I still believe my identity impacts how I see and experience the world but in different ways than before I studied abroad. I think before I studied abroad I felt that I could only see the world through the filter of my identity and biases. But I realized while it is extremely hard to see…
Author: njasper@rollins.edu
Missing Home
I think that being homesick has been the worst part of being abroad. With every new experience, I think of ways I want to share it with my family and friends. Not only am I homesick for my family and friends in Florida, but I am so homesick for American food. It has been amazing…
Cherry Blossom Season
These are pictures of cherry blossoms, called sakura in Japan, which hold a lot of significance in Japanese culture. They bloom in the spring and therefore, in Japan, symbolize a time of renewal. They only bloom for about two weeks then the blossoms start to fall and in Japan this symbolizes the fleeting nature of…
Kyoto tour: Fushimi Inari Shrine
These are the Torii Gates for which Japan is infamous, and rightly so. This was by far the most spectacular way I have interacted with Japanese traditional culture here so far. You could feel the spirituality of the shrine in the couple of seconds it took you to walk from the street, under the first…
Japan Spring 2019
My identity impacts how I see the world. I identify as a biracial liberal woman and these aspects of myself definitely change the way I look at the world. I see racism and colorism, I fight for equal rights for all sexualities and I understand the discrimination women face. I also see the amazing in…