Nyssa Vilchis
UMBC Exchange: Nanzan University
Major: Political Science
Minor: Spanish Language and Culture
Pre-Departure
Hello everyone!!
My name is Nyssa Vilchis and I am a junior at UMBC, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Spanish. This fall semester I am studying abroad at Nanzan University in Nagoya,Japan!!! It’s absolutely wild to think that in a couple days, I will be a student in Japan.
Studying abroad has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I have always been interested in the Japanese language and culture, so when I found out UMBC had an exchange program with Nanzan, it seemed like fate. Nanzan’s program aims to specifically strengthen Japanese language skills and create a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, which clearly aligns with my interests. Having the opportunity to completely immerse myself into such a unique culture is absolutely amazing, and the more I researched, the more excited I became.
Right now, I am definitely feeling a mix of emotions: excitement, anxiousness, and a light sprinkle of panic. While it’s not my first time traveling internationally, it is my first time studying abroad, being away from my family, and being in a country where I don’t know the language. No matter how you spin it, that’s nerve-wracking. And yet, that’s also part of the adventure. Life can be nerve-wracking, but it’s all about taking leaps of faith. If you always live in fear, you’ll never know just how much you can accomplish.
Something that has been really helpful in easing the nerves is preparation. I definitely recommend creating checklists of things you need to get done. That way, nothing falls through the cracks (not that I would know anything about that…). I have also been talking with Madison, another UMBC student who studied at Nanzan last semester. She has given me so much helpful information about Japan and day to day life at Nanzan. Definitely check out her blog if you’re interested in learning more!
This summer, I spent most of my time working, researching Nagoya, studying Hiragana and Katakana (two of Japan’s writing systems), and spending time with my family and friends. I didn’t realize just how much I would miss them until now. It’s a little bittersweet, but they have all been so supportive and excited for me!
Now, as my flight date gets closer, I find myself dealing with the age old question: what on earth do I pack? It’s been…interesting trying to decipher what I really need vs what’s just me overplanning. You have to take into account a lot of things, like weather, luggage space, availability of products, etc. It can definitely feel a little overwhelming at times, which is why my new motto is: I’ll just buy it once I’m there. (Except for my curly hair products. I don’t even buy those in the US, so they will definitely be joining me).
Finally, my goals for this study abroad experience are to absorb as much of the culture as I can, improve my Japanese, push (or shove) myself out of my comfort zone, and make new friends along the way. I only have a couple months and time goes by fast, so I have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I know I won’t understand everything or feel comfortable right away, but that’s the whole point. Remember, unfamiliarity is the beginning of growth!
Alrighty that wraps up my first blog post! Thanks for reading and I can’t wait to bring you along on all my adventures this semester! Next time you hear from me, I will be all settled in at Nanzan!
In-Country Post One
Hello everyone!
I have now been in Japan for over a week and it’s been absolutely amazing. I spent my very first night in Tokyo, then took the Shinkansen to Nagoya the next morning, so I was pretty jet-lagged the whole time. I was a little worried about having to navigate the city and stations, but Google Maps has been very helpful and many of the signs have English translations.
I am currently staying at the Janssen International dormitory, which combines students from the Center for Japanese Studies program (my program) with Nanzan University students. We are only a 5 minute walk from the main campus, which is a major bonus. Nanzan has a beautiful campus, but be warned: it is very hilly. In this humid climate, it’s definitely a struggle. I chose to stay in the dorms because I wanted to get the famous dorm experience. Everyone gets a single room but we share the kitchen space, showers, and bathrooms. I’m a commuter student back at UMBC, so this has definitely been an interesting change for me. I am not used to sharing so many spaces with this many people, but I like getting to know my amazing kitchen-mates! Being in the dorms has also made it easier to make friends, especially with the Japanese students that will be starting classes soon.
About 2 days after my arrival, I took the placement test and started orientation week. I was placed into Fundamental Japanese 1, which I expected and am very happy with. Orientation week consisted of getting to know the procedures at Nanzan, going over rules and safety plans, registering for classes, and visiting the Immigration Bureau to get official documents. It started to feel a little tedious, but enabled me to meet so many new people, like the other UMBC students currently studying abroad here too! At the end of orientation week, we had our entrance ceremony, which happened right after a thunderstorm where my friends and I got rained on. Pro tip: always carry an umbrella, especially one that has UV and heat protection!
After orientation, we had a long weekend because of Respect for the Aged day happening on Monday the 15th, so I traveled to Tokyo to spend time with my parents, who are also vacationing in Japan. While in Tokyo, we stumbled on 2 different festivals. One in Odaiba, celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day, which is on September 16th. My family and I are from Mexico, so we loved seeing such a beautiful celebration of our culture. They had many street vendors selling traditional Mexican food, like tacos, quesadillas, and mangonadas. They even had a vendor from the same city as my mom selling her family’s recipe of salsa. They also had singing and ballet folklorico performances. Fun fact, I used to do ballet folklorico as a kid, so this brought back happy memories. The second festival, happening rightoutside Tokyo Station, was the Japanese Festival Omatsuri. The festival showcased traditional dances and cultural practices from the Edo period. I watched the Awa Odori dance, which is actually the traditional dance of Tokushima.
Additionally, the festival was purposely made to coincide with the World Athletics Championships and Deaflympics, something I wonderfully found out when trying to make it on time to my Shinkansen back to Nagoya, only to find most of the roads leading to Tokyo Station blocked off. Pro-tip 2: Do your research before leaving. And maybe leave an hour earlier than you think. You never know when there’s a championship in town.
Finally, I officially started classes this week which was a little nerve-wracking. My Japanese class consisted of reviewing Hiragana and Katakana, with an emphasis on spelling. I already have a writing test next week… My other classes, which are later in the week, include Japanese Foreign Policy, Japanese Culture, and Japanese Society. One thing I have noticed is classes lean more towards using physical pen and paper, so I am gonna need to go out and buy some notebooks!
Well, that’s a wrap on this week’s blog post! Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see you all next time!
In-Country Post Two
Hello Everyone!
Welcome back to another blog post! It’s almost been one month since I arrived in Japan! Time goes by so fast! This past week or so has been super busy, so let’s break it down.
First up, academics. My classes have officially started and been finalized! I don’t think I mentioned this last time, but course registration here is a little different from UMBC. The entire registration process happens on paper, not online. Interestingly, if too many people sign up for the same class, it triggers a lottery system where students get randomly selected for a spot. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t get into the classes I wanted, but luckily, only one of my classes triggered the lottery and I actually won a spot! General courses are about 2 hours and 35 minutes long, while my language class is about 1 hour and 40 minutes. That’s longer than my classes at UMBC, so it took some time to get used to. I definitely have to make sure I eat well before my classes. My classes are structured similarly to some UMBC classes, where you are doing readings and work at home to prepare for in-class discussions and assignments. So far, I’ve had to read multiple articles and chapters, but I am having so much fun with them! Something very curious I noted during my classes was the lack of water fountains in school buildings. Back at UMBC, they’re everywhere, but here at Nanzan, they are less common. I actually have to leave my building and go into a different one to fill up my water bottle. Pro-tip 3: Get a bigger water bottle.
Next up, daily life. I have gotten better at establishing a routine to get me through my day in a more organized fashion. Setting alarms and writing things down in my Notion calendar has helped me keep track of my assignments and events. Another important detail, Japan continues to be very cash oriented. I actually bought a separate coin purse because I was accumulating so many coins from paying with cash. I often use cash at the convenience store, grocery store, or when I’m buying something quick. Funny story, I tried paying with cash at a pharmacy self-checkout because I thought it would be fast, but ended up struggling so much. For some reason, the machine wouldn’t accept my bills. I had already used similar machines before without issue, so I was really confused with what was happening. An older woman came by to help me and as I started explaining in my broken Japanese what was happening, the machine suddenly decided to start working. I almost crashed out right then and there. She must have thought I was so silly. You’re definitely going to find yourself in some embarrassing situations, but it’s important to not dwell on them too much. In the end, you have no choice but to go on living and learning from your mistakes. Pro-tip 4: Embrace the embarrassment and learn from it.
Finally, my dilly-dallying adventures. Since school is back on, I haven’t been exploring much during the week. On the weekends though, my friends and I try to explore as much of Nagoya as we can. I went to watch the new Demon Slayer movie in theaters with some of my Japanese friends and it was absolutely beautiful. I even got a little booklet with artwork and frames from the movie! The whole thing was in Japanese, but I was surprised by how much I understood, whether it be from the language or general context. I’ve come to notice that even if you do not know exactly what the words mean, the context can help you decipher what’s going on.
That has definitely been helping me when I talk with my kitchen mates! Later on, my floormates and I explored a Night Market, Oasis 21, arcades, and karaoke! We even joined some Nanzan students on a tour throughout Sakae to explore the scenery and architecture. I have also started adding to my Sanrio collection (someone needs to hold me back right now).
It’s been a great couple of weeks in Japan and I have some exciting events coming up, so I hope you’ll keep following along!
In-Country Post Three
Hello Everyone!
Welcome back to my blog!
If you’re reading this, it probably means you’re marginally interested in what’s been happening on this side of the planet. Lucky you-it’s been a pretty eventful two weeks!
As always, up first is academics cause I am, you know… a student. Classes have definitely settled down now and are moving pretty fast. In my Japanese class, we learn different verb forms and conjugations almost every day, and each week we have about 3 quizzes. There are also speech presentations and quite a bit of homework. Midterms are coming up, which is a little daunting, but most of mine seem to be presentations or essays. The way grades are structured in this program is similar to what you have at UMBC, where you get graded on attendance, participation, and homework (depending on the class). The bulk of the grade comes from Midterm projects and finals. The class I have been enjoying the most right now is my Japanese Society class because it’s allowed me to interview Japanese students to get a better understanding of Japanese culture and norms!
Daily life is going to be pretty brief so we can get on to the good stuff. Dorm life has been very smooth and I have been having a great time getting to know all my kitchen-mates. We often eat our lunch together and plan outings on the weekends. I have also been getting to know more of the Japanese students in my different classes! We often go to Stella, a multicultural center on campus, to eat lunch and chat. I have learned so much about them and their experiences as students and citizens! It’s been really cool to compare our cultures and see where they overlap and where they differ. Sometimes it can feel like you have to constantly be going out or doing something grand to cultivate friendships. The reality is, friendship is doing nothing special and enjoying it. What really matters is the person you choose to do nothing with! (Can you tell I really love my friends <3)
Pro Tip #5: When getting to know people, you don’t have to do something big. Being genuine and making the effort to learn other’s perspectives and cultures goes a long way!
Now, what you’ve been waiting for since you started reading this post- my dilly-dallying adventures! This weekend I went to 2 different festivals. First, on Saturday I went to Kakegawa in Shizuoka with AJ (a fellow retriever) and Ayame to visit her hometown, meet her family, and check out the Kakegawa Matsuri! The festival consisted of food carts lined up the street, yatai floats, and lion dance. Yatai are two-wheeled floats largely made of wood that represent different wards of the city. Each cart gets pulled by members of said wards and house musicians that play unique beats. When two floats meet they have a little competition to see who gets to pass by first. Aside from the festival, we also went to Kakegawa castle (scary steep stairs) and participated in a tea ceremony!
Then, on Sunday, I went to the Asuke festival with classmates from my Japanese Society class. The festival celebrates male virility and consists of pulling large, intricate floats through a shrine as male dancers perform on top. There are also brigades made up of men from outside Asuke that carry and shoot civil war era rifles! They are surprisingly loud! We saw the cart performances, then walked through the village to visit the Kojakuji temple. It was absolutely beautiful and we got to pick out omikuji (fortune paper strips found in shrines and temples). Mine said I would find prosperity and luck in the future! From there, we hiked 30 minutes to visit the Asuke castle on the top of the hill. Worst hike of my life: all incline with no breaks. But that view was stunning and made it all worth it.
Pro Tip #6: Bring good, comfortable walking shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking and hiking! Good shoes make or break your experience.
That’s it for this blog post. I hope you’re enjoying reading this as much as I’m enjoying living it! See you in 2 weeks!
In-Country Post Four
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to my blog! I know UMBC will have probably finished up midterms by the time this is posted, so I hope that went well! My midterms are happening throughout the last week of October so wish me some luck please! Today’s blog post is going to be a little shorter than usual because I have been so busy (sorry your girl likes saying yes to most opportunities).
With my schoolwork, it’s still been going pretty well, but most of my classes are gearing up for midterms or exams next week. That means lots of study sessions, homework, and burnout. I have definitely been feeling burnout this last week or so. Specifically, I have been feeling really unmotivated about learning Japanese, which sucks because it’s been so interesting and amazing thus far. I think it largely has to do with how emotionally draining it is to constantly be reading people and their emotions because I can’t rely on the language as much. My brain has started to form a connection between Japanese and that emotional drain, which is not good. To get out of this little rut I’m in, I am reminding myself to take things at my own pace and take some time to decompress by myself. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery, away from people, and going for a walk helps me find some balance.
Pro-Tip #7: Take some time for yourself. Life’s moving so fast, and with all the different activities and work you do, it’s so easy to forget to take care of yourself.
This next point is technically a mix of daily life and academics, but we’re just going to pretend it’s mostly daily life (bear with me people). I am currently one of 2 student leaders helping my Japanese Society professor plan a field trip to a Kominka Convention in November. MinkaCon is a convention that aims to raise awareness about Kominka’s, old-Japanese styled homes, and the traditional craftsmanship behind it. Our class will be going as volunteers, helping out with meals, tours, food, and more! We will also be visiting a nearby shrine, going to an Onsen, and doing some hikes! It has been absolutely amazing to be a part of the planning process and I am so grateful to my professor Robert Croker, co-leader Santiago, and Andrea Carlson from Minka society for their hard work! I will definitely be sharing more details about that after the trip, but that has been a big focus of mine recently!
This week’s dilly-dallying adventures were Peanuts Cafe, Nagoya Matsuri and Studio Ghibli Park. UMBC’s very own Dani and Meilin invited me to join them and AJ (we’ve met him before, he’s a retriever too) at Nagoya’s Peanuts Cafe! It was so cute and cozy! I ended up getting the kid’s meal, which was a small burger, some fries, orange juice, and corn. But the best part was the adorable Snoopy platter it came on. The not-so best part was having the kitchen staff come up to the table, lock eyes with me, and confirm that a grown adult wanted a kid’s meal… (it was so worth it). After our lovely meal, we got some delicious Snoopy ice cream sandwiches.
Nagoya Matsuri is Nagoya’s celebration of its history and culture, while honoring the heroes and traditions of Japan. There are parades honoring the three major unifiers of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as floats from major corporations and organizations in the city! They even brought out Nana-Chan, a 20 feet tall mannequin stationed in front of the Meitetsu Department Store. She was originally meant to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Seven building, but has since become an iconic pop culture symbol of Nagoya. She usually changes outfits every week and is often brought out on floats during major celebrations. My friends and I (don’t worry, AJ and Dani were there. Us Retrievers have to stick together!) caught the later end of the parade, then explored Hisaya Odori Park, which had various booths selling foods, gifts, and more! They even had live musical performances!
Finally, October 25, I went to Studio Ghibli park with a club from Nanzan, PE-Project. They’re a club on campus that aims to create opportunities for international students at Nanzan to interact with junior high school students to practice English and Japanese. I joined the field trip as a way to continue practicing my Japanese and to explore the Valley of Witches area inspired by my favorite Ghibli movie, Kiki’s Delivery Service! Our group consisted of 3 Nanzan students, 2 junior high students, and 3 CJS students. We explored different areas of the park and got to see so many iconic characters and sceneries brought to life. They had so many great, detailed picture spots, with characters from different movies. We even got to watch a Miyazaki short-film, Koro’s Big Day Out, which is only played at the park (I definitely didn’t cry…)! I loved getting to know all of my group members and I am so excited to see what other events PE-Project has in store! (I would like to thank my group for always being ready to translate things for me when I didn’t understand!)
Well, that’s a wrap on this week’s blog post! I can’t believe you all have to wait another 2 weeks to read my next post. Who knows though, maybe you’ll be hearing from me sooner than you think…
In-Country Post Five
Hello Everyone!!
Welcome back to another blog post! Fresh out of midterms, we had a quick fall break, where me and Dani took the opportunity to travel to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka (but you already knew that cause you were following us during my takeover, right?). The following week we went right back into class, prepping for our final assignments. I also went to MinkaCon!
As you know, I had midterms right before my fall break. One of them was a group presentation for my Pop culture, where I described the name event, which marks the shift from hedataru to najimu, in the anime Medalist (which actually takes place in Nagoya). I also had an essay in Foreign Policy that focused on the Yoshida Doctrine and Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
I don’t think I mentioned this earlier but Nanzan offers two programs: Intensive Japanese and Modern Japanese (MJP). Intensive Japanese focuses on building language skills, while Modern Japanese focuses on exploring cultural and social issues. I’m in MJP, so I have to take Exploring Japan, a class that focuses on exploring broader social issues in Japan. Our midterm doubled as our final and consisted of creating a research project on a social issue and interviewing Nanzan students across the span of 2 weeks. My group researched working married women in Japan and their role in the workforce. It was definitely nerve-wracking to present our project to the class and professors, but the process of speaking to students and creating this project was absolutely eye-opening. It really allowed me to dive deeper into Nanzan students’ opinions about different factors that affect their lives!
Now, my fall break was absolutely fantastic! Me and Dani spent the week before the break creating a rough schedule of where we would go during the break. On our first day, we went to Osaka and it was pouring! Thankfully, we planned to visit the Osaka aquarium, meaning we got to stay inside. We saw so many different species of aquatic animals and the whale sharks were so captivating. The next day we visited Osaka castle, Tenmangu shrine, and the most delicious okonomiyaki place ever! On our third day, we made a quick pit stop at Harukas 300 Observation deck to get a panoramic view of Osaka.
Afterwards we made a quick day trip to Nara. While we were there we visited Nara’s deer park, some zen gardens, and Todai-ji Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall). I was a little wary of the deer after seeing some people get bit by them, but they turned out to be incredibly sweet. They’ll bow at everyone but are definitely expecting a cracker and a good pat. Seeing the Great Buddha was the highlight of this trip. I had been hoping to visit this temple for years. I also got the chance to squeeze through the hole in the Giant pillar, which is said to be the same size as Buddha’s nostril. If you can get through, you will receive good luck and prosperity. Guess who made it through!
That same day we made the trip to our final destination, Kyoto. All the places we visited had tourists, but I had never seen so many tourists in one city. When we visited Arashiyama river, there were so many tourists you hardly had space to move. Walking through the Bamboo Forest felt more like an intense round of Maze runner: all you see is tourists in the way and bamboo everywhere. We escaped the crowds by wandering into a beautiful zen garden off the beaten path. Interestingly, people here also spoke a lot more English than Dani and I are used to, which also means we didn’t use as much Japanese. When we visited the Nintendo store, Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, and another observation tower, there were less people, which made the experience less stressful. All in all, our little weekend getaway was so much fun but I definitely have some tips.
Pro-Tip #8: If you want to go to popular spots in Kyoto, go very early or very late to avoid crowds.
Pro-Tip #9: Carry cash with you at all times. You never know when a shop or restaurant will be cash-only.
Pro-Tip #10: If possible, reserve tickets or spots ahead of time so you don’t have to line up for their day off and always be on the lookout for bundles (they’re usually cheaper).
Unfortunately, it’s not a study abroad experience if you don’t get sick ( thanks a lot Dani). Given that it happened only a couple days before Minkcon and Covid is on the rise in Japan, I went to the clinic for a check-up. It was actually a pretty straightforward process and the clinic near my school spoke some English, putting me at ease. It was also very cheap thanks to the Japanese National Health Insurance plan you have to be on as a resident. I did a double take at the total cost (I was expecting a lot more zero’s). Thankfully, it wasn’t covid but a small cold and the meds worked pretty well, so I was feeling ready for MinkaCon!
For MinkaCon, we went up to Aichi Prefectural Citizens Forest Park as volunteers. Our daily activities consisted of helping out during breakfast, dinner, setting up rooms, selling food, and more. As one of the student leaders, I was in charge of making sure volunteers knew their roles, coordinating with our professor, and keeping track of everyone (I am happy to report no one was left behind). During our free times we got the opportunity to sit in on some of the panel discussions that focused on raising awareness about minka’s and different restoration projects people have done! We also hiked up to Mount Horaiji to visit the Horaiji Temple and it was stunning. I definitely recommend more people get into the woods in autumn because the fall foliage is breathtaking (just like those stairs up the mountain).
That’s it for this post! I hope to see you all in my next post!