Paige Isele
UMBC Exchange: Nanzan University
Major: Modern Languages & Linguistics (Japanese)
Minor: Print Media
Jump To: Pre-Departure Post
Pre-Departure Post
初めまして！
Hello UMBC, my name is Paige Isele and my life will be completely uprooted in two days! I’ll be in an airport alone for the first time, I’ll be flying alone for the first time, and I’ll be in a new country (alone!) for the first time. I’m currently in this strange limbo where I feel like I should be more nervous than I actually am, BUT I also feel like I should be grateful that I’m not super nervous. For my fellow chronic overthinkers, I’m starting to theorize that overthinking long before your trip happens can help ease the nervousness that one may get in the week actually leading up to it.
To properly introduce myself, I’m a third-year Japanese major working toward a minor in Print Media. I have been interested in visiting Japan for over a decade now, so this is a dream come true! While my home base will be at Nanzan University in Nagoya, I’m hoping to travel to surrounding cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, and of course the greater area of Tokyo. As a third-year, I’m aiming to get into Nanzan’s equivalent of JPNS 301. A placement test will be held, so I’ve been really ramping up my reviewing these last few weeks. If everything goes well, my next post should be celebrating placing into the correct class…!
In the weeks leading up to my departure, I’ve been desperately trying to learn everything I can about daily life in Japan. Religiously checking Google Maps for train routes and shops near my campus, planning possible weekend trips, learning about IC cards, reading and re-reading documents provided by my abroad university, checking my flight itinerary over and over… you name it, I’ve probably done it! Since I’ve spent so much time meticulously checking things over and over, I feel like I’ve paved over most of my initial worries and only left room for excitement.
As I watch the days tick down, I have been mulling over my overall goals for this trip. My number one giant, bold-lettered goal is to push myself and get out of my comfort zone. Committing to this trip and this blog was already step one of that goal, so I’m making good progress! I’m someone who feels like I’m regularly held back by nerves, so I want to get over that feeling and say “yes” to things I’d typically be too scared to do. I want to put myself out there and get involved at Nanzan and hopefully make long-lasting friends. In a few months, future me will be able to let you know if I accomplished these goals!
As of writing this, I just finished packing most of my belongings (by the way, my poor kitty was sleeping in my luggage for nine hours straight. I think he knows I’m leaving… :’)). It was difficult figuring out what to bring, but if you do your research, things should be alright! For example, I’m making sure to bring a lot of deodorant, as Japan does not typically sell what we’re used to in the US. I’m also packing my hair products, as curly/wavy hair products will be rare to come across. I unfortunately have to leave my hair dryer behind due to the voltage difference, which means no diffuser. Hopefully I can get my hands on one once I get to Japan (if push comes to shove, Amazon exists). If you don’t have straight hair, it’s definitely worth looking into if you’ll be able to access your normal products in Japan. At this point, I think I’ve researched and packed as much as I possibly can, so there’s nothing left to do but go!
Wish me luck with the thirteen hour time difference! よろしくお願いします～