I haven’t left yet, but I thought it would be good to write about some of the issues I faced getting all of my stuff together in preparation for my Study Abroad experience.
I’m slated to go to the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, which is located in Beppu, a city in the Oita Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, in Japan. Orientation for the school will commence on the 27th of March, and the actual semester will start on the 1st of April and will go on till the 3rd of August.
Golden Week is a cluster of Japanese holidays occurring from the end of April until early May that gives both workers and students more or less one week of freedom from the stressors of everyday life. During Golden Week, many people try to travel both within and outside the country and, with Emperor Akihito’s abdication of the throne and the welcoming of the Reiwa era, Japan was especially crowded and hectic.
Since there were more people coming into and out of the country during this time, the shinkansen or “bullet train,” planes, as well as hotels and other accommodations, (especially onsens) were full. Initially, I had wanted to take a trip south and go hit Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka but, after looking at the prices and availability, I knew that it just wouldn’t work out, so those plans are postponed for the time being. To save my wallet a bit, I decided to just do some small day trips around the Tokyo area in the hopes that they would be less crowded than other areas. They weren’t — but I still had a lot of fun.
It is really just dawning on me that I’ve nearly been in Japan for a whole month now. It almost feels surreal. So many things have happened, and I’ve made so many memories (both good and bad) in such a short time span. As stated in my first blogpost, the first week in Japan was pretty close to being a total disaster and was really rough on me in various ways. I really struggled a lot more than I was comfortable with in the beginning, but I wanted to keep moving forward so as to not ruin my new life adventure.
It’s been a slow progression, but everything is starting to get better, easier, more comfortable and fun.
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for the FINAL ROUND below, so help pick the winner from the three photos remaining! Voting will be open until Monday at 9 a.m.
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: FINALS”
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for the semifinals below, so pick your favorites of the six photos remaining!
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: Semifinals”
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for Round 3 below, so pick your favorites of the 10 photos remaining!
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: Round 3”
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for Round 2 below, so pick your favorites of the 20 photos remaining!
(NOTE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED)
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: Round 2”
It’s time once again for the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring photos submitted by SDSU students! This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 40-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. Voting is now open for Round 1 below, so pick your favorites! (NOTE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED)
Continue reading “2017 International Photo Contest Tournament: Round 1”
Most students will take the opportunity to travel around Japan before starting school, and you should. After ending up barreling down the streets of Tokyo with two large pieces of luggage, late for my bus to the airport, feet worn to shreds, and downcast after being turned away by multiple taxi drivers … I have a few words of advice.
Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen of the SDSU International Photo contest, featuring student-submitted photos from around the world. This year we’re choosing our People’s Choice Award through a 32-photo tournament, with winners decided by online voting right here on the Be International blog. After hundreds of votes were cast in our first round of eliminations, voting is now open for Round 2 below, so pick your favorites! EDITOR’S NOTE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.
Continue reading “2016 International Photo Contest Tournament: Round 2”
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 