So IES has a little secret. They arrange a field-trip vacation for you over your mid-semester break. When I registered for my study abroad semester in New Zealand I was not aware of this. However, that made the realization all the more exciting when I was told that for my break I would be going …
Category Archives: Culture
My Home away from Home
“You have to taste a culture to understand it.” – Deborah Cater I would definitely agree with Deborah on that point. Food is an integral part to a culture, as well as sharing time around a table and being with family. In Christchurch I have enjoyed a homestay with a Kiwi family. Renee, my “Mom” …
Freshers Week Thoughts
After traveling around London, Stratford, and Chatsworth, I’ve officially made it to Scotland! My family helped me move into my single room (with a private bathroom!) on a cloudy day in Aberdeen, and from the minute I walked into my dorm, I could tell orientation week (or “Freshers Week”) was going to be a lot …
Scottish Studies
Wait… this isn’t vacation? My junior year officially took off on September 12, but I don’t feel like a third-year student at all. Spending a semester abroad means that I have to get used to a whole new accent, a whole new country, and, of course, a whole new way of schooling. I’ve found after …
Bucket List–My Final Post
Hello, everyone! I am writing this post from my couch, safe and sound, back in my home state of Michigan. Looking back on my time in Japan, I’ve had a lot of things on my to-do list that I haven’t been able to do due to distance, construction, or time/money restraints, and I did get …
Getting Around
Fitness. Healthy eating. When I say those words, it makes me think of getting up early for my Health Dynamics class in the Dow. However, those two words easily define the lifestyle of almost every Kiwi (referring to New Zealanders) in the Christchurch area. I learned very early on, that if a Kiwi recommends a …
15 Things Japan Has That America Should, Too
Sickness masks. Keep the germs contained! Escalator etiquette. One half stands to the side, the other half is a passing lane. I’ve never felt more satisfied. I’ve already mentioned this in a previous post, but: THE TOILETS. So cool. Packaging. Like, nice packaging. Japan would scoff at America’s put-it-in-a-bag-with-some-tissue-paper-on-top mentality. Yuzu. They’re a type of …
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Hakone Field Trip
A few months ago, my fellow dormmates/classmates/exchange students and I went on a field trip with our Japanese language professors to Hakone, a famous location for foreigners and Japanese people alike. Hakone is famous for its hot springs, lake, shrine, and special black hard boiled eggs (naturally boiled in the hot springs, giving it its …
Habits
Hello there! Welcome back to the blog! This post will be a little more brief, as I wanted to quickly share a few daily life changes that I’ve experienced, or that tend to happen while you’re living in Japan. The first difference made in my routine from day 1 was my sleep schedule. I woke …
Nagoya Scenery
Hello, all! Guess what?! I saw Mt. Fuji! ….Well, a model version of Mt. Fuji. On a high rise observatory machine. But still cool! I’ll back up a little bit for you: I actually recently came back from a trip to Nagoya! Nagoya is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, which is southwest of Tokyo. …
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