Hi everyone, my name’s Trento and I’m a student participating in an IES Abroad Program. Now, this post was actually supposed to be made a couple of weeks ago, but as it turns out… studying abroad is an intense process. Now, if you’re at all like me, you’re probably thinking “Of course it’s intense. You’re going to another country!” But, even with that knowledge, and even though you’ve been told the same thing time and time again, it really is more time-intensive than you’d ever expect. That being said… after just one week into the program, I can absolutely say that studying abroad has been the best choice of my life. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to what I wrote before I arrived in Japan a week ago…
As I said, my name is Trento. In a few of words, I’m excitedly terrified. On one hand, I’m finally achieving my dream. I’m going to Japan. JAPAN. It’s something I’ve dreamt of doing for years, but no matter what I did, it was always just out of reach. Yet, here I am, with my passport and plane tickets in hand. When I received the email from IES Abroad months ago, it didn’t feel real. I was in the middle of exams and final projects; studying abroad was the last thing on my mind. But now… I’m here, in the moment. I’ll be leaving for Japan soon, and the anticipation is killing me. There are all these questions (what should I take? How much is too much? Do I have enough money?), and so few answers.
But, I’m still excited. I’ll have six weeks, over a month to explore a country I’ve wanted to visit for years. All the sights I’ve dreamt of seeing, the shrines, the foods, the culture, and the people. I’ve been asked what I’m most excited about, but there really isn’t an answer. Not yet. The sad part is, even six weeks won’t be long enough. There’ll still be so much more that I’ve yet to explore, and that’s okay. Because this is an experience in and of itself. By getting to spend even a few moments in Japan, I’ll have prepared myself for the next trip that I will inevitably make. By spending a month working on my language skills, I’ll be ready the next time around.
I’m proud to have been accepting into the Nanzan University Summer Abroad program through IES Abroad, and I hope you’ll all follow along in this adventure of mine. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, not yet, but I’m sure it will be incredible.
P.S. To any future bloggers who might be reading this, learn from my mistakes! The last few days before your trip will hit you out of nowhere with things you still have to do, be prepared for that and try to get as much done as you can before you leave. It'll be hard to catch up for the first few days after you land, especially while adjusting to that new culture!
Trento Vonlindenberg
<p>Hi everyone, my name's Trento. I'm just your average college student, looking to explore the world and learn as much as I possibly can! I'm fascinated by cultural differences, music, urban environments, and popular cultures, so expect a lot more on that! I'll make sure to capture all of my adventures in Japan right here on this site, so be sure to check back and see what else I've found.</p>
