Orientation Week March 2019 Kindai University Student Exchange Program

Okay, so I’ve been here for a little over a week now. Orientation was a lot to take and rough, but also helpful in almost everything. Getting from the airport to my dorm was tough. Because of airline timing, I missed the pickup deadline from the airport to the school and had to book my first time somewhere to stay my myself. Stayed at TRAD hotel, it was cheap and it’s basically an apartment to yourself for like $40/night. Also close to a station. The next day, I actually put one of my luggage(I brought 2 with me) in a locker at the station and just went to school with one first, because not all the stations have elevators so you have to carry everything up and downstairs by yourself, which was really tough the night I landed. I decided to pay the 300yen for the locker and come back for the other luggage later. After going to school, I had to lug my luggage to orientation for exchange students. There are about 20 of us and I’m the only one from America. Kinda shocked because I at least expected a few more from the states. Guess Kindai is not a popular choice for Americans. The majority of the exchange students are European, and a handful are Asian. By the way on the first day,  students living in different dorms meet separately. Meaning students who will be dorming with the school meets together while students who decided to live in a single apartment meets in a different group. On the second day, everyone meets together and they go over school stuff. 

After the first day of orientation which was mostly about living situations and filling out forms to stay there, someone from Nasic (the company in charge of our living quarters) took me to my apartment to check in. All your appliances are in Japanese so better remember when they teach you how to use it. The apartment, which is called Peacock House I, is right next to a convenience store and is a 5 minute walk to school (not the main entrance though, to one of the side gates). The building uses a card as a key (like hotels) and it’s important to not lose these because the find is like $250, or so I’ve been told. They also ask you to not keep it close to your cell (I guess some students used to put it in their phone cases) because this can mess with the magnetism or code of they key card. 

I also noticed that most students came in groups or with friends from their home universities so it kind of makes it hard on the first few days to meet new people. They are already sitting in cliques. But I did make a friend from Indonesia on the 2nd day since she also came solo and is a solo like me. We had lots to talk about. Just had to put myself out there and talk to new people. 

The second day of orientation, they went over rent payment. It’s two separate transactions via a machine like and ATM. It’s cash only and there are 2 separate deadlines to meet. You can pay it all at once, but just with two separate transactions and make sure to take the receipt and turn it in at the international center office for proof and to get it stamped. Unfortunately, the machine is only in Japanese. There is an English option but that option only works for teacher users. So, sucks for the rest of us. However, they do print out instructions for international students who can’t read Japanese in the orientation handout. Thank god. At the end, students separate into groups and there’s a local student who shows you where to make your payment (it’s in the food court). However, the local students aren’t all trained (or least mines wasn’t) because whenever we asked questions they couldn’t really answer us. We just ended up figuring out things ourselves. 

In the package they give you for orientation includes the classes offered as well as the syllabus for the classes. Full time requirements is 7 classes, but you can sign up for more. Each class only meets once a week and according to the syllabus, most of them are graded based only on a midterm and final exam. We’ll see how this goes. After going to the classes you want to attend, you will fill out a form electronically and email it to Makiko to register for classes. Can’t wait to see how school and classes go. Apparently Kindai is considered to be a prestigious private school (according to local students) so I have high expectations. Oh yeah, can’t forget about your student ID. This is really important because you have to scan your ID at the beginning of every class to take attendance! Fancy! A certain amount of late marks makes an absent and international students are not allowed to miss a class more than 3 times. If I remember correctly after the 4th time you automatically fail the course. You also have to check in with the international center during the beginning of every month so that they can make sure you are attending classes properly. You can keep track of your attendance record online on the school website. But unfortunately, it’s also only in Japanese so you just have to ask for help and memorize from there. You can pick up your student ID during the first week of school.

After the orientation, they had an optional course for students to attend if they wanted to learn about and/or open a phone plan. According to the phone plan representative, plans changes depending on the semester but you basically buy SIM cards based on the amount of data you want per month. I decided to just stick with my original monthly plan from the states, although my data is a little slow, it still works. I don’t really need to make phone calls home and nowadays, you can do this through a lot of apps for free through wifi. So I opted out  for this, however if anyone needs  or uses a lot of data per month, I would highly recommend purchasing a plan. They help you with the process right then and there after the short course about it and it cancels automatically when you leave. 

I think that’s about it for orientation. Some weird thing to point out is that for my emergency contact, I wanted to put my brother on it and they wouldn’t let me. Which I thought was strange. I explained that it was because my mother is Chinese and doesn’t understand English but they explained that they would find a translator if needed. I still think that it’s weird that they wouldn’t allow me to put my younger brother as my emergency contact. Is this a cultural thing? Also, I want to take the Japanese language courses they are offering for international students, however you have to take a placement test. I explained to the teacher that I took Japanese over 10 years ago and would like to take the beginning level course but they still made me take the placement test so I basically just sat there for about 1.5hrs. I just filled in the dots randomly (I did try) for the ones I didn’t understand. 

Now that orientation is over, I have about 4-5 days of free time before school actually starts and will be going to Tokyo with a friend from home! Can’t wait.

Before going to Kindai University in Osaka, Japan. Spring 2019

So, I’m about to leave for Japan, and I am so not ready. To be honest, the university didn’t provide a lot of info. They don’t tell you anything until the first week of orientation for international students, so I have no idea what to expect. This is especially so since I’m the first student from HPU to attend Kindai. Jean tried to reach out to some Kindai students for me, who are studying in the English program in the ELS program at HPU but no one reached out. Too bad for me. Since I’ve been to Japan before (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima), I kind of know what to expect for some things. I’ve also researched what to expect weather wise. 

I’m most nervous about classes and payment. For rent, they gave us the amount for each month and only told us that we do not need to pay the full amount all at once before we arrive. So I’m assuming it’s a monthly payment? I hope so, because I’m not bringing that much cash with me. I’m not sure if we can pay with credit card or is it just cash? Good thing I’ll be flying home to walk the graduation ceremony so if I need more cash then at least I can get some here. 

For boarding, I also have no idea what to expect. They gave us 2 choices. Either room with a bunch of roommates in like a suite kind of apartment, or you get your own studio and live by yourself. The first option is provided by the school and I think it’s about $50 cheaper than the 2nd choice. You can also sign up for meals for an additional $150/month. You will get your own room but the living space as well as restrooms are shared. And I believe you will have 5 roommates? Each with their own rooms. I went with the 2nd choice just because I prefer my own privacy and I’ve heard horror stories about having bad roommates. 

As for the phone situation, I currently am apart of the T-Mobile monthly plan which includes unlimited international data, but just at a slower speed so we’ll see what they offer when I get there. We’ve been informed that they will help us with setting up phone plans. The dorms and school will have wifi so the only I will need it for is when I’m traveling around and need to use google maps. 

Kind of worried about connecting and making new friends but I’m also quite excited for the new experience. The only thing I’ll miss is my Leo (golden retriever)!

IMPACT Scholarship- Semester at Sea

Semester at Sea has a scholarship named the IMPACT Program Scholarship. Semester at Sea has partnered with a local NGO in Morocco and one in Ghana. The organizations that Semester at Sea has partnered up with are the Global Diversity Foundation in Morocco and Global Mamas in Ghana. Semester at Sea awards these organizations a grant and through this scholarship program a select number of students gets to visit these organizations through fully paid field programs. Additionally, 3 of the selected students will receive a scholarship towards their tuition. When I first applied for the scholarship I thought the program would be like a volunteer project. When I finally was able to see and spend some time with the organizations it was not what I had initially imagined.

The IMPACT Cohort (the group of students selected) got to spend 4 days with the Global Diversity Foundation. During the first day, we visited the Secret Garden Museum and the Water Museum to learn about the importance of water in the country of Morocco. On the second day, we visited the Dar Taliba School where the organization has an ethnobotanical school garden. We were able to meet with the girls that attend the boarding school and learning about agricultural practices. Day 3 consisted of a visit to the High Atlas Mountains to see one of the organization's plants nursery. There we learned more about agricultural practices and native plants. On the last day, we travelled to the market in Marrakech to learn about medicinal plants. Overall we learned a vast amount of things during our stay with Global Diversity Foundation.

In Ghana, the IMPACT Cohort spent 3 days with Global Mamas. The first day we participated in a batik workshop and a drumming and dancing workshop. The next two days were focused on helping the organization with different projects. The cohort was split up into 4 different groups; Batik Design, Photography, Meet the Mamas and Social Media. I was in the batik design group and we had the task of creating possible batik designs for their fall 2020 collection. In the photography group, they worked on capturing stunning photos modelling some of the Global Mama products for their catalogue. In the meet the mamas group the students worked on creating a short profile of 5 of the batik workers. Lastly, the social media group worked on strategies to improve their social media platform. We all did some amazing work and learn about the organization.

Both trips were amazing experiences and I would recommend that you apply for this scholarship if you plan to study abroad with Semester at Sea. It truly was a unique experience I would not have been able to enjoy had it not been for this scholarship.

The past 6 weeks in 6 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag5dBVSqm0M&feature=youtu.be

If a photo is 1,000 words, then a video must be a bajillion words. Here is a little peek into what it was like to sail and live on a tall ship to what we did in American Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji to some pretty awesome coral footage off the coast of a recently formed landmass, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai. Thanks for giving it a watch!

Sailing through the South Pacific

Talofa, Malo e lelei, and Bula from the South Pacific!
I've just finished sailing nearly 3,000 nautical miles from Pago Pago, American Samoa to Auckland, Aotearoa (also known as New Zealand). Along the way, I stopped in Vava'u, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, and Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga and Suva, Fiji.
When we're sailing the boat never stops. A Watch group is always awake to keep the boat on track to get to our next destination. And because this is a scientific sailing vessel, we would also be in the lab collecting data or processing it at all hours of the day. There were 26 students and we were divided into 3 groups. We had 6 hours on watch and 12 hours off to rest, eat, shower, read, journal, and do any homework we had. Through those 6 hours on you and your Watch would either be on deck or processing in the lab. While on the deck, one person had to be on the lookout (as pictured!), someone else at the helm steering the boat, someone was recording the weather, and another was on a boat check to make sure the lab wasn't on fire or something was out of place on board. We would be in those positions for an hour before switching off to the next task. If you were in the lab, you had a list of things to do depending on the time of day. Twice in a 24-hour day period, we would deploy a neuston tow to collect zooplankton. Once a day, we would deploy a hydrocast to collect water samples from different depths of the ocean to better understand the water we were sailing above. If you happened to be on watch during a time with no deployments needed, you would often be processing the data collected from the previous watch. Let me tell ya trying to do a 100 count of zooplankton with a microscope on a moving vessel is something else! The boat is moving, you are swaying, and the zooplankton sample is actively sloshing too!
There was so much going on while on the ship I don't know how I could possibly sum it all up!

A reflection post from my study abroad experience

If you had told freshmen year fern to go study abroad, she would have said no without even hesitating. Why would I want to leave a place like Hawai’i? I have fallen in love with this island. Why would I want to leave such an amazing place? However, after spending my time abroad at James Cook University, Australia, I can honestly say that studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have made throughout my journey at HPU. I promise I’m not just saying this for the sake of a blog post. IT WAS TRUELY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. 

I started thinking about studying abroad towards the end of my sophomore year. It was when I felt really burnt out with classes and everything that was going on around me. I felt like nothing inspires me anymore and I don’t enjoy my classes as much as I used to. I got used to the island. I know the ins and outs of the school. I know where to go for the best poke, I know what time to go to Marukame to avoid the crazy line, or what to do when you’re walking on Fort st. by yourself at night. I’ve become so used to everything around me that I am just constantly moving from one thing to another until I just got really tired of it. 

Being abroad, in a totally new environment and surrounded by a whole different group of people, I became more aware of my surroundings. I took time to stop and admire things. I think that is one most beautiful thing about studying abroad. You get to start all over. I felt like I was a freshmen again. I’m learning about a new culture, a new campus, a new way of life. I became very excited and inspired. I was so eager to learn more and absorb all that this experience has to offer. It was so amazing. I think it’s a feeling that you need to be there to experience yourself. 

Now that I’m back in Hawai’i again, I’m still in love with this island don’t get me wrong. However, I think I came back with a very new mindset. Everything that was once boring and common is new once again. At certain points during my abroad semester, I got really homesick and I just couldn’t believe how much connected I have become to this rock in the middle of the ocean. I have realized how much I actually admired and appreciated the beauty in my surroundings. 

Studying abroad has certainly gave me a lesson that I will never experience inside a classroom. Exposing myself to new people and experiences have really shaped me into who I choose to be today. I know Hawai’i is awesome and it’s comfortable being in the same common place. You feel safe and it’s comforting to have things the same way. But, believe me and go out there. Go out and feel a little uncomfortable. You never know what lies ahead, but I’m sure you will gain a lot from it. 

A trip during my lecture recess

During lecture recess in April, I had a great opportunities to do a little bit of traveling. I decided to visit Brisbane, Gold coast, and Melbourne. It was definitely a change from northern Australia in many aspects. It was a good change though. I made my first stop in Brisbane. Visiting Brisbane means spending a lot of time outdoors and enjoying the sunshine the city has to offer. There were a lot of art communities and a very diverse range of cuisines from around the world. For example, 

Gold Coast was my next stop. From theme parks to shopping malls, and even SURFING to ancient rainforest, this city has it it all! I think Gold Coast reminds me a lot of Waikiki or the east coast. Surfers paradise is a stretch of sandy beach - you see a lot of people chilling on the side, some are walking around the farmers the market, people are swimming and surfing etc. Possibly being Australia's most iconic holiday destination, the city is certainly fast-paced and busy, compared to the other cities. With that in mind, I think Gold Coast has to be one of the most multicultural city out of these three that I visited. 

My last stop was at Melbourne, where I did a bit of solo traveling. It was so much fun. I think Melbourne was my favorite city out of all of these. The city felt more open and free. There are so many brunch places and boutique cafe EVERYWHERE. They also have the best coffee. Melbourne is a surprise. You never know what you are gonna find as you walk up the rooftop or get lost in the art-alley. I think that's the perks about traveling. You can't really prepare for anything. The experience you're gonna get is all depending on you and your surrounding.