Journals from Abroad – Page 3 – Linfield students studying around the world

December 5, 2023December 5, 2023

Midpoint Check In

If you came here for a post full of pictures of the amazing places I’ve travelled to, you’ll be disappointed (not entirely, I’ve still been to one or two other places). But, for the most part, this post will be a more reflective style blog that focuses on my feelings toward this time and what I have learned so far seeing as I’m about halfway done with my time here.

But first, for those of you that enjoy hearing about the places I’ve been and the things I’ve been doing, let me fill you in on all of that.

On Sunday, 26th of November, I had the opportunity to go up to Leeds to help with an event at a gymnastics club. It was a fantastic experience and it was so fun to watch the pure joy as young kids tried gymnastics for the first time. It was an early wake up time for me at 3:15AM but it was very much worth it.

Entrance to Nile Wilson Gymnastics Leeds

I also was able to do another online speech and debate tournament with linfield. It was another couple of late nights holed up in an academic building until 4:00AM but I had a great time debating with Ally, my debate partner, and competing in prose interpretation and program oral interpretation. Ally and I placed 2nd twice, 3rd once, and 4th once. We didn’t make it to finals but considering it was only our second time debating together, we performed very well and our speeches were solid. The speech side was also very fun and I ended up placing 2nd in prose interpretation! This tournament was a bit harder to wake up from and really messed up my sleep schedule but hopefully I can get it back on track soon.

Clara, fully smiling with hair down, red lipstick, and a white turtleneck top is holding a small black binder in front of her. Behind her, you can see the same lecture theater seats — Speech night

Now for some reflection.

As I said before, I’m halfway through this journey and have come to realize a few things about what this study abroad is for me. The first is that this is almost an alternate universe in a way. I get to see what my university life would have been like if I had chosen to go to a big university instead of Linfield, or if I had chosen to go to a university outside of the country instead of Linfield, and I get to see all of that for 4 months and then I get to go back to the life I chose. I can’t imagine my life without all the people I’ve met at Linfield, but this time abroad really makes me think about the fact that if I had chosen a different path than what I did, I wouldn’t have met all of the people I met when I chose to go to Linfield.

I also have reflected on the idea of homesickness while abroad and if I’ve felt it at all. And I can honestly say I haven’t felt nearly as homesick as I expected to feel at all. The first couple of weeks here I definitely felt out of my element and missed the security of the cities in Oregon that I’ve come to feel comfortable in, and every now and again when I think about someone that I miss from home or I text someone that I miss from home it will make me wish that I was back there to talk to them in person. But overall, I’ve embraced this time as a time to really understand the culture of the people I am living with and appreciate the differences I’ve noticed.

A lot of those differences have to do with a focus on community. People here place a much higher value on connection and spending time with each other: whether it’s going out to bars, grabbing a coffee, going home to spend time with family, or even just asking to hang out in each other’s rooms/houses. That’s in fairly stark contrast to the US where we place a higher value on things like work and productivity. There is still a focus on that here, but taking time to relax and spend time with people you care about, is of equal importance here and that is something I’ve really enjoyed.

Another difference that’s definitely been at the forefront of my mind is the academic schedule. The US has a very participatory approach to education where your attendance is marked and you have assignments/tests throughout the semester to monitor your retention and understanding of the material you are learning. Here, your attendance is checked, but it doesn’t count towards your overall grade, and your grade is based on (at least for all my classes) one essay that is turned in at the end of the semester. Needless to say the next couple of weeks for me will be filled with a lot of research and writing.

Overall, as I reach and pass the halfway point, I’m in a kind of weird state where I feel like I simultaneously have a lot of time left, and also feel like I should be almost done and ready to head home. I do miss seeing all of my friends and family and I miss some of the US culture that I love, but I’ve also really enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and exploring more of the world than I ever thought I would in a span of 4 months.

Over the next two months I hope to finish out the semester well with my essays being good quality work that I can feel proud of. I also want to get as much time in with the new friends I’ve made as possible because I don’t know when I’ll be able to see them again. Through things like societies and classes, plus just sheer coincidence, I’ve come to form bonds with quite a few people here and it’s weird to think that in two months, I’ll be on the other side of the world from them.

I’ll never take for granted how much I’ve been able to do and see throughout this trip, and I will make sure I get as much out of the next two months as I possibly can.

Well, that’s it for my philosophical ramblings and sentimental reflections. See you back here in a couple weeks for my end of school semester thoughts and maybe some more travel stories.

Cheers!
-Clara

November 20, 2023

More Of The Same

You thought I was done with the trips at the end of the last blog? Well, you must really not know me then because I go above and beyond for everything 🙂

So, where did we last leave off? Oh, yes, we were on the train to Florence. Well guess what, we made it to Florence!

We arrived at the train station around 8am and stashed our luggage in a storage locker, and then set out to find some breakfast. We settled on Starbucks, because it was close to the walking tour where we had to be at 10, and let me tell you I have never seen a fancier Starbucks. It looked like some futuristic hotel/spa entrance. So, we decided to park ourselves there until it was time for the tour and just chat with each other for a little while.

Photo of a Starbucks order counter with lights coming out from the bottom of the counter and around the top of the walls, looking almost like an industrial spaceship — Fancy Starbucks

Then we set off on our walking tour. This was a tour by the same company as the one we went on in Rome, and it lasted about 2 hours. The tour was led by a native Florentine and she was very knowledgeable about all of the historical information she shared about Florence. We hit some important historical spots including the houses of the Medici family, the Duomo, medieval towers, and of course the David statue in the main square.

A large stone building with two domes sitting on top. One larger, in the foreground, one smaller, in the background — The side of the Duomo in the mid- morning sunlight

A very tall tower with extremely straight, square sides in a dark, shadowy alleyway in Florence’s medieval district — A tall medieval Florentine tower

After that, we ate at a great family owned and operated Italian sandwich shop for lunch and walked to a wonderful, small gelato shop on one of the farther edges of the main city. We took some time to just walk around, going along one of the bridges overlooking a river and heading into some small shops.

After that, Elizabeth had to register for classes, so we went back to our favorite Starbucks to do a little bit of work and recharge for a bit before heading back out and looking for a ring for me, and we found one right across the street from the Starbucks! We then went to dinner at this cute restaurant called Dante e Beatrice, and I can confidently say that getting risotto in Italy is so much better than risotto anywhere else.

It was a quick walk back to the train station from there where we boarded our train to rest for about 3 hours. It was a very short stay in Milan, (we only had about 2 hours of sleep in our hotel), and then headed to the airport. Elizabeth flew home to London and I went to Paris to meet up with my cousins who were vacationing there! All in all, Florence was amazing and I would definitely go back. The Duomo at dusk was one of the most beautiful sights to see.

An order counter at a Florentine sandwich shop with breads and meats in the foreground and cooktops behind the counter with lots of penents and framed photos lining the wall behind it — Florentine sandwich lunch stop

A very long, clear lake reflecting the midafternoon sun and lined with walkways and buildings on either side. A bridge sits far off in the background on top of the lake — Walking around Florence

Midafternoon gelato stop

A wide open field in the foreground with marble/stone buildings lining the outside of the field making a curved shape. The midafternoon sun is casting almost the entire field in the foreground in shadow — Beautiful Florentine square

Clara in the foreground, from shoulders up, standing on the street in front of the entrance to the Duomo. Lots of people are milling around behind her — Proof that I was actually at the Duomo

Clara’s hand, with a ring on her pointer and ring fingers. The ring on her pointer finger is 7 very thin rows of silver beads all in line with one another to make a very thick band. The ring on the ring finger is a gold band that gets wider at the top and sets a clear, fake diamond — 2 rings I got in Florence

An alleyway alongside the Duomo showing the main entrance as well as part of the side that shows the dome peeking out in the background. The photo was taken at sunset, so the sky is a bit darker blue and the warm streetlight gives the whole building a very warm, inviting glow — Duomo at dusk

After a relatively peaceful flight and a decently long Uber ride, I arrived at my hotel in Paris! I had a little bit of time to get settled, take a shower, and relax before I met my cousins and I cherished every second of it because I was running on 2 hours of sleep, a 4:15AM wake up time, and 20,000 steps the day before. But once I was a bit recharged, I was ready to meet my cousins outside my hotel. We took a short walk to a cute wine bar and sat outside to catch up over some wonderful champagne and orange wine.

We then headed off to our dinner reservation at this small bistro that my cousin had found. It seemed to be populated by a lot of French locals and we split 5 dishes, a bottle of red wine, and a crème brûlée among the 3 of us. That may have been the best meal I have ever had in my life… no – scratch that. That WAS the best meal I’ve ever had in my life. Everything was so simple, yet so perfected and well prepared that even things that I wouldn’t normally like (mushrooms for example) were so delicious that I wished the plate was bigger. We had such good conversation and I really felt like I bonded with my cousins that night.

Olin, Clara, and Shila sitting from left to right in a selfie. Olin is taking the selfie and Clara and Shila are holding wine glasses with champagne in them. The bottle of champagne sits on the table in front of them and the street lies behind them at dusk — Olin (left), Clara (middle), and Shila (right) enjoying champagne at a wine bar on the first night of the Paris trip

The next day was one of my only days to have a decent amount of sleep on this trip, so I made the most of that. But eventually I got up and headed out to explore Paris with my cousins for the day. We started with coffees and pan a chocolait at a cool coffee bar, and then made a few stops at places like the Notre Dame, the outside of the Louvre and Shakespeare & Co bookstore.

Overall, though, we avoided the main touristy attractions in favor of leisurely strolling along the Seine, having lunch in the gardens, and just stopping to take in the beauty of the architecture of Paris. We capped off the night with some delicious Greek food and I woke early the next morning to head back to Nottingham.

A wide open square with a few people standing in it in the foreground. In the background is the Notre Dame standing very tall in a partly cloudy sky — View of the Notre Dame

Leaves of a tree color the foreground, and through them you see the sunlight in midday Paris reflecting on the Seine — Sunlight reflecting on the Seine

A photo of Clara’s hand very close up showing a ring on her middle finger. A small square clear stone sits on top of the band of the ring — Ring collection, Paris edition

Olin on the left and Clara on the right, sitting in armchairs in a dimly lit bar, each holding a cocktail. Olin’s is in a shorter tumbler glass and Clara’s is a taller, skinnier cylindrical cocktail glass — Olin and Clara (and Shila not pictured), sharing cocktails at an experimental cocktail bar before dinner in Paris.

The day after I returned, I had the opportunity to participate in the Mahaffey speech and debate tournament hosted by Linfield online. It was a very late night for me and, though I didn’t end up as a finalist in anything, it was still a great experience.

Close up of Clara, slightly smiling with curly hair flowing around her shoulders and bright red lipstick. In her hand she holds a small black binder, and behind her are rows of red fabric seats and desks — Before I gave 6 speeches in the middle of the night for the Mahaffey speech and debate tournament

The next week was fairly tame. Not much happened. I attended my classes and caught up on work. This past Saturday, though, I went to see the new Hunger Games installment with my friend KEESHA. It was amazing and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re at all a fan of the Hunger Games universe.

An old historical looking building sits behind a large looming tree. A marquis reads “Hunger Games Prequel” — Movie theater where I watched The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

The next few weeks will also be pretty academically focused, as I’m nearing the end of my semester here and have several essays coming up. But, I’ll be sure to keep any updates posted here so you can follow along with my journey.

That’s all for now!

Cheers!

-Clara

November 15, 2023

There’s a Party in my Tummy!

Grüß Gott readers! In this blog post, I want to tell you about my experiences with Austrian cuisine. It is something that I think is essential to Austrian culture and honestly, it is a bit underrated. Austrian cuisine often consists of fried, hearty food usually with some sort of grain on the side and fresh vegetables with dessert or sweets as a must-have.

Traditional Austrian breakfasts vary from person to person. However, I have noticed that eating cold cuts and cheese with bread and some sort of topping in the morning is very typical. I have been enjoying a traditional Austrian bread roll in the morning topped with a local jam and a bowl of cereal. Many Austrians enjoy pastries in the morning with a coffee or tea. Walking through the streets of Vienna there are tons of small shops that specialize in selling delicious pastries you can take to go with you on the subway or tram. It is hard to stay away when you smell the delicious aroma of baked goods while walking down the streets!

A picture of a basket of Kaiser Semmel roll — A basket of Kaiser Semmel rolls. These rolls are popular breakfast foods; they originated in Austria, and are inexpensive at grocery stores.

A picture of a selection of cold cuts, butter, and spreads. — A selection of cold cuts, butter, and spreads. Although not taken at breakfast time, this selection is what would typically be present at a “traditional” Austrian breakfast.

Both lunch and dinner are quite similar. Many people eat more than one course for their meal. This can include an appetizer course, entree, and dessert (or a combination of these courses). Something you will find on the menu of a traditional Austrian restaurant is frittatensuppe. This is a beef broth soup that has herbs and sliced savory pancake strips. Sometimes instead of the pancake strips, you will find the broth with hearty bread dumplings. It is so filling that sometimes I will only get this as my entree. It is also perfect after a cold day of walking through the city. Entrees typically also include an ample piece of meat. It depends on the restaurant, but the type of meat could be veal, turkey, pork or chicken.

A picture of frittatensuppe (a beef broth based soup with herbs and sliced savory pancake strips) — Frittatensuppe (a beef broth based soup with herbs and sliced savory pancake strips)

A picture of frittatensuppe (a beef broth based soup with savory dumplings) — Frittatensuppe (a beef broth based soup with savory dumplings)

For a main entree, what I recommend to all people who eat meat is Wiener Schnitzel. This is something that Austria is known for and is a popular dish among locals. In a traditional Austrian restaurant, Wiener Schnitzel is a focus point on the menu. Wiener Schnitzel is made up of a thin, breaded, pan-fried meat cutlet. Typically, the cutlet is veal, but veal is often more expensive than other meats, so turkey or chicken is becoming more and more common on menus. Served with the Wiener Schnitzel, parsley potatoes or thick cut potatoes are expected or some sort of salad. My favorite Wiener Schnitzel that I have eaten has come with a sweet cranberry sauce on the side. It gave the dish a sweetness that was desperately needed with the substantial fried taste. A lemon wedge is expected as well to cut down on that rich decadent taste of the fried meat. If you come to Austria and don’t have Wiener Schnitzel, I am not sure what you are doing with your life! It is essential that you try it at least once. Even so, I personally cannot eat too much Wiener Schnitzel in a week, because even though it is delicious, it is so savory and rich.

A picture of Wiener Schnitzel with parsley potatoes on the side. — Wiener Schnitzel with parsley potatoes on the side.

Alongside Wiener Schnitzel, other representative entrees often include potato-heavy dishes (like gnocchi), dumplings with meat or cheese, or some sort of stew like goulash. Of course, this is not every option that is available but just some of the conventional Austrian foods I have seen while being here in Vienna.

A picture of Käsespätzle (a hearty dish served in the Austrian Alps) — Käsespätzle (a hearty dish served in the Austrian Alps), which consists of noodles and lots of melted cheese and caramelized onions on top. Seen here before being eaten by the Linfield Gang in Dorfgastein

As for desserts, well let’s just say I am in heaven here when it comes to dessert. Austrians love their sweets. Ice cream, pastries, and cakes are popular everyday treats. Every cafe or restaurant you go to has desserts on the menu. There are also confectionaries and bakeries on every street. Delicious sweets are easily accessible here and it has been so fun getting to try out so many different treats. I have loved apple strudel, the heisse liebe (ice cream with hot raspberries as toppings), and maybe the most out of all- the pastries that include fresh strawberries or raspberries. Austrians also love mid-day tea or coffee with a sweet treat. The Linfield gang and I have taken part in this willingly and gladly!

A picture of the well-known Austrian cake- Sachertorte. It is layers of chocolate cake, chocolate glaze, and apricot jam. Delicious!

A picture of a cup of gelato from a local gelataria. — A cup of chocolate and raspberry gelato from a local gelataria. Austrians love their gelato and ice cream!

A picture of Lizzie's favorite dessert, the Heisse Liebe. — A picture of Lizzie’s favorite dessert, the Heisse Liebe (chocolate ice cream with hot raspberries), which translates to “Hot Love.”

Lizzie smiling before diving into a vanilla and raspberry cake at the famous Viennese cafe, Aida.

A photo of the famous dish, apple strudel with a side of whipped cream and cinnamon ice cream. — The famous dish, apple strudel (Apfelstrudel) with a side of whipped cream and cinnamon ice cream.

The last thing I want to talk about with you all is drinking culture in Austria. It is well known that in Europe and Austria the legal drinking age is young. People are exposed to alcohol at a much younger age than in the U.S. It is ingrained in Austrian culture to have a beer or glass of wine with dinner. Beer is quite cheap (not as cheap as maybe Czechia or Poland) and wine is readily available.

Vineyards and breweries are scattered through the Austrian countryside. It is not uncommon as well to see people drinking in public. It is legal to openly carry alcohol in Austria and It is also not uncommon to share a drink with a professor. Something that I learned pretty much immediately upon arriving here, is that in terms of a cultural thing, people do not drink just to drink. People drink to socialize, to gain common understanding, and learn about new refreshments available. As someone who doesn’t prefer the taste of either beer or wine, at restaurants I often order a soda or just stick to water. This has gotten me some strange looks and small quips from friends and professors alike. They don’t understand why I don’t order a beer with my dinner or try a glass of wine. However, this doesn’t mean that I have ever felt pressured to drink alcohol here. While drinking may be a part of Austrian culture, it is not a requirement and no one is obliged to drink with their meal. This is just something that should be thought about when going out to eat.

Andrew about to enjoy a local beer at a Dorfgastein tavern.

A photo of orange schnapps (on fire) presented to the Linfield gang as a gift after our dinner of Käsespätzle at a local Dorfgastein restaurant. — Orange schnapps (on fire) presented to the Linfield gang as a gift after our dinner of Käsespätzle at a local Dorfgastein restaurant. Schnapps is a popular and typical alcoholic drink that Austrians consume.

A photo of homemade schnapps presented to the Linfield gang as a gift on the last night of their stay in Dorfgastein at their bed and breakfast. — Homemade schnapps presented to the Linfield gang as a gift on the last night of our stay in Dorfgastein at our bed and breakfast. It was made by the host of our bed and breakfast from a type of tree. Schnapps is a popular and typical alcoholic drink enjoyed by many Austrians.

Overall, Austrian food is delicious. I don’t see it in the States. Although I knew the names of some Austrian dishes before coming here, I don’t think I had ever tried Austrian cuisine. As well, many Americans don’t know much about Austrian foods. This is incredibly sad to me since Austrian foods are so delicious and what I can only describe as comfort foods. The only thing I ask of you is that sometime in your life you try Austrian cuisine, which hopefully includes Wiener Schnitzel. Guten appetit (enjoy your meal, bon appétit)!

Auf Wiedersehen for now,

Lizzie

November 7, 2023

Trips On Trips

Welcome back to your virtual tour of England and beyond! (You’re in for a bit of a longer read this time, sorry not sorry!)

I’m sitting here writing this on the Italo train from Rome to Florence, but before I tell you about that, let’s backtrack to some things that have happened over the last couple of weeks.

My life is in shambles…

Ok, not really, but I did visit the shambles while on a trip to York!

York was another day trip, similar to Cambridge, with transportation organized by the UoN travel society. So as per usual, I pre-ordered my ticket and hopped on a bus with my travel buddy, Elizabeth, at 8:00AM and we headed off to York. After a bit of a delay, and a fear that we wouldn’t make our tour we had scheduled for 11:00AM, we made it to the York Chocolate Story (yeaaaa we were around 15 minutes late but let’s just choose to ignore that cause we still were allowed on the tour by some very wonderful chocolatiers). The tour of the history was fascinating and we even got to experiment with making a chocolate lollipop as a part of the tour!

The edge of a chocolate swirl sculpture in the top left corner, with the main focus of the photo being a round table with a few bowls and cups in the middle where people will soon be making chocolate lollipops — Chocolate lollipop workstation

A round flat plate with two flattened bags on top. Atop those bags are two chocolate lollipops decorated with chocolate shavings — Clara and Elizabeth’s chocolate lollipops

After that, we went on to York Minster. We didn’t go inside because we didn’t have tickets for that, but even the outside was gorgeous, and the church bells chiming was very interesting. I’ve never heard a church bell that chimed consistently or with as many different tones as this one.

A large church facade with a bell tower perturbing up from the front most corner — York Minster

Then we refueled at a very bougie Starbucks

People sat at many tables with 3 large arched windows in a high ceiling Ed room — The most classic British Starbucks there ever was.

And then we headed out to the shambles. It’s said that the setting for Harry Potter was inspired by the shambles, and as such, there are a lot of Harry Potter themed shops in the narrow walkways within the shambles. Though it was very cool to pass through, the streets are very crowded and Elizabeth and I opted for the shambles market instead.

Many people walking towards the camera in a narrow pedestrian only road with many small shops on either side — The small roads of the Shambles

Something that I’ve decided to do on this study abroad is, for every city I visit, I’m going to try to find a ring at a vintage store or a vendors market. (No I promise I’m not gollum), but as rings are my favorite kind of jewelry, and I want things that I collect on this trip to be able to be used for a long time and not just be postcards that I keep in a box and take out once in awhile, I figured this would be a good way to remember my trip while getting some use out of the product, and trying my best to support local shops/artisans. All that being said, at the shambles market, we found a jewelry vendor and I picked up 2 rings!

Clara’s hand, outstretched, showcasing 3 rings. A silver band with two engraved lines on the pointer finger, a silver and gold indented diamond pattern and edging on the ring finger, and a silver indented diamond patterned ring on the pinky finger — Ring from Cambridge, (on pointer finger), and two rings from York (on ring and pinky fingers)

Our last stop on the York trip was the oldest pub in England, the Golden Fleece. There is a lot of history in that pub, but we didn’t really have time to stop and fully experience it because we were on a time crunch to return to the coach to take us back to Nottingham.

Small hole in the wall entrance to the Golden Fleece with a barn looking decor style — Exterior of The Golden Fleece

The next week of classes was a lot of prep work for our end of term essays coming up in December, and I did a lot of brainstorming on the topics I want to write about. Some of the highlights include the intersecting identities between class and gender associated with a song, as well as the contributions costume design has for film. I also had a debate tournament which was an internal debate competition between members of the debaters union at UoN and my partner and I took 2nd in the whole tournament! The trophy was so tiny and cute.

Clara, hair down and slight smile, looking at the camera for a selfie holding up a tiny trophy smaller than her hand — Debate tournament trophy

Now, we arrive at this weekend.

Elizabeth and I woke ourselves up at 4:45AM on Saturday the 4th of November to get to the East Midlands airport and fly to Rome.

Clara and Elizabeth seated side by side on an airplane from Nottingham to Rome before takeoff — Clara (left) and Elizabeth (right), before takeoff to Rome

We arrived at the hotel at around 3pm and immediately turned around and went into the city for dinner and dessert. And what else are you gonna get in Rome but pasta and gelatos? Elizabeth had found this place in the heart of Rome called Nannarella which was famous for its fresh pasta, and I can confirm, it was absolutely delicious. The gelato we got was just down the street and was such a cute little shop. We then found a small vintage store where I added another ring to my collection.

Two Wok style bowls, a tin of bread between them, and a glass of Rose wine to the right, sat atop a small dining table — 2 spaghetti Carbonaras for dinner in Rome night 1

Fist showing a gold ring with a blue heart stone on the middle finger — Rome ring

Then yesterday, we did a 2-hour walking tour of some of the Piazzas in Rome which was a great way to knock out a lot of the tourist spots quickly and with someone who has the historical knowledge that our tour guide has.

A very old, historic looking church about 3 stories tall — Piazza Altieri

Large open space in the foreground with a few stairs, and a large white building in the background with a bright sun coming through the two towers — Large meeting square in Rome

Clara in the foreground standing in front of the Trevi Fountain with a large smile on her face — Looking for my soulmate at the Trevi Fountain

We also made a quick trip to the Vatican as well as the gardens at the villa Borghese, which have some beautiful walking/running trails and a gorgeous lake. We then circled back for dinner near the colosseum, and lastly, went back for the Spanish steps and some more gelato.

Clara standing in the open square outside the Vatican — The Vatican

A beautiful lake reflecting a floating gazebo with a couple of pillars — The gardens at the villa Borghese

Photo of the back side of the colosseum with the very beginning of a sunset on the right side — The colosseum

Large rectangular pizza with six large slices of salami on top in the foreground, a large plate of Gnocci with red sauce in the background — Pizza Diavola and Gnocci with pesto and Raghu for Rome dinner night 2

This all brings us to right now; me, having woken up at 4:15AM, sitting on a train to Florence, where Elizabeth and I will be for around 13-14 hours before we hop on another train to Milan, stay about 5 hours at a hotel, and get up at around the same time tomorrow where she will fly to London and head back to Nottingham, and I will fly to meet up with some family in Paris for a couple of days before going back to Nottingham. But that’s for next time. Until then, I’ll just be here balancing work with some of the most amazing travel experiences of a lifetime.

Small train window showing a glaring sunrise over the countryside outside Florence — Sunrise on trails from Rome to Florence

Cheers!

-Clara

November 7, 2023

A sunny day in Valencia

We woke up early in the morning to catch the bus to Valencia, Spain. This city is known to be modern man in technology and science. It has two major museums that show the different and unique projects created by Spanish scientists. We arrived early in the morning and talked around this beautiful park where you could do lots of activities, such as riding water scooters, canoes and water balls. The park was full of life with families enjoying a picnic and live music with food stands and souvenirs.

As we walked by the park and all these beautiful stands, we got to see a particular movie theater. It was round like the moon and it looked similar to a spaceship. People were able to go in and watch some movies and the experience was totally different from a typical theater in the United States.

After exploring the park, we headed to the old town of Valencia where we got to walk the small streets full of life, food, music and people. We learn about the history of Valencia during the conquest of the Catholic kings Isabel and Fernando. Also, we were able to see one of the most beautiful and visited churches in Spain. It was magical. It had so many rooms and historical objects, for instance – gold cups, music books, bibles, clothes and gold crowns. Being able to see all these rooms and artifacts was incredibly impressive because you heard the history while you saw it with your own eyes. It is a magical and unforgettable experience.

This trip was full of different eras from the modern part of Valencia where we were able to see more technology and science, along with the older part of the city with so much history and beautiful places. To end the trip, we enjoyed an ice cream and some tapas just like everyday in Spain!

Photos of the church of Valencia and Old town

Credits: Alondra

The interior of the historic church in Valencia, Spain, with its' tall, vaulted ceiling and beautiful windows. Blue sky above the stone church in Valencia. Beautiful blue sky with white puffy clouds above the stone church. Historic beautiful altar in the church in Valencia, Beautiful stained glass windows in the ceiling of the historic church in Valencia.

Tall shrubs line the canal in the science and technology park.

Photos of the science and technology park

Credits: Alondra

Towers and other scientific structures built for the science and technology park in Valencia, Spain.

November 3, 2023

School Life

A view of the ocean overlooking the city

こんにちは！みなさん、お元気ですか？

（Hello everyone! How are you doing?)

For my first post, I talked about what my experiences during my first week in Japan, for this post I will talk about my classes and my experiences with school so far. The first part is just a general overview, and the second part is about field trips so this post will be a bit long.

A semester in Japan and a semester at Linfield are very different. As you all know, the fall semester at Linfield begins at the end of August and ends in mid-December. In Japan, the semester begins in September and ends in February. Since my program is aligned with the Linfield semester and I am the only student from the US, I am the only student in most of my classes. The semester is divided into 3 terms, Sept.4- Sept.29, Oct. 2- Oct.25, and Nov. 6- Nov.29. I have class 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. I have a language class, a vocabulary class, a kanji class, a listening class, and some elective classes. The elective classes are a culture and society class, a law and politics class, and an economics class. The elective class schedule varies by term, so I am not taking all the classes at once. There are 4 periods total per day, and each class lasts about 1 hour and 40 mins. I usually only have two or three periods of class per day, except for Fridays. On Fridays I have classes all 4 periods, so I essentially have a 9-5 school day. It was something that took me a bit to get adjusted to, since I never really had classes on Friday at Linfield nor have I had such a long school day since high school. My elective classes are fully in English, and other Japanese students are welcome to join the class. In my Law and Politics class and in my Economics class there are Japanese students taking the course as well. In the language courses, I am the only student. This has made it a bit difficult to make friends.

For my language classes, we use the same Genki textbook as Linfield, and the lessons picked up from where they ended at Linfield. I have learned that I am great at kanji and not very good at grammar or vocabulary. I am also given practice tests to prepare for the JLPT test that I will take in December. Out of my elective classes, I think that the culture and society class is my favorite. I have an interest in societal issues, and since I am the only student in that course, my professor allowed me to choose topics of discussion that I am interested in. We have covered various topics including religion, gender roles, LGBTQ+, discrimination, and pop culture. The professor for the course, Ms. Bond, is American and she has pretty much been like a mom for me during my time here. Whatever question I had, I knew I could rely on her and I think that it really helped me with getting adjusted and comfortable with living in Japan.

For each of my elective classes, I have had a scheduled field trip. My first field trip was for my Law and Politics class. On September 20th, we went to Tokyo and visited the Tokyo District Court and the National Diet building. At the Court, we got to watch a case in progress. Since it was in Japanese, I did not understand much of it, but I did get the general idea of what was going on. There was a jury and 3 judges present. The defendant was a repeat offender, so they were pleading guilty but trying to get a lower sentence. According to my professor, it was a somewhat boring case, he was hoping for a case that would be more dramatic. I think the highlight of the field trip was visiting the National Diet. We got a tour of the house of representatives, though I don’t quite remember if it was the lower or upper house. It was cool being able to be inside a building that I had otherwise only seen on television and in pictures.

The exterior of the Japanese National Diet Building — Japanese National Diet Building

A view over a balcony where two hallways are visible. On the first floor, there are two statues on either side of the hall, a red carpet leading the way. The wall has an arch with stained glass art. On the two corners, there is art representing two out of the four seasons. — Art and Architecture

A look into another hall, the highlight of this image is the detailed ceiling. It is a white, arched ceiling with squares and flowers carved into it. There are dark gray pillars along the walls. — Elegant Hall

In the center, there is a raised area for the main officials. Facing opposite of the central stage, following its curve are rows of desks where the representatives would be seated. This is the room that is typically seen in the news pertaining Japanese politics. — National Diet Main Chamber

For my culture and society class, my field trip was a “Study Tour” weekend in which we went to Kamakura and Hakone. The first day took place on October 14th at Kamakura. We went to the Tokeji Temple, Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Hasedera Temple, and Kotokuin Temple. The theme of the day was “harmony” and how it could be found in the different temples and shrines. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside Tokeji, but the harmony that I observed there was between nature. The Tokeji temple served as a refuge for women, so the fact that the temple has much greenery and plants makes sense once you realize the historical significance of the temple. Here is a website if you would like to know more about its history, https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/kamakura/temples-shrines/tokeiji-temple .

Sign with information about Tokenji Temple in various languages. The description explains how the temple was an asylum for women who sought to divorce their husbands. — Tokeji Temple

After Tokeji, we went to the Zeniarai Benten Shrine. It is a popular shrine that locals, especially local business owners visit and wash their money in the spring water with the belief that it will duplicate. Something interesting that I noticed that began with this shrine was that many of the shrines and temples have aspects of both religions. For example, shrines may have some Buddhist statues, while temples may have some torii gates.

Cement Torii gate that is not colored red with a rope with white thunderbolts strung across it. The entrance to the shrine appears to be a cave-like tunnel. — Zeniarai Benten Torii

A small woven basket with a 10,000 and 1,000 yen bill, as well as some coins that have been washed in spring water — Hoping for Abundance

We had a quick lunch break and headed to the Kotokuin Temple. I would say that the Kotokuin Temple is one of the most popular attractions in Kamakura, if not the most popular. It is where the Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu) is located. It was a pretty amazing sight, and I was surprised to find out that you can actually go inside the statue, for some reason I had thought it was a fully solid statue.

A black lunch tray with a bowl of the broth for the soba noodles, a small plate with cut green onions and wasabi, with the main bowl having matcha soba noodles topped with vegetable tempura. — Itadakimasu! [Matcha Soba and Veggie Tempura]

A large statue of Buddha, it is an oxidized shade of green with some darker areas. The state is sitting on a base of stone bricks. — Kamakura Daibutsu

Lastly, we went to the Hasedera Temple. I think that this temple was the one that left the biggest impression on me. The Hasedera Temple is essentially dedicated to children, so people who have experienced miscarriages or the loss of a child often go to that temple. There are hundreds of Jizo statues scattered throughout the temple, each representing a child. In Japanese, the term for a child or fetus that was aborted or miscarried is mizuko, which means water child. Once my professor explained this to me, the little body of water where the Jizo statues were, made a lot more sense. I think that the current situation in the US with Roe v. Wade contributed to the impact that visiting this temple had on me personally. I think that the background is also significant because I got to learn more about the Buddhist perspective on abortions and miscarriages.

In the center a bonsai tree compliments the entrance to the Hasedera Temple. Some people are taking pictures, others are reading the sign with information on the temple — Hasedera Entrance

To the left of the center, there is a medium size statue that is surrounded by many small jizo statues. The bigger statue has flowers placed in front of it. — Jizo, Guardians of the Children

More of the small Jizo statues. There is a small stream of water with a slightly bigger Jizo standing within it. It is called the Mizukake Jizo and one can gently pour water over it. — Mizukake Jizo

Finally, we headed to Hakone, where we checked into our hotel and set out to find dinner. Most of the restaurants were closing soon after we arrived, so we decided to go to an Izakaya, which is like a Japanese-style pub. People usually go to Izakayas to talk, drink, and share a meal together. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, and this was my first time going to an Izakaya. We sat at the counter and my professor explained that the location seemed to be pretty popular with the locals. There was a cabinet full of bottles with tags on them, apparently regulars who go frequently can purchase a bottle for themselves to drink out of each time they go. I tried Japanese Sake for the first time, and we had a variety of dishes. My professor joked about how in an American bar, you would never eat food as healthy as the one in a Japanese Izakaya. It was a great experience.

A very small array of dishes. On the left is small bowl of mountain yams with bonito flakes and other seasonings. In the center is a bowl of a garden salad. On the right is a plate with sliced cucumber topped with bonito flakes and other seasonings. — Izakaya Dishes

Day 2 took place in Hakone, with the theme being hospitality. Hakone is known for being a hot springs resort town from which you can see Mt. Fuji. It also has switchback trains, with one of the steepest climbs/descents for a conventional railway line in the world. We went to Ashinoto Lake, Owakudani Sulphur Mt., and the Hakone Open Air Museum.

The weather was not in our favor for the whole trip. On this second day, it was a bit rainy in the morning and then it turned sunny around halfway through the day. Despite the light rain, I had an incredible experience at Ashinoto Lake. I got to ride a pirate ship. Ideally, if the weather had been sunny, I would have been able to see Mt. Fuji. Either way, I really enjoyed the boat ride.

After the ride, we headed up to see the Owakudani Sulphur Mountain. The smell of the sulphur was very strong, and the clouds of it mixed with the cloudy weather made for a limited range of visibility. There was a geology museum, though I decided not to go because the amount of sulphur I was breathing was starting to make me feel a bit sick. The last stop was the Hakone Open Air Museum. It is an art museum that has a variety of different statues by different artists. There was also a pavilion exhibiting art by Picasso. To be quite honest, although I had always heard about Picasso, I was never really familiar with his art until this day. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside, but I definitely learned quite a lot about his art after visiting the pavilion.

Overall, I really enjoyed the study tour and I think it has been one of the highlights of my study abroad experience so far.

A view of Lake Ashinoto, within close distance a ship resembling that of a pirate ship can be seen. It is red with white accents and gold details. — Pirate Ship

Another pirate ship on Lake Ashinomoto, it is a black ship with gold details. — Another Ship

A view of Owakudani Sulphur Mountain. There are clouds of sulphur passing that look like very dense fog. The geology museum can be seen towards the bottom right corner. — Owakudani Sulphur Mountain

A big white building with “Picasso” written in big bold black letters. It is the pavilion exhibiting Picasso’s art. — Picasso Pavilion

A bronze statue outdoors of Van Gogh by the artist Ossip Zadkine titled “Van Gogh Walking Through the Fields” — “Van Gogh Walking Through the Fields”

Sorry for the long post, またね (see ya)！

Cindy B.

October 26, 2023

Let’s Go Back…

Grüß Gott readers! The Linfield gang and I (we have affectionately and comedically titled ourselves Mozart’s children, after, well, Mozart) have been in Austria for a little while now, it’s been a heck of a time. Although there has been a fair amount of laughter, happiness and amazement, and even though I have traveled before, nothing prepared me for the toll traveling took on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, over the past month, I have had such a great time learning about Vienna.

I want to sincerely apologize for not publishing any blog posts recently. Something I have learned about myself is that writing is not the first thing to come to mind when I need to vent; it is usually listening to music or watching comedies on Netflix. However, now that I am settled in, I want to sit down, go back in time, and tell you readers about what I find as the most important characteristics during traveling.

Flexibility and adaptability. Nothing, in my opinion, is more important while traveling. Sage and I traveled from Portland to Vienna together and overall, it was a 30+ hours travel day. We were absolutely exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, and annoyed by the time we arrived at the Vienna airport. Then, after all that, I found out my checked luggage did not make it with me to Vienna. Although I was very frustrated by this, I was basically just done with the whole day, so I tried to not let it get to me. Everyone was so surprised that I wasn’t freaking out more, but I reminded myself that this often happens during travel and focused on figuring out my next steps.

This situation spanned the course of 6 days until my luggage was delivered to me. I had to adjust my expectations . Everyone (maybe naively) thinks that traveling is super easy and people are able to do it with so much grace. In reality, traveling is hard. Being so exhausted and losing my luggage, then having to navigate a big dinner the night of arrival with professors from our school and our host families was very overwhelming. Trying to listen to conversations around the dinner table and trying to enjoy my first Wiener Schnitzel was marred by the fact that I just wanted a shower to wash off the endless hours of travel and frustration.

Although the first week being in Austria could be personally characterized as pretty rough, I really tried my best to adapt to each day I was given. I realized how lucky I was to even be in Austria, even though I was so frustrated and tired. To get away from our travel troubles and lots of jetlag, we spent a week relaxing at the spa, going on hikes, eating delicious Austrian food, and generally just getting to know each other better in the small alpine town of Dorfgastein. Two of our professors from the Institute and a young man who worked at the Institute came along with us and they helped introduce us to this new culture.

It was such an exciting time! Every day, we did something fun and ate the most delicious food. I realized how scrumptious Wiener Schnitzel and traditional soups are. We were also constantly outside or surrounded by nature, which infinitely boosted my mood. As a group, we did many walks and learned about the environment around us. Even though I was upset by my luggage situation, I could count on both nature and the group to cheer me up. After a while, I was less stressed about what was going on and I could enjoy the beauty and newly-found friends around me.

Austria has been great so far, even with all the twists and turns. I can’t wait to write to you next time about the cultural differences I have noticed between the U.S. and Austria.

Auf Wiedersehen for now!
Lizzie

Wait! Wait!!! Before we part, let’s look at some fun photos from this time!

From left to right; Andrew, Rachel, Sage, and Lizzie beam at the camera after arriving in Vienna after their over 24 hour travel day

An assortment of Austrian chocolates the director of the Institute gave us as a welcome treat. — A quick snap of an assortment of Austrian chocolates from the village of the Institute’s director, given to us as a welcome treat at our welcome dinner.

A picture of Lizzie's first Wiener Schnitzel- a traditional Austrian dish — A picture of Lizzie’s first Wiener Schnitzel- a traditional Austrian dish

Lizzie's bedroom in Austria — Lizzie’s bedroom in Vienna

Walking into the Institute for the first time and seeing this poster welcoming us!

Lizzie smiling for the camera in Dorfgastein wearing clothes bought from TKMaxx after her luggage didn't show up! — Lizzie smiling for the camera in Dorfgastein wearing clothes bought from TKMaxx after her luggage didn’t show up!

From left to right; Sage, Rachel, Lizzie, and Andrew smile for the camera in front of a museum/exhibition dedicated to learning more about the environment and Austria's national parks. — From left to right; Sage, Rachel, Lizzie, and Andrew smile for the camera in front of a museum/exhibition dedicated to learning more about the environment and Austria’s national parks.

From left to right; Sage, Andrew, Rachel, and Lizzie smile in the pouring rain in front of a beautiful waterfall on a hike.

From left to right; Ingrid (Director of the Institute) and Lizzie take a selfie on a walk back to their BnB after a traditional Austrian dinner in Dorfgastein.

The Linfield gang, professors Ingrid and Elisabeth, friend and coworker Moritz, and farmworkers pose for a picture with freshly made sausage and schnapps after taking a tour of an organic farm about an hour hike outside of Dorfgastein.

October 23, 2023

Exploring and Adjusting

Hi and welcome to the first blog about me actually living in Nottingham! We have lots to discuss…

This blog post will cover two larger experiences I have had and a couple of smaller updates

The day after writing the last post, I ended up going to something called the Goose Fair with a few friends, Aki, Chloe, and Abhita. The Goose Fair is a big traveling fair that comes to Nottingham every fall and it’s the biggest fair in the UK. Needless to say, there were a lot of rides and a lot of people. I (along with a mix of the friends that joined me depending on the ride), went on 3 rides: a Ferris wheel, a giant rotating swing, and something called the Xtreme which is very hard to explain but made me very dizzy and feel like i was flying sideways in an airplane. This was a very fun event and it allowed for a few of my friends that didn’t know each other to meet as well.

Clara, Aki, Chloe, and Abhita sitting in a circular Ferris Wheel car high above the lights of the Goose Fair shining at night below — From left to right, Clara, Aki, Chloe, and Abhita, all sitting in a Ferris Wheel car at the top of the wheel.

Ferris wheel on the left and in the background, Swing (looks like a tower with pointed petals sticking straight out from the top of it), lighted, on the right and in the foreground — Ferris wheel and swing rides

The other big event was my day trip to Cambridge! I joined a travel society here and they arrange day trips for us to cities around England. And by arrange, I mean they get us all together on a couple coaches and take us to and from, but once we are there, what we do is almost completely up to us. I went with two friends, Elizabeth and Angela, pictured below,, and we went to everything we possibly could despite the complete downpour of rain while we were there. We started the day with a trip to a cafe that Elizabeth found and got brunch, then we went to the Great St. Mary’s church and climbed the tower. We then tried to get on a boat tour on the river Cam, but unfortunately, because of the rain, they weren’t running the tours. Angela wanted to go see a poem inscribed on a stone in King’s College, so we walked around and started by going into the chapel there. It was beautiful and everyone there was so kind (we were all seeking shelter from the rain so we all felt a sense of kinship).

After that, we went to see this poem. Angela, having studied the poem extensively in her home country of Taiwan, translated the poem, written in traditional Chinese, for Elizabeth and I, and told us what the poem was about. The poet had studied in Cambridge and the poem was essentially his goodbye letter to the city.

After we had seen everything there was to see at King’s College, we walked around some shopping centers and vintage stores before going to get dinner at a traditional Neapolitan pizza restaurant. Once we were done with dinner we hopped back on the coach and came back to the university. I had an amazing trip with Elizabeth and Angela and I look forward to more trips with them in the future.

Two sandwiches sitting on two plates in the foreground, one iced latte with a spiral colored paper straw and two hot chocolates sitting on a tray in the background on a polka dotted table — Breakfast sandwiches and morning coffee/cocoa to start the day

A short but majestic looking apple tree growing in a grassy patch in front of an old English style building at King’s college — Isaac Newton’s gravity tree

Angela, Clara and Elizabeth standing in an archway that look out onto an old historical building — From left to right, Angela, Clara, and Elizabeth standing in an archway near King’s College in Cambridge

King’s College chapel with beautiful intersecting arches carved into the ceiling that make intricate patterns. Stained glass windows cover the walls and shine a little bit of light through — King’s College Chapel

In the left bottom corner you can see a bit of the river that runs through king’s college. Then there is a big open field and behind that you can see some of the historic buildings like the chapel and tower on the king’s college campus — View from the bridge inside King’s College

A poem written in traditional chinese characters inscribed on a light colored stone sitting in an alcove next to a patch of grass — Traditional Chinese poem

3 Neapolitan pizzas sitting on top of a red and white checkered table — Our dinner of traditional Neapolitan pizza

Some other updates on my life so far:

Classes have still been going great. I feel like I am adjusting to the structure of English university well and even though the lectures are rather big, we get to engage a lot with the course material in seminars.

I also haven’t completely lost touch with Linfield or my friends/family. I still talk to people from home quite a bit and I have started planning the courses I want to take in the spring semester. It’s definitely a weird feeling doing that from halfway across the world, but I am excited about what lies ahead for me at Linfield after I return.

Some of my Swift-ness friends will be happy to know that I can now say I have seen the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie! One of my friends here, Keesha, is a big Taylor Swift fan, and I went to see it with her. It was a great movie and a wonderful performance, and it was so fun to be surrounded by a group of people who you could just tell were having the time of their lives watching a concert performed by someone they all love.

Keesha and Clara sitting in a movie theater waiting for the Taylor Swift movie to start — Keesha and Clara at the Eras Tour movie

That’s my update for now! Next weekend I’ll be going to York, and in 2 weeks I’ll be splitting my time between Italy and Paris for a week, so look out for the blog post that breaks those down coming soon. Until then, I have some lectures to attend and some more memories to make.

Cheers!

-Clara

October 9, 2023

Planes, Coaches, and Automobiles

Hello from Nottingham, everyone! While I have already been here for a few weeks, I thought it would be fun to reflect a little bit about my journey getting over here and share a some of my thoughts on the initial cultural differences I have found, as well as friends who I have made.

My journey started at 6:00AM on Friday, September 22nd, when I packed all of my suitcases into my family’s car and headed to the Portland International Airport. I checked all of my bags and was able to get to my gate with the help of a great gate assistant.

Selfie of Clara, curly blonde hair, on a plane with a bright airplane window to the right of her face — Portland>San Francisco

I had successfully made it to the San Francisco airport and to my next gate with plenty of time to get a good lunch in, as well as call and catch up with some friends and family while waiting to board my next plane.

Clara, slightly less zoomed in, on her second plane. Behind her, 3 empty plane seats and a closed airplane window before others boarded the flight — San Francisco>Heathrow

Once on my second plane, I was strapped in for a 10.5 hour flight to London Heathrow. I had my headphones on and was ready to attempt to sleep on the plane, however the cramped environment and a crying baby, coupled with the fact that I don’t sleep very well on planes, meant that I collectively got about 1-2 hours of sleep. But I was running on adrenaline and ready for the next stage of my journey. After a very quick stop through customs and baggage claim, I was assisted to the area where people board coaches. It took some trial and error (yes, I may have almost gotten on the wrong coach to start with, pictured here), but eventually I made it onto the right coach and sat for about a 4-hour long ride.

One big black roller suitcase, a smaller duffel bag, and a backpack style bag in the foreground. Behind it are barricades, and beyond the barricades is a large coach style bus — The incorrect coach I almost boarded, as well as all my luggage

The coach pulled into Broad Marsh Bus Station, and I only had about 3 miles left of my journey! A student ambassador from University of Nottingham was there to greet me and kind enough to help me with ordering an Uber to the University. My Uber ride was quiet and peaceful as we drove past some very cool architecture in a part of town called Old Lenton.

Looking out the window from an Uber to an old brick building with a set of old wood double doors, the right one of which has the number 4 in the upper middle. A sign to the right of the doors reads 10 pound entry — Night Club entrance near the Nottingham City Centre

The driver let me off a block or two away from my hall, and you know how everyone says the last bit of the journey is the hardest? Well, that was proven true as I had to get 3 bags down some stairs and across a lawn. Luckily, some very kind students saw me trying to hold everything and offered to help/direct me to the right hall.

At 6:45PM on September 23rd, after 24 hours of nonstop travel and only 1-2 hours of bad airplane sleep… I made it! Granted, I was about 10 minutes late to the dining hall and it had closed, so I had to get some instant noodles from an RA and realized too late that I had no silverware to eat them with, but I was at least in the right place and had all of my belongings with me

There were definitely some cultural differences that hit me right away. For instance, every announcement at the Heathrow airport was made by someone with a British accent, and I didn’t think that the driving on the wrong side of the road would be as weird to me as it was. But, since my seat on the coach was directly behind the driver, I had an uninhibited view of the road and noticed that almost instantly. As well, the next morning after I had arrived, while waiting in line for a dining hall brunch, I was asked by a student in front of me “is it weird for you to be the one with the accent now?”

I was able to make some friends right off the bat, which I am extremely grateful for. One of them had reached out to me after seeing my name in an international student group chat for UoN and we ended up going shopping for some room necessities. I also found a friend through my hall, Keesha, who is a full time UoN student, and we have gone to club meetings, out shopping, and are planning on going to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie next weekend.

Clara, on the left, hear up and a rain jacket on. Keesha, on the right, hair down. Both smiling with the doors to a tram behind them on their way to Beeston, shopping centre — Clara & Keesha on a tram on their way to Beeston to go shopping

I’ve also finished my first week of classes. The format is very different to the Linfield classes that I am used to, but they all seem very interesting and I am very interested in learning about the material they cover: from how the media shapes our self identity, to the role of people such as cinematographers and costume designers in film and television.

It has been an adjustment, but I have been very open to all of the cultural differences I have experienced and feel very blessed that I am able to have this opportunity to live in a country different from my own for 4 months. I will no doubt be learning new things every day, not just in my modules, but through other everyday experiences and larger travel excursions that I plan on doing. I am very much looking forward to these next few months, and I know that they will teach me a lot.

Cheers,
Clara

October 6, 2023

New Beginnings

Hello everyone!

My name is Cindy, I am a senior at Linfield majoring in International Relations with a minor in Japanese. I am currently studying abroad in Yokohama, Japan at the Kanazawa-Hakkei campus of Kanto Gakuin University. I have been in Japan for a bit over a month now, and it has been quite an experience. I was feeling very anxious over the summer, especially because I was the only Linfield student going abroad to KGU for this semester. In late July I was notified that I was actually the only student from the United States that would be participating in the program, which only made me more anxious. The only thing that I was feeling confident about at that point was being able to navigate the actual traveling by myself. I have had quite a bit of experience traveling internationally, and even though this was my first time doing it alone, it was an easy process for me.

I left Oregon on August 28th in the early morning but arrived in Japan on August 29th. The travel was very long and exhausting and I didn’t get to my dorm until around 7 pm. I was a bit surprised because I noticed that the dorms look pretty much exactly as they do on the website. The room is pretty small, but it is comfortable. I had one week to get adjusted and rest before my classes started, though it was actually quite a busy week for me. The day after I arrived, I had orientation. The orientation consisted of reading through a welcome packet going over the guidelines and plans for the program, as well as some procedures and information about transportation. I also had to go to the local immigration office to get some paperwork done regarding pension and health insurance.

The next day I met my host family for the first time. They are a family of three who own three dogs. I was only able to meet my host mother and my host sister; I believe that my host father was most likely working. They seem like a very nice family, though I was a bit sad to find out that my host sister will be gone during my homestay. She is now studying abroad in Switzerland. The day after meeting my host family, I had a free day, so my host sister took me to explore Shibuya. I experienced the Shibuya Scramble Crossing for myself, which was pretty cool. We visited some stores, got some bubble tea from Gong Cha (apparently a very popular boba shop), and ended the day by going to Kura Sushi for dinner.

Tall and bright buildings in the background, in the foreground there are people walking while there are some crowds waiting to cross. To the left there are signs directing to Shibuya train station. — Shibuya Scramble Crossing

The same day that I met my host family I met a group of KGU students that gave me a tour of campus. I think that KGU is smaller in size than Linfield, or at least the area of campus that I was given a tour of was smaller. There is a 7/11 on campus, but it was not going to be open until September. After the tour and lunch, I was asked to choose between Kamakura and Yokohama for a mini tour, I ended deciding on Kamakura. Kamakura is known for having lots of temples and shrines and one of the most popular tourist attractions is a huge statue of the Great Buddha. We went to a popular Shinto Shrine named Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, which was really close to the bus stop that we got off at. After that, we went to Komachi Street, it is a popular shopping street that has apparently been featured in TV shows. I tried some sweet soy sauce dango, which was really good but almost too sweet for my taste. Lastly, we took a train to Enoshima. There was a very nice beach and apparently the location is famous because it resembles an opening scene in the anime Slam Dunk, so there were lots of people taking photos and waiting for the train to pass.

A road, there is a sign on the left side and a pole on the sidewalk near the center. On the right there is a red torii gate, which indicates the entrance to a Shinto Shrine — Hachimangu Torii

Steps going up towards the entrance of the Shrine, there are many people on the steps, some taking photos. — Steps towards entrance

The entrance of the Shrine, it is red with a few teal accents and gold decorations. There are statues enclosed in glass on either side of the entrance. — Hachimangu Shrine Entrance

In the center reads a red sign that says "Komachi St." Along the sides there are many signs for different businesses. There are people walking down the street. — Komachi St.

The ocean can be seen in the background. A green train is passing by as cars drive by in the background. A young woman stands in front of the tracks after posing for a picture — Enoshima

Frame from the anime "Slam Dunk", some students are waiting as the train passes, the ocean glimmering in the background. — Opening scene from “Slam Dunk” anime

I did experience a few culture shocks during my first week. Though it’s not necessarily a culture shock, the first thing that I noticed was that the weather was much hotter than I had expected. The humidity is no joke and makes the heat uncomfortable. It made me realize that I didn’t pack enough summer clothes. Though I knew that most people use public transportation, I was not expecting to see so many people riding bikes. Japan is known for being clean, but one of the things that surprised me were the cars. All the cars I saw were spotless and looked brand new, I have only seen one car with a small dent. This surprised me because in the US, or at least in Oregon, most cars have at least some kind of scratch or dent (including mine).

Besides the culture shock, I was also a bit homesick. After all, this is the first time I am away from home and family for an extended period of time, in a foreign country whose language I am not fluent in, and as the only student from the US. That’s it for my first (and very busy) week in Japan, next time I’ll talk about some of my adventures during September!

Cindy