Category: Japan: Kansai Gaidai

After a week of being back home, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on how my experienced shaped my identity and how I view the world. Looking at my pre departure post, I definitely think my mindset was pivotal in helping me make the most of my experience in Japan. I wanted to…

With the semester winding down, its been difficult to try to keep up with my blog posts. I’ve been wanting to write about my trip to Hiroshima for a while, but studying has kept the idea on the back burner. With all but one of my finals out of the way, I now think I…

I was so focused on including my first cultural impressions in my last post that I completely forgot to mention one of my favorite points in my time here so far. As I was deciding where I wanted to spend my time abroad, I took sports culture heavily into account. I love watching and playing…

Time has flown by for me here in Hirakata, as I’ve been abroad for over a month and a half now. With how crazy the last month has been for me, I almost completely forgot to post! At least now I have a full month and a half’s worth of experiences to write about. Although…

Well, it’s been a long summer, but finally my semester abroad is here. I’m writing from the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, waiting for my flight to Tokyo to begin boarding. Although part of me was just procrastinating, I think I made a good decision in waiting until the last minute to write my pre-departure blog post….

This is my 3rd trip to Japan. I’ve been interested in the country since I was a child and always jump on an opportunity to come to this beautiful country. My father was born in Fukuoka so I spent my Christmas there (although my family is back home in Florida). It was nice but it…

Good morning! (evening here as I’m still in Japan) In this post, I wanted to focus mainly on some tips for students contemplating on studying abroad in Japan–in particular with Rollins through the Kansai Gaidai exchange program. My first piece of advice is go for it. Studying abroad is an exciting part of getting an education…

Hey! Shanelle here for the last time! I’m finally back in the U.S., and I must say, this study abroad experience has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had in my life! I went into this hoping to get first-hand knowledge of Japanese culture and its people, and that’s exactly what happened!…

Hey! Shanelle here! Christmas is such a magical time of year, isn’t it? It’s a time to come together with friends and family and celebrate being with one another! I truly enjoy this type of Christmas; however, I realized after coming to Japan, this is not the only type of Christmas. What I mean by…

Hey! Shanelle here! First off, I have a question. What do you think of when you hear the word “Kobe”? I’m just curious, because when I told some people back home that I was going to Kobe, they told me to enjoy the steak! Before I start, I would like to state that the “Kobe”…