This week, I started classes, and it has been quite intimidating, but thankfully, everyone has been very friendly. With the help of previous Waseda students, I knew the best way to go about classes was to not take as many credits and just enjoy my time abroad and study independently. I have classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but it is only one to two class periods a day. This is helpful for me as well because I have rheumatoid arthritis, which makes it difficult to sit in classrooms for long periods. I was able to receive accommodations, which is great because my teachers understand my health condition.
So far, my classes have been a little intimidating since my teachers only speak in Japanese. I can understand most of what they say, but there are definitely moments where I feel like I’m not quite on the same level as some of the other students. That said, I did get placed into Level 2, and these classes were specifically recommended for me, so I try to keep that in mind when I start doubting myself.
I’ve already met some really cool students, and I have to say, Waseda is huge. Compared to the University of Denver, it feels massive. There are people everywhere. I actually looked it up and found out that Waseda has around 40,000 students, which is wild! That’s about four times the size of DU! Even just in my department, there are between 5,000 to 7,000 students, which is still a ton.
Walking around campus during peak hours, like around noon, is such a unique experience. There are so many people in stylish outfits, hanging out with their friend groups – it’s really fun to just observe the vibe. I grabbed lunch at the campus cafeteria today, and it was so cool to be eating in a dining hall at a university like this. Honestly, I just feel really lucky to be here, taking these classes and soaking it all in.
I also haven’t been feeling good, whether it is a cold or allergies, so I haven’t been doing much in my free time besides trying to recover. Although I have been thrifting. The thrift scene is soooo good here. I went to a flea market and it was super fun. Here are some photos from that:
Other than that, I haven’t had much going on. I’m just getting familiar with my classes. This weekend, I want to explore more and maybe try some karaoke!
This past week in Japan has been insightful and a little stressful. First, I went to the local municipal office to register my address. Then, I registered for classes at Waseda. Finally, I went back to Waseda and received my welcome gift and my Waseda ID card. I found these situations quite stressful since I felt lost.
The first thing that was a priority for me was going to the local municipal office to register my address and sign up for Nationwide Health Insurance in Japan. This is something that you must do before anything else. I heard that it was going to be a hassle and a long process. I was told that I could walk into any municipal city office, fill out a form, and they’d help me from there. Simple enough, or so I thought.
When I arrived, I quickly realized I was on my own. I didn’t fully understand the signs, and with my Japanese still being a work in progress, I felt overwhelmed. It took some time just to figure out which form I needed and what the process actually was. Eventually, I learned that after filling out the form, I needed to grab a ticket and wait for my number to be called.
I did just that—but unfortunately, I had filled out the wrong form. That meant starting over from scratch. Thankfully, a staff member kindly handed me the correct form, and I got to work again. After completing it, I grabbed another ticket for what I thought was the correct counter and waited.
When my number was finally called, the worker looked at me with a confused expression. I had taken a ticket for the wrong station. Once again, I had to start over. At that point, I felt defeated. Failing twice made me feel foolish and I honestly just wanted to go home. But I reminded myself that I could figure it out; I just had to keep trying.
I went through the steps again. This time, I got everything right. The staff helped me submit the correct forms and they began processing the registration of my address onto my residence card. It involved even more waiting, and in total, I was there for about two and a half hours. I didn’t mind too much, though; everyone else seemed to be waiting a while too, so it felt like a normal part of the process.
My only real delay was due to my earlier mistakes. Finally, I received my updated residence card and was told I could go. Looking back, it was a stressful experience, but not as bad as it felt in the moment. I learned a lot, and I’m proud of myself for sticking with it.
The next stressful part of this whole journey was class registration. There were so many videos I had to watch and actually understand just to figure out how to register for the right classes. After going through all of them and doing some research on what courses I wanted to take, I finally had a game plan.
Back at DU, registration is super competitive; once your time slot opens, it’s a race to grab your classes, first come, first serve. So, even though Waseda clearly said that registration wasn’t on a first come, first serve basis, I was still really anxious about it. Just out of habit (and panic), I woke up right at 9:00am and registered the moment it opened.
Of course, right after that, I remembered that registration would stay open for two full days, and there was no rush. That realization hit me hard. Instead of knowing right away, I had to wait the full two days to find out if I actually got into the classes I wanted. Thankfully, when the results came in, I did!
After that, I needed to go get my Waseda ID card. I accidentally missed the first day of picking up the ID card, so I went on another day that was available and got it. It was quite easy despite my distress. I was overprepared, which was not a bad thing. I was in and out of the building in 5 minutes.
These struggles kept me on my toes but ended up being an easy process (for the most part). After that, I was able to do some more exploring around the city of Tokyo, so I took the time to do just that and study my Japanese while I was exploring. Despite being by myself, I have had so much fun going to these exciting places and taking pictures. Although it can definitely be a little awkward when asking strangers to take my photo.
I went to a pretty well-known car dealership because I love cars. It was super fun and exciting for me.
Finally, for my biggest journey yet, I went to the beach! This was two hours away by train from my place, so I woke up early and started my day. While on the train, I listened to music and practiced my Japanese. Then, I toured around the beach towns and met a really cool older gentleman from Michigan who also studied Japanese and psychology in college. We ended up eating our late lunches together and chatted for 2 hours. I was able to learn so much about his life in Japan, as he had lived in Zushi for 20 years and had so much knowledge to offer. It was a great time.
I feel so lucky to be here and genuinely grateful for the amazing people I’ve had the chance to meet. Everyone’s been so supportive. They often applaud me for doing this on my own, which I really appreciate. Hearing their stories and experiences has been incredibly interesting and eye-opening. I’ve learned so much just from our conversations.
That’s all I’ve got for now; thanks for reading, and see you next time!
DU Abroad 