Anticipation

With the new year coming up I keep thinking more and more about scholarships. While I don't like writting essays, I wish the summer scholarships would be posted sooner than January 6th. One website's not posting theirs until February or March! I'd like to have more of my break to work on them rather than starting off the semester with essays. But I'll have to put on my big girl panties and deal with it if I'm going to get the money I need to travel to the place I've been dreaming of traveling to for as long as I can remember.

Something I'm a bit confused about is the visa process. I don't know if I just fill out a regular form and put my intent as academic or if I need a special student visa form. I also don't know when to fill it out because I haven't applied for the school yet. I can't fill in a school address if they don't even know I have the intent of coming, right? I guess these are just more questions I'll have to ask my advisor when I get back to school.

Decisions Decisions

When looking for institutions to study abroad through I was automatically directed to Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA) seeing as my academic adviser is also the ACA adviser for my school.  While ACA is nice and easily accessible, I wanted to see what other options I had.  In my research, I found a program called Languages Abroad that has a Live & Learn program where you would live with a host family that would teach you the native language.  When I read all about it I was super excited.  Living and learning with a Japanese family?  That sounds really awesome!

So, I filled out their information form and waited for answers to my questions.  But, it's been a couple weeks since I've done that and I haven't gotten an e-mail.  So, since I haven't heard anything back from them, I guess I'll just stick with ACA.  I would like the option of choosing how I spend my time in Japan.  I'd like to live with a host family.  But, if I can't get in contact with the people who run the program, I can't be a part of their program.  I've had more contact with the lady who runs ACA and they don't even have information out for this upcoming summer yet.  Perhaps it's a sign from God.

I guess I'll have to wait it out and see.

Introduction

As you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of Japanese culture.  When I was little, I would practice eating chopsticks with rubber bands around them, and when I was in middle school my friends introduced me to anime and manga, a gateway into Japanese language and culture.  As I grew older I began to learn more about the food and the language, and I even began to listen to Japanese music.  Now, as a university student, I’ve had the privilege of being able to take a Japanese language class.  

As an English major, I am required to have six credit hours of an upper division language course, and as an Intercultural Communications minor, I am required to live in a different culture for at least four weeks.  So, I’ve decided to study abroad in the upcoming summer of 2012 in Japan, learning the language, experiencing the culture, and living the dream.  

Through this blog I plan to: 

·                     Track my progress in getting to Japan,

·                     record my experiences in Japan and

·                     express how my life is different after returning to the U.S.

So, I welcome you on my journey and hope that you enjoy the ride.  Welcome to Adventures of the Rising Sun.