Compare this short-term study abroad experience to your undergraduate travels abroad. In what ways do your experiences differ? What have you learned as a result of having multiple experiences abroad?
I've been so exhausted that I haven't been able to keep up with my daily blog posts, but I've been enjoying Osaka much more than I originally thought I would! What have I done since my last update? Hmmmm... I did quite a bit of shopping in Dotonbori, a really popular shopping district that also hosts most of Osaka's nightlife, and, oh, I HIKED EIGHT MILES!!!
It was easily one of the most mentally and physically strenuous experiences of my entire life, but now I can say that I've been hiking in Japan! On my way up the mountain, I began thinking a lot about the only other time I had been abroad during my undergraduate career. I took an elective for my social work program that allowed me the opportunity to visit Australia and New Zealand for a short term program during the summer before my final semester. I enjoyed my time there very much, especially since I had always wanted to go to Australia, but I don't feel as though I was nearly as intentional with my time as I have been here. Granted, I was at a different place three years ago and didn't put much thought into what I was gaining from being abroad that I couldn't have gained in the States, but I also don't feel as though I was pushed to think in that way either. I am not bashing my professor at all (shout out to you Jeanne if you're reading this, you're awesome and I miss you!) but because I didn't take the time to reflect on what I learned as I was learning it, it was much more difficult to find the purpose in the program other than a nice way to get out of the country and have financial aid pay for it. In fact, aside from what I learned about Aborigines and the Maori, there's not much that I remember experiencing that was genuinely educational. Additionally, I didn't have the added layer of a language barrier there that I've had here. The culture in Australia and New Zealand, while different from the US, was much easier for me to adjust to than it has been in Japan. I have had to lean into discomfort quite a bit in everything from ordering food at restaurants without knowing exactly what the food is at times to constantly being confused with public transportation. I feel as though I was a little spoiled in my first experience abroad because I didn't have to worry so much about lingual and cultural differences, but I am truly impressed at how well I have been able to adapt and step out of my comfort zone.
Dontonburi, shopping district in Osaka
Three things I've learned (I'm too exhausted to try and think of nine as it is currently 10pm and it's been A DAY):
1. In Japan, moving from job to job is generally frowned upon. It is much more common to start with one company and work there until you retire, otherwise known as "lifelong employment"
2. There is a HUGE department store by Osaka Station that has 12 floors (Taylor and I had a plan to hit floors 3,4,8,10, & 12 before realizing how expensive everything was)
3. Naomi Wantanabe is a popular Japanese celebrity known for doing Beyonce impersonations (I learned this from students at Kansai Gaidai University, who were so warm and welcoming to us)
4. (Bonus because this is a super tasty fun fact!) Toffee-ettes are a SUPER delicious candy that is made with almonds and toffee by See's Candies (a candy company owned by Warren Buffet). They're $22.50 a tin and worth every penny.
Our time here is slowly coming to an end, and it's bittersweet. Here's to making the most out of the time I have left!