By Yi En
I am a third-year student double-majoring in Urban Studies and Sociology, with a minor in Diaspora and Transnational Studies. I am also an international student from Singapore. One thing that may be surprising to learn about me is that I have an interest in collecting CDs, (of which I did buy a lot when I was in Tokyo!).
Advice for Prospective Summer Abroad Students
To prospective Summer Abroad students considering participating in the Summer Abroad Program: do not hesitate to apply! It could help to reflect on your own to know what your own strengths, (academic and non-academic) interests, and passions are and relate them to the course or the country to which you are applying to. From my peers and my own experiences, it would seem that not all of us thought we would have made the course - some of us handed in our submissions right from the start, and some of us only decided to try for the course on the last day before the submission was due, but what mattered the most was that we tried for the course! Personally, it helped that I had friends I could ask about their own Summer Abroad experiences, which helped me better understand what I was signing up for, and by starting my application early, I could pace myself better to submit an application I can truly be satisfied with.
Personal Growth and Development through Summer Abroad
Tokyo is a city that encapsulates many of my academic and non-academic interests (such as Urban Studies and photography!), and I really appreciated the chance the 2024 Summer Abroad program gave me to truly immerse myself in the city. It was only when I could stay in Tokyo that I could better grasp how life within the city is, and I had the space to truly explore my interests in the time that I spent there. It also helped that while many of my peers came from different backgrounds, we still had overlapping interests. Through experiencing the city together while exploring our common interests, I felt like I had gained a more nuanced understanding of my interests.
At the same time, the main language used in Tokyo is Japanese, which I personally was not proficient in, and the Japanese lifestyle and etiquette are things that I had to quickly pick up on in my time there. As a result, I had learned to observe my peers’ behaviors more, and slowly, picked up on what it is like to conduct myself more suitably and appropriately in Japan. Through this entire experience, I learned to be more sensitive to other cultures, especially taking the extra effort to understand the histories and meanings behind them.
Why Summer Abroad is the Best Undergraduate Experience
Call it nostalgia, call it sentiment – being in the Summer Abroad program felt like a throwback to younger school days when the whole class could go out together on field trips or overnight camps. Given that the university experience is greatly individualized, the Summer Abroad program felt extremely different in the way that we got to spend so much time with the course instructor, program coordinator, and of course, our peers. Together, we could form a home away from home, and I gained a new sense of solidarity and comfort with the people who were in the program with me. Personally, this was an extremely precious memory! Apart from making new friends that I treasure a lot (and whom I had a lot of fun with!), the Summer Abroad experience also gave me the confidence and reassurance that if I were to go to a foreign country again by myself, I could still be okay. Instead of focusing on the aspects of traveling that could be scary and nerve-wracking when alone in a country I have not been to before, as long as I prepare for the travel experience well, I could always make friends in another country, which makes the experience a lot more enjoyable.
Support and Navigation through the Summer Abroad Program
Joe, our on-site program coordinator, really went the extra mile to prepare us for the Summer Abroad program in Japan. Since we knew that there were free days for us to explore Tokyo on our own (such as on weekends) but still were not well-acquainted with the city enough to know where we could go at the start of the program, Joe always took the initiative to give us suggestions on places we could go. Before our program started, Joe also brought us around the vicinity of our class venue and residential location so we could familiarize ourselves with the important places to go (such as grocery stores and classrooms). Most importantly, he also helped us to understand the more complex transportation system in Tokyo, while never failing to answer any questions we have about living in Tokyo. This gave us the confidence and a greater interest to travel around freely, even if we were not familiar with Tokyo at first, allowing us to fulfill all our travel needs and goals!
My Summer Abroad experience in Tokyo has been an enriching and transformative journey, helping me grow academically, personally, and culturally. It's an opportunity I highly recommend to anyone looking to broaden their horizons and deepen their understanding of the world.