The IES Abroad Nagoya program at Nanzan University had its kick-off with a three-day orientation. We stayed at a traditional Japanese inn, called a ryokan, in Inuyama -- a small city north of Nagoya. Inuyama translates to “Dog Mountain.” This orientation exceeded my expectations in several ways. Firstly, I didn’t think I would make such incredible friends so quickly. Within the first day of orientation, I already felt at home though I was in an unfamiliar land.

Coming to Japan during the summer season was one of the best decisions I could have made. Why, do you ask? Festivals. No, not the music festivals or film festivals that you may be used to. Japan's cultural festivals have been continued over hundreds of years -- it's a time where family members of all generations come together and enjoy each other's company over ritual dances and songs, street food, and fireworks.

Before coming to London for study abroad, I had a rough idea of which countries I wanted to visit on the weekends. Although the list was always tentative, Scotland was never on it. Frankly, I have never heard anything about this northernmost country in the UK that drew me to it.

Saturday | November 11th 2017 | Higashi-Funabashi, Chiba

Saturday | October 28th 2017 | Minami-Funabashi, Chiba

Back when I was in high school, I began thrifting at my local Salvation Army. Beyond finding cheap gems (many are still in my closet), thrifting became a social activity between my friends and I. Every weekend, we would stroll to our local Salvation Army, or Saver’s if we were feeling bougie, and just sift through piles and piles of clothes. It was always such a satisfying feeling to leave with one-of-a-kind pieces at dirt cheap prices.

Food is one amazing way to get to know a culture first-hand. As I shifted through multiple different cuisines during my study abroad experience, I managed to learn more about their food customs and how they managed to embed that into the culture. As I got a taste of the fantastic grilled churrasco of Argentina, the spicy ceviche of Peru and the overwhelming curanto of Chile, I started to wonder more about the story and traditions behind that dish.

At my university, the norm is to study abroad during the spring of your sophomore year. While some, like me, choose to go during the fall of junior year, it seems that people tend to prefer spring as the semester to head overseas.

For my Fall Break adventures, I decided to visit some friends who are also studying abroad this year. The first one I visited is spending the whole year in London, England at the University of Roehampton. She is also a junior at my college. After a day or two with her, I hopped over to Glasgow, Scotland to visit my best friend’s older brother (who I am also close to) where he, my best friend, and I spent another day or two together. He’s currently doing a master’s program at the University of Glasgow.

The Old Summer Palace was actually one of my favorite places I visited in Beijing. We went together on a field trip for our Late Imperial China course, led by our professor and now program director, Jeremiah. I sound surprised that I liked it so much because there actually isn't much left to see; most of the Palace is in ruins after being completely destroyed in the Second Opium War.