Day 13

Today was our big exam. I opted to take it later in the day, giving me some time to study and relax. This means that I missed out on the trip to Hiroshima. While this was not an easy decision to make, I wound up taking the exam later not really for the additional studying time but because I know my own boundaries, and I feared that a trip to Hiroshima, which is a two hour train ride away, would have just been too much.

Now that the exam is done and my last blog entry is currently being written, the studying portion of "study abroad" is over. Along those same lines, the abroad part will end tomorrow, when I fly to Tokyo and from Tokyo to Detroit. I will arrive in Detroit at roughly the same time that I departed from Tokyo due to the time difference, meaning I will technically be time traveling! Once I am back in Detroit, the abroad portion will end as well.


So I thought that I would use this last blog to reflect on my experience abroad. I would like to begin by saying that I would encourage anyone to go on a study abroad, or to travel in general. No matter where you live, I guarantee you that the world is much bigger, and exploring it is one of life's greatest joys. I may never return to Japan, and I have tried to make the most out of every opportunity and not waste a second here.

My next reflection has to do with the country of Japan itself. I have been abroad before in some European countries, and Japan is different in several aspects. There are the more humorous aspects that I have already pointed out, like the fact that I have hit my head on all kinds of low hanging objects, including doors, pipes, and the top of the shower. But in all seriousness, I would dare to say that the people in Japan are much more friendly than those I encountered in Europe. While the language barrier was a inhibiting factor, they always seemed eager and willing to help. Several times when we were trying to navigate around Tokyo, a friendly Japanese person who spoke English would help us out without even being asked.

The people in Japan also seem to be very humble. They still bow as a greeting, and while there is a Japanese word for "you're welcome," they never use it. Instead, after you thank them, they respond by thanking and bowing to you. They are undoubtedly a more polite society than America.

My perspective has also been changed by visiting Japan. In the future, I will be more conscious of other people's language barriers in America. When I went to Europe, so many people spoke English and I knew enough Spanish that language barriers were not an issue. Here in Japan, they definitely have been. At times it was comical, like when we sat in a taxi for 5 minutes and went back and forth with the driver, who it turns out was actually just telling us we could leave. Other times it was very frustrating to not be able to order off of a restaurant menu or communicate anything that I wanted to.

(Sometimes language barriers are comical)

I have also learned the value of practical experience. While I could have learned the same material by sitting in a classroom for a semester, and I might even know a few more terms or definitions, nothing can replace practical experience. Being exposed to the processes and actually touring a plant makes the content in the books come to life, and in my opinion is a much better way to learn than by simply reading. The knowledge I have learned in Japan will continue to serve me both in college and throughout my career, and it was an experience I would recommend to anyone else.

And now it is time to say "sayonara" to Japan. The trip has been a whirlwind, and it will take time to digest everything that I have seen and done, which I am sure will not be helped by the jet lag on the return trip. It has been a great trip, and hopefully some day I can return here to the Land of the Rising Sun.