Beginning in Japan

Hello, my name is Andrew Cha and I am currently a student at Northeastern University. Very soon, on May the 11th to be exact, I will be embarking on a study abroad to Japan. Ever since I was young, I wanted to study abroad in Japan. My decision to study in Japan was heavily influenced by my grandfather. He always told me “The world you see is only a grain of sand in an immense desert.” I consider him my personal raconteur because he told me the best stories. My grandfather always told me about going abroad to faraway places like China and Japan on business trips. It really fascinated me to hear about the different cultures and traditions he experienced. It was through my grandfather’s stories that I started to dream of going abroad to nations all around the world. I have specifically chosen to study abroad on the Japan Dialogue of Civilizations because out of all the places my grandfather told me about, Japan interested me the most. I have many goals for studying abroad in Japan, including finding out about the unique things that so captivated my grandfather.
I have many goals that come to mind for going abroad. First of all, I want to see the Japan that my grandfather talked about in his stories. By living in Japan even for a short time, I hope to put myself in the shoes of an average Japanese citizen. In order to achieve this, I am plan on trying Japanese food and traditions. Another goal that I have is to understand the ideals of Japanese culture. For example, I want to understand how the Japanese people think differently from Americans. Lastly, I want to find out how Japan became the highly digitized and global superpower that it is today. This has always intrigued me, because even though Japan is a country that was hit hard by World War II, it rose as a highly developed country with a thriving economy. I want to know how Japan recovered so quickly.
I hope to achieve the goals described through exchanges with the students at Meiji University and visiting the historical sites. Walking around and experiencing with the daily life of the Japanese people will definitely help me understand the Japan better. The seminars that we are having at Meiji University will also greatly help me.
I expect this experience to trigger a big change within me. I want to be more open minded and familiar with the eastern culture. With the growing economies and powers in the East, I know that it will be very important to know more about it. Growing up in America, I have a very myopic view of the world, especially the East. I know that this experience will definitely help me be more open minded and respectful of the various cultures and ideals around the world.
While I am really excited to leave for Japan, there are a couple of fears and apprehensions that I have. My biggest fear is the fact that I will not be able to understand the Japanese language. If I ever get into a dicey situation, I would not be able to talk my way out or explain myself. To prevent this I will be on my best behavior and try to always have a student from Meiji University follow me. I am kind of scared of the huge crowds in Tokyo, but I am from New York, so I am kind of used to it.
All in all, I am very excited. This experience will definitely be life changing. If there is one thing that I am looking forward to the most, it is being in Japan. The food, culture and tradition will be amazing. I have so much to learn. Cya in Japan!!!!