Preparing for the Job

For those of you who don't know, I plan to become a cultural anthropologists. In other words, I want to study cultures. I have a particular interests in Asian cultures and sub-cultures. 

How will studying abroad help me with my future vocation?

Well, it'll help with everything, basically.

See, one of the main parts of cultural anthropology is that you live and dwell among the culture you wish to study. This helps you have an insider's look on their way of life. Studying abroad will be my first step into this process. It'll be a great opportunity to see how I adjust to new cultures, how I observe new cultures, and how I learn new languages. It'll also help me see if I even want to explore cultural anthropology as a career.

Another way studying aboard helps me with my future job is with the classes I'm taking. Aside from my Japanese classes, I will be taking a selection of classes from either history, sociology, religion, and anthropology. There's one class in particular that I really hope to be in that focuses on sub-cultures. This class will definitely help me form a better understanding on the that specific culture, and whether or not I wish it to continue down that field. The other classes will give me a better understanding on the Japanese culture as a whole. To study this classes in the actual culture is an opportunity I don't want to miss! 

All together, this experience will show me whether or not I'm going down the right path in my life. I love cultures, hence wanting to be an anthropologist, but there are other vocations that use cultures. This will just allow me to see where I am down that path.

How to Live and Not be a Tourist

It's easy to be a tourist. It's hard to be a local. It's especially really hard to be a local when you are living in a new country with complete strangers and a very high language barrier.

But no matter! I will not be a tourist for four and half months! How, you ask? Well, I have a plan- a plan that will help to (hopefully) ensure localness.

Step One: Making local friends. This is perhaps the most important step in keeping yourself away from tourist mood. After all, the best way to live like a local is that make friends with one. You can observe and learn from them. I also, in general, just want to make some friends while I'm there. With my program, I will be living and studying with International studies from around the world. I don't want to put myself in an International Bubble, where all I do is hang out with Internationals. This will be hard because we'll be the only ones on campus for about a month. There will be a Japanese Kansai Gaidai student that will act as a RA to help us adjust to our new surroundings, however. Hopefully we'll become friends. If not, there'll be other ways to make friends, like in clubs. Clubs are a big deal in Japan. Hopefully by joining a club, I can make some new friends!

Step Two: Eat like a local. Am I going to restaurant that's filled with mostly tourists every time I go? That's probably not a local spot. Do I eat McDonald's, hamburgers, and other American food? I probably shouldn't be doing that. Food is a big part of a culture. If I'm limiting myself to food that are catered towards Americans, I'm not living like a Hirakata City local. Instead, I'm eating like an American in Japan. So, one of the first things I'm going to do is ask what are some good places to eat. Luckily, food in Japan tends to be cheaper there than here in America (to my knowledge). By eating like a local, I get a full belly and culture immersion at the same time!

Step Three: Observe and asking questions. What are locals doing? Do they use the bus, train, walk, or bike? How do they act in a grocery store? Are there even grocery stores or is there an outdoor market? How do students act on campus? Do they wave to people that walk by, or do they just walk past them? Do friends stand in the middle of campus? There's a lot of observing that goes into living in a new country, especially if you want to live like a local. And sometimes, just observing something doesn't work. Instead, you have to ask. Like asking if it's normal for the public toilets to not have toilet paper. Or what button to press to flush the toilet. Is it normal to talk to the cashier at a store? Is it okay to wear this type of clothing over that? Things like that can be asked instead of observed.

These plan is still incomplete. I honestly don't know what else I need to do until I get there. I can do research now, but that only gets you so far. Hopefully, this these starting steps, I can help make it one step closer to living like a local. A key thing to remember is that I'm still Renee. I'll just be Renee in Japan, learning and growing there. My goal is to not be Japanese. I'll forever be viewed as a foreigner there, but maybe I can be less of a foreigner by trying to live like a local. That's my goal.

Japanese School Not on Saturday

At Maryville College, every Saturday Andersen field becomes flooded with the sounds of Japanese children. They come here for Japanese school. There, they learn Japanese culture, kanji, and any thing else they need in order to assimilate back into Japan.

This is not the Japanese school I will be going to.

Kansai Gaidai University will likely be very different than Maryville. Everything from grades to attendance to behavior will operate on a Japanese mindset. After all, I will be in Japan, not America.

So let's start grades- the most important part of an American student's life.

At Kansai Gaidai, they use a 4.0 scale for quality points that are then translated into letter grades. An A+ and an A are a 4.0, while an A- is a 3.7. A B+, B, and B- are 3.3, 3.0, and 2.7 respectively. This pattern continues with C's and D's all the down to F, which is a 0.0. I hope I never see that number while I'm there. In regards to regular point assignments, I have no idea how they will do it. Now, according to World Education Services, Japan's scale is that 80-100 equals an A, 70-79 equals a B, 60-69 equals a C, and 0-59 equals a F. As a student who gets mostly A's and a few B's, this 80-100 scale works wonderfully for me. But, does this mean that the work is harder? I have no idea, but I'm sure I'll find out!

From looking at the Kansai Gaidai website, I've found no support or tutoring. There may services available, but are not advertised on their website.

I'm lucky in that Kansai Gaidai's credits equal Maryville College credits. This makes transferring credits a breeze! I will need to be enrolled in a minimum of four classes (14 credits) with up to a maximum of six course (20 credits). This, plus the minimum 12 credits needed for Maryville College, will make me a full time student.

Enough about logistics though. What will I expect culturally?

See, that's the part I'm not sure with Kansai Gaidai. While I'll be at a Japanese school, many professors there are not Japanese. And since the Asian Studies Program caters towards Western students, will this mean that the classes will behave more Western than Japanese. That, I don't know.

In general, however, Japanese classes are different than American classes in that students don't talk. Questions are saved for after class. There's also a more formal relationship with Japanese professors than here in America. The causal conversations we have with our professors are a completely foreign concepts. I have no idea with this mind set will still exist with American professors that teach at Kansai Gaidai.

While I'm there, I will be expected to take Japanese course that will have three 90-minute periods with labs and homework. Kanji and Reading courses will meet two 90-minute periods a week. The other course will also be 90-minutes two times a week that may have field trips, research assignments, and etc.

All in all, I feel prepared to study abroad. Though there may be some unknowns here and there, but I'm sure through observation and professor dynamic, I'll know what to do.

Renee the American

The number one thing about adapting to a new culture is that I have to be aware that I am not in America. Things that may seem like they should be the same, may not be. And that's ok. Great actually. It keeps humans from being really boring. However, this brings a challenge when I'm going to live in Japan for about four months.

I recently found out through the Cultural-Context Inventory that I embody a low contact culture. This makes sense. America is on the medium low scale in term of cultures. This is a little bit of problem however. See, Japan is an extremely high contact culture. Like really high. It's usually the example for a high culture. This means that I'll have to be careful in what I expect from people around me. Japanese people are a collective culture where the group is more important than the individual. America does not do that. Instead, we focus on the individual, how can I succeed and such, instead of how can the group succeed. This will probably come to head when I make Japanese friends. I'll have to make sure to think more about their concerns and feeling than I would here. Not that I don't already, but I must be more proactive in my thinking than usual. This also might appear in school work. I'll mostly be working with internationals, but there's a chance that I might be in an elective or club that's mostly Japanese students. I prefer individual work, while they probably prefer working in a group. And they care about that group. This will probably be a positive. Instead of the usual "one person does the work for the entire group" mentality and tendency, Japanese students might actually work together and make sure everyone is on the same page and have the same share of the workload. This, of course, is only speculation. But I most be prepared for any and all sides of the the spectrum.

The High and Low Culture difference is not the only thing that will pose a challenge. See, Americans and Japanese tend to be different personality wise. I'm a very blunt person. It's very American. If you don't like something, tell me. Don't beat around the bush. That's not Japanese at all. They are the opposite. In fact, saying no is considered pretty rude. They instead prefer to say their equivalent to maybe. They also have a different sense of humor. I'm a very sarcastic person. My friends often joke about the fact that noooooo waaaaaaay am I sarcastic. My humor is a part of me. I won't stop being sarcastic simply because I'm aboard. Well, I'll probably decrease it, but not fully take it away. This is something I can showcase and educate people on while I'm there. They may not understand it or get why it's funny, but at least they'll know about it now.

This is one thing I am nervous about- culture shock. It's going to happen. In fact, I experienced it before. When I was originally going to Japan back in high school, my program made us go through some cultural websites before we went to orientation. The things that they covered were so drastically different that I panicked. It was honestly really scary. This time though, I'm prepared. I know culture shock is coming, I think I know how to keep myself from panicking. I have a journal that I write in from time to time. While I'm abroad, I'm going to write in it as often as I can. Having a space to pour out my feelings in my native language will really help. This method as helped me in other times, so I'm know it will work. I'm also going to be more open minded. Last time, I had an idea on what to expect. When my mind didn't fit reality, I couldn't handle it. This time, I have a general idea on what to expect through research, but I'm keeping my mind very open. This way, I don't have a true firm idea on everything. I'm exploring and learning something new everyday this way. It might be the same from American or it might not. Either way, by keeping an open mind, I can be prepared for almost anything.

In general, as I go aboard, I must keep an open mind and observe. The culture will show itself al lot more if I just observe. The number one thing I will observe is the interactions between people. Being collective and high culture, I imagine that their interactions will be drastically different (they may not be). I can learn a lot by doing this. Doing these things should help me adapt better to Japan. I also must be true to myself. I'm an American, first and forth most. I will never be Japanese. I physically can not be. I will forever be a foreigner to them, even if I become a citizen in the future. But that doesn't mean I can't learn, and they learn from me. Hopefully with all these things, I'll be ready to go abroad!

Feelings and Goals on my Trip to Japan

The time has come.

I'm only one semester away from studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.

To be honest, I'm kinda scared. Japan is a long ways away, 6,928 miles to be exact. I'll be halfway across the world from my family and friends. There's no Mom there to visit you if your sick or need free food. The language is no joke either. It's a complicated language that's no way Latin based. I can't guess like I can with French or Spanish. I've studied Japanese for two years at this point, but I'm nervous about speaking, especially to natives. Will they understand me? Can I really ask where the bathroom is located? In reality, they probably will be able to understand me, and I really can ask where the bathroom is located. It certainly helps that classes at Kansai Gaidai will be in English, but these fears are still present. After all, you never know what will happen until you get there.

But even with these fears, the feeling of excitement overwhelms it significantly. In a weird way, I'm actually excited to speak to Japanese people in Japanese, despite my fears. Living in a language surrounded by natives is the best way to learn that language. By being constantly surrounded by it, I'm hoping to improve my language skills. That's not all I'm excited about! I can't wait to immerse my self in culture. Japan's culture is so different, but yet so similar to the US. They have such a rich and deep history that the US, and even some parts of Europe, don't have. I want to explore it all.

So, what do I actually want to do while I'm in Japan? Or in other words, what are my goals?

Well, I mention a couple already. First, I want to expand my language skills. The best way to do that is to talk, talk, talk. Talk to as many people as I can. Write as often as I can in Japanese. Watch and listen to Japanese TV, movies, and music. Even though my classes will be in English, I can not use it as a crutch. If I do, I'll severely hinder my learning skills. It does help that I will be taking a Japanese langue course. Second, I want to explore and observe the Japanese culture. How do college students differ? How are they similar? Why are the differences there? I may not be able to fully get the answers, but at least I'll be a step closer since I'm physically there. I also have to realize that I'm only there for a semester. Not only that, my classes will begin before Japanese students and end before them. I won't be able to get a fully immersive experience, but it's one step closer than where I was before. And thirdly, I want to try some authentic ramen. I'm done with the 75 cent stuff. It doesn't even have to be ramen. I want to try real, authentic Japanese food.

Since I'll only be in Japan for a few months, I want to make sure I get the maximum experience possible. To do that, I'll make friends while I'm there. Both international and local friends can help me with my language skills and explore the area. I mean, it's going to be fun, so why not share with friends? Another way is to try as many things as I can and able to do. It might be new and different, but I should do these things while I can. For an example, go to a festival, or even to Tokyo. Even if I'm by myself, I should do those type of things. A finally way, though definitely not the last, is to do as well in my studies as I can. I'm there to learn. My classes focus on culture and sociological theories. As an International Studies with an Asian track major, studying Asian culture classes while in Japan is an opportunity that I don't want to miss. While I will have fun and plenty of adventures, I mustn't forget that I'm there to learn.

All in all, I'm fearfully excited about this trip. It'll be a range of emotions all at once, but I wouldn't want it any other way.