Classes so far…

Of course, one of the main reasons I came to Japan was also to study!

I’m taking 17 credits here, which really doesn’t seem like a lot, but amounts to about 8 classes over here! Most classes meet once a week, for 90 minutes. I knew about this prior to coming here from my Japanese friends, but it’s actually a lot harder to adjust than I thought it would be… In reality, I think adjusting to classes was one of the more harder things for me to adjust to…!

I was placed into Japanese 2, which was where I wanted to be. We picked up right where I left off in the States in our Genki textbook, and moved onto the second book of the series. I have three teachers for Japanese, who alter everyday. I thought it would be troubling, but there’s a really smooth flow everyday! There’s a bigger language barrier here than there is in the States (obviously), but my classmates and I are able to pick up on everything quickly (or if not, we help each other out!). It’s really enjoyable, and so far I’ve aced every single quiz! Can’t really say that about our first big quiz though… One of the most trouble aspects for me is that I unintentionally reply in short/casual form to my professors. Back in the States, I would avoid using short form as much as possible since we had first learned it and I just could barely grasp using it quickly. Here, I use short form a lot at home with my host mum, so it just carries over into class…

Besides Japanese… many classes were more or less of a letdown. There are several classes I’m taking that are some of the best, but the majority seem to be pretty… subpar… One professor even completely changed the syllabus on us when more than half the class dropped out…!! It seemed like she was blaming us for the change too, saying how she couldn’t stick to her original syllabus since she had planned it to work only if she had the original amount of students who signed up… A certain political class I was looking forward to the most seems like a reiteration of my Intro to International Politics class, sans focus and important information/views of each political theory…

But no more of that negativity!

A class that I didn’t anticipate taking was Japanese encounter with Christianity. It overlaps a bit with my history class, but goes way more into detail about Japan’s history with Christianity. I’m not very interested in religion, so I thought it wouldn’t be a good class to take. I decided to take it since I decided to drop another class with the previous professor, and still needed credit. Something I’ll never forget is when I came into this class for the first time and the professor handed out questionnaires to the students who just entered the class and told us “Please be honest about why you’re here. If you’re here because (so-and-so) class was terrible and you needed the credit, just write that. I know that feeling.” It was probably the first thing that made me decide that this class was probably going to be the best.

The professor is really what makes this class as amazing as it is. He’s bright and hilarious. Just by looking at him, you can tell his passion about the subject, which really makes the class a whole lot easier to sit through. He makes us laugh and is honest about a lot of the things he has to deal with. He feels more like a friend and makes the whole atmosphere very comfortable. When we finally started class, we started off learning about Christian theology, since many of us don’t have a background in it. It ended up being a lot more interesting than I thought it would be! Even though it’s the latest class I have, it’s something I always look forward to.

All in all, I do miss my classes at New Paltz. Mostly, I just can’t sit 90 minutes straight through a class. Around the 40 minute mark I always end up looking at the clock…! I honestly thought once a week classes would be better and easier, but now I know I definitely would much rather prefer 40 minute classes that meet several times a week.

There are some classes that I continue to go to because I simply need the credit, but then there are also some that are genuinely engaging and that I definitely take something from every time I leave.

Travels!

I wrote this entry as I traveled on the train back from Dundee, Scotland on Friday October 31, 2014. This week I had reading week which is a week where there are no scheduled classes so students can catch up on their work. For me as an international student it’s an excuse to travel and do work at the same time. Last Friday morning I took the train up to Glasgow, Scotland and spent the afternoon walking around the city and went to two different museums there which were very interesting and free! The next day I met two of my American friends from Huddersfield and we went on a 3 day bus tour of the Scottish Highlands. The scenery and nature in the Highlands was beautiful. Though it was raining like cats and dogs two of the three days, but you can’t let rain stop you from exploring. On the tour, I went in a castle, explored ruins, walked on the beach/countryside/hills, walked on a famous battlefield, and saw standing stones for free. Now I won’t have to go Stonehenge, England and pay 35 pounds to see the standing stones which is overpriced and not worth it because you don’t get close to the stones at all.
On the tour I met two other girls from America who were studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and they were very nice. On Monday night, I got off at the tour at the Edinburgh, Scotland drop off point. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and was a very elegant looking city with a lot of history. I spent Tuesday in Edinburgh and went on a free walking tour, to museums, a famous chapel and went on a run/hike to an extinct volcano/hill called Arthurs Seat. I really liked Edinburgh it was a beautiful city and I would definitely go back. On Wednesday morning, I headed to Dundee Scotland to see my friend from SUNY New Paltz who is studying abroad at Stirling University. Since her boyfriend who is Scottish goes to school in Dundee she was staying with him for her reading week. There was an extra vacant room in her boyfriend’s flat so I got to stay there which was very nice of them .Wednesday was a gorgeous day and we walked all around Dundee. The next day we walked around St Andrews (a historic town not far from Dundee which is famous for its golf course and University), took a walk up to an Observatory in Dundee and did some work. Today I am heading back to Leeds which is the major city near Huddersfield and am going to have dinner with a family that I know there. I have to change trains twice but I actually prefer taking trains than buses because it easier for me to do work. I bought a student rail card which gives me 1/3 off of most train tickets.
Next weekend, I am planning to staying local. Maybe go to the Lake District for the day which I heard has nice walks and gorgeous scenery. I have trips planned for most of the weekends after that so I probably shouldn’t do too much so I don’t go broke, stay healthy and keep up with my studies (which are all very important).

Ireland!

Sorry, I’m a little late but I said in my last blog that I would write about Ireland where I went two weekends ago. If anyone who is reading my blog is planning to study abroad in Europe or travel in Europe, which I would definitely suggest to do, you should use Ryan Air for cheap flights around Europe. I flew to Dublin from Manchester for 10 pounds (18 dollars!) which is a very good bargain. I got in late on a Thursday night and the next day I met my friend from Huddersfield, who took the mega bus/ferry there, overnight on a day tour we took to southern Ireland. My friend’s family is from Cork where we stopped on the tour. Also we went to a cathedral/castle and Blarneys stone (on a castle which is surrounded by a beautiful green with trails). When you go to Blarneys stone the tradition which I took part in is to climb up to the top of the partially ruined castle and kiss the stone while you lean backwards (with a guy who helps everyone get a grip of holding the bars even though I didn’t need it).
I spent the next two days exploring Dublin, which was a very nice city. I was very lucky that the weather was gorgeous when I was there. In Dublin I walked pretty much everywhere and saw most of the city’s major sites. Some of these included a free walking tour, went to the Guinness factory, museums/historic buildings, a historic prison, parks and to a botanical gardens/cemetery. I really like this company of free walking tours which is offered in 20 major cities worldwide because they give you a good sense of how to get around the city, see many things, learn about the city’s history, and tip based on your ability or how you feel about the tour. My friend who I was with got the hop on and hop off bus ticket which I bought to, but stupid me bought it for the wrong bus company. However, I didn’t really enjoy the bus and ended up using it only a couple of times. Personally, I would rather walk and explore a new place on my own. In many of the cities I have been to there are usually a lot of signs with arrows pointing the way to major attractions, and if needed I have found helpful people who given me directions.
In Dublin, I stayed at my first hostel which I found to be a good experience. I am not a very high maintenance person and have done a good amount of camping back in the states. All I really need is a place to sleep and if the hostel includes breakfast that’s always a good thing. Before I came to a hostel, I expected it to be full of young people in their 20s/30s which there were a lot of. However, I did see some families staying in the hostel and older individuals. Hostels are the cheapest accommodations since you get your own bed and share a room/bathroom with other people. For future trips I will definitely stay in hostels. Next week I go to Scotland stay tuned for the next blog post coming soon!