Major: Art
Minor: Asian Studies
What made you want to study abroad?
I’ve always wanted to travel outside of the United States but never really had the time and means to do so. While touring Cal Lutheran learned of their study abroad program and luckily it was one of those right place right time moments where that time and means had eluded me before I suddenly had, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad, especially in Japan where I’ve always wanted to go and have a personal and academic interest in.
What made you choose your particular program?
The program that I chose is associated with the university Kansai Gaidai in Hirakata, In the Kansai prefecture. When looking on the study abroad website to try to find the best program for me I was focusing more on art-related programs however with this program being in Japan and my minor also being in Asian studies it made the most sense to go there, plus it would also cross off a personal bucket list achievement to be able to go to Japan. It was an opportunity to be able to live and study in a country I’ve always held most dear and an opportunity like that was hard to pass up so I wanted to make sure I did what I could to make this dream a reality.
How was your program structured? What were you studying?
Signing up for classes was a bit different than how it is in my experience here in America where the classes you signed up for were more suggestions and you were placed wherever there was availability so unfortunately that being said I was unable to get into any of the art classes, but I got into all of the cultural and historical classes that I wanted to take for my minor. I figured this was a good opportunity to focus on the minor and subject matters that were of interest to me and more of a variety compared to what is offered at Cal Lutheran. Some of the classes that I took were of course the Japanese language class which was required but I also wanted to take that anyway since I never had any formal academic training in the language. I also took classes discussing the historical significance of the samurai, the world of geisha, and their truth as well as a fascinating historical film class about Asian history through the lens of filmmaking. Even though I was not in any of the highly desired art classes that the Asian studies program had to offer I was more than happy to study these other subject matters that were of high interest and intrigue.
Classes there are very identical to classes here in America and the workload was not unbearable either which made it a lot easier to be able to experience what Japan has to offer outside of the classroom setting as well. I had many presentations which were a very popular academic workload to offer and a few papers all of which were very flexible in the subject of my choosing as long as it was relatable to the classes I was taking. All the classroom sizes were very intimate, much like Cal Lutheran which made the learning experience very engaging and more personable, which I prefer in my own learning. I was able to have great relationships with my professors and conversations on a human level which made the learning experience even more worthwhile.
What have been the highlights of your time so far?
Some of the highlights of my time there of course were my time outside of the classroom where I got to culturally experience the country of Japan. Almost every weekend if I wasn’t working on my homework assignments I would be traveling to new areas of Japan and exploring the local towns. I visited several 100 shrines and temples which was one of my favorite cultural activities to do on almost a daily basis when I had time as I much prefer a slower and more cultural engagement compared to many other schoolmates. I wanted to experience different town and village settings as well as big modern cities to experience the amazing transport system and incredible scenery and soak in the rich history that dates back several hundred if not thousands of years which is very different compared to The US historical timeline.
One instance through my school however that I very much enjoyed was through my class about geisha and their historical and cultural significance where we had the opportunity to go to the dances in the month of April called the Odori. I also experienced a very formal banquet lunch accompanied by entertainment from geisha and their art craft of dance and conversation where we were able to interview them and learn more about their life a situation, I would have never experienced had I not gone not only on this program but have taken this class which was very popular as well.
I was so grateful for the time and opportunities I had to experience Japan to the fullest that I had always wished to have, and I have so many more adventures that I could go into but more outside of the academic realm but just as culturally and educationally enlightening on a personal level. I was able to visit the atomic bombing sites and the museums to pay homage and educate myself on the tragedy. I was able to visit historic sites that my family was from and had never had the opportunity to visit on their own, so I did a pilgrimage on their behalf. I was able to eat some of the most incredible food I’ve ever experienced in my life and see the most beautiful sights that cameras couldn’t always capture. All this and so much more that without having an opportunity at Cal Lutheran I would have never been able to experience this level and to have the time to do so, for that I’m grateful.
What are your career goals and how has studying abroad helped shape them?
As for my career goals, I know one of the paths I’m hoping to pursue would eventually take a graduate program with a focus on art conservation and restoration. Where that ties in with this program as well as my minor is I could possibly focus my art conservation emphasis on Asian artifacts and artwork and be able to say I had this opportunity could do well on a resume and put myself above others who haven’t had an opportunity to live and study in Japan for six months. To say I lived and studied in Japan while working on my minor in Asian studies I feel strengthens the potency of that minor compared to many classmates also studying in this field which could really benefit me should I choose to utilize this experience in a future career goal.
I can’t say exactly what the future holds for me and my path, but I know I have a direction I would like to follow, and I feel because of this experience those possibilities can become very interesting and vaster because now I have an experience that many others do not have. The connections I made as well can greatly benefit and assist my goal should I choose to work and study say, and then the Asian country again. These connections could help with reference letters as well as a grounding to help me adjust to life and studying in an Asian country like Japan which I’m also very grateful that I now have. This program was an incredibly amazing and huge opportunity both on an academic level and on a personal level and I am so thankful I took that opportunity. I knew even before I transferred to the school that if I didn’t go on this program I would have regretted it for the rest of my life and now in retrospect after going on this journey and making the connections I had and seeing the things I saw while there I know that I was 100% right and I can use what I have learned in any career path I so choose.