice my Japanese, experience Japanese culture, and I get to travel outside of my country for the first time in my life.

I have recently switched my major from marine biology to second language studies, and have recently taken learning Japanese for fun. Being able to live in Japan allows me to be exposed to the language and culture, which will then help me learn both at a quicker rate than if I were to continue my studies at home in Hawaii. Practicing Japanese in Japan will help my language skills improve during my stay through making friends, living with a host family, and doing activities in Japan. Learning Japanese in Japan will help me understand the concepts that will be presented to me in my major-related classes, like acquiring and teaching a second language. In the future, I would like to do work with people from Japan or in Japan, and becoming highly proficient in the language and living in Japan will help me pursue this kind of work. This study abroad experience will benefit me because learning and participating in Japanese culture will help me learn the language faster, and I will be able to communicate with people better than if I were to continue my studies in Hawaii.

When it comes to the experiences and activities that I hope to do once I am in Japan, one of my main goals at the University is to join a club. Right now, I am not sure what kind of clubs at the university that I would be joining, but I know that joining a club will help me practice more of my Japanese language skills, and hopefully, I am able to make a few friends so that I won’t feel so isolated in Japan. Joining a club will make sure that I do not spend all of my time outside of college studying. Another goal I have is to get a little “lost,” where I’ll go out and explore a place that I’ve not yet been to in Japan. I’ve heard that exploring somewhere new while traveling is a big part of the fun, and by doing that exploration, I am able to put my Japanese language skills and cultural knowledge to the test, and learn from my mistakes if I do make them.

Ultimately, I believe this study abroad in Japan will be leaving me with a way to better continue my future plans after the whole experience. I won’t be all alone, as I’ll have my host family and a couple familiar faces from the University of Hawaii, but I will be independent for the most part, and I will be thankful for this feeling of being independent. Traveling outside of my home country is a very big leap, but I am determined to face the challenges that I will be presented with.