I’m a bit behind on posts, but that’s because I started school! I wanted to update you all on how school has been going so far, the new friends I have made, and all of the things that have been happening in the time I have been gone. This post will be a bit short, mostly because I haven’t done too much outside of school these past few weeks, but I still wanted to upload something for you all.

After a whole month of being in Japan, we finally started classes. Before that, though, we had a few things we had to do to get our language level and classes settled. Before we arrived, we had to take an online comprehension quiz to ascertain our Japanese level, as well as an in-person interview soon after we got to Japan. We then had an orientation where they instructed us on how to register, what classes were available for our level, and any other questions we may have had. 

Doshisha does class registration through a lottery system where you pick the classes you want to take, and they are randomly assigned. There were three rounds of registration: Nichibun priority (the language intensive classes), the G.E.M priority (non-language intensive), and general registration, where every student at the school registers. The general registration period is not by lottery, but none of the priority classes are available. 

I only got into one class in my early priority registration periods, as well as only one class in English. It was very confusing, and I was slightly annoyed that I got almost no classes that I had planned for, especially because I had none in English, but in hindsight it all ended up okay. I think it’s safe to say that, after experiencing the Doshisha registration system, I will never complain about DU’s again.

Anyhow, when registration ended, school started a short few days after. I had planned everything in advance the day before, including my outfit and alarm set, but I overslept! I had to jump out of bed and rush to get ready, hoping I would make it before the time my class started. Luckily, I made it to campus just in time, but in another unfortunate turn of events, I got lost. The building names are all in kanji–Chinese characters–so it was hard to find the building I needed to go to. By the time I found it, I was already running 5 minutes late. 

Despite the late start though, the rest of the day went pretty smoothly. We had class for about 2 hours, then we tried out the cafeteria food. The cafeteria system was a whole new beast I had to tackle. The line was incredibly long, I had no idea where my friends were, and I did not know the inner workings of how the cafeteria flowed. It was already drastically different from home, so I was slightly overwhelmed, but once you figure it out, it is relatively simple.

There is a new menu each day, but there are always three types of food: Japanese style curry & bowls, noodles, or a main dish (chicken katsu, etc.). You choose the line for the food you want and, depending on the line, either tell the workers which one you would like verbally or select a colored chit that indicates meal and size to the worker. For example, a medium sized curry would be a medium blue chit. You can then pick out sides you would like, then head towards the register. 

Unlike DU, you have to pay for each meal and they only accept cash. It has taken some adjusting to becoming accustomed to using cash again, but most places on campus do not accept cards, as well as many businesses. 

There is also a small lounge area on campus that sells pastries and coffees for a cheap price. I go there often in between my classes and have started to crave their strawberry melon pan (one of my favorite Japanese sweets) when I am home. They have lots of places to sit and study, but the weather has been so nice that I enjoy taking it outside to do my homework.  In addition to this longue, there is a shop right near campus where they serve free coffee and cheap cakes, which is much appreciated for a broke college student that loves coffee. Look how cute this strawberry milk tea cake was! 

In regard to class, it hasn’t been too difficult so far. We are only in a review period at the moment, but I am still learning so many new things and am enjoying my time in classes. All of my teachers are extremely nice and more than willing to help, which I am incredibly thankful for. I also have a class where there are Japanese students that volunteer to help us, and they have also been exceedingly welcoming to me and the other exchange students. I do not have any classes with my friends from home unfortunately, but my class became friendly with one another super quickly and there are girls from my dorm in some of my classes, so there is always a familiar face. 

I have been to a few club events and have even officially joined one!

 Around a week before school started, there was a huge club fair on campus that lasted about three days. Every club on campus tabled and recruited new members, handing out flyers and yelling out to me and my friends. I even pretended to row a boat with the rowing club, which caused a huge laugh between both of us (the guy even remembered us and repeatedly yelled hi anytime he saw us after that, which we thought was fun). 

There are two groups I have participated with that involve international students and Japanese students connecting with one another and exchanging in dialogue in both English and Japanese. 

One event was a 花見, or flower viewing, where we sat in a large park under the sakura trees and met one another. It was my first chance to really meet people that weren’t just other international students, so I was really excited. We all had so much in common and had some amazing conversations, even if there was a language barrier at times. 

There was another event from a different group that also involved intercultural communication. International and Japanese students alike met and made Nagasaki lanterns, as well as played different card games such as Uno and B.S. (both of which I lost drastically). Though, while I lost, I still had a great time and formed some fun connections. 

I also joined a choir on campus. I have done choir since high school, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw how many were on campus. I ended up joining the co-ed choir after doing exclusively women choir the past three years. I’ve only done two practices with them so far, but I have been having a wonderful time at said practices! I am the only international student there, so it is a bit difficult to communicate, but everyone has been so patient with me that it makes me want to work that much harder to become better at Japanese so that I am able to communicate with everyone I have met so far. 

All in all, my time so far has been incredibly monumental. I have made so many new friends and seen so many new things, and I can only hope for what the future holds. Not only have I met new American and Japanese friends, but I’ve met so many people from across the world that I never would have been able to meet had it not been for my being at Doshisha at this moment.

It is still an unfathomable truth that I am in Japan right now instead of in Denver, and yet here I am. I have been stepping out of my comfort zone so much recently that I feel myself slowly transforming into a new, more confident, version of myself. Like a caterpillar grows its wings to become a butterfly, I too am developing and breaking through the bubble I had made around myself, allowing the sun to shine through my cracks little by little.

I am so grateful to have this opportunity, and I am ready for whatever it throws at me. Whether it be positive or negative, I am ready. Come at me, Japan! 

P.S.: Sorry for the lack of updates on Instagram! As I mentioned, I haven’t done much recently, but as soon as I get back into it, updates will be posted regularly!