Okay, back again folks. Still no internet access. Well, not one that I don`t have to pay for anyways. I`m back at the internet cafe, checking emails and what not.
Anyways, I have been in Japan for about a week and when I last typed up a post, I was finishing up my whole adventure from Arizona to Japan. Now we get to the horrible part... The part where I met my new roommate.
Now, first off, my roommate hasn`t been bad to say the least. So no need to start thinking anything bad, yet.
Okay, I arrived at the dorms at what I could only assume was around 8pm or 9pm here in Japan. Honestly I couldn`t even remember the way to the dorm the next day because I was so tired.
We get to the dorm and are asked to wait in the lobby. The nice elderly gentleman behind the window at the entrance starts calling people on a PA system they have through out the entire building. I couldn`t understand a word of it. I kind of hoped it was because of the terrible quality. I waited about 8 minutes before a student came to claim me down stairs. He was the complete opposite of what I had imagined. By that, I mean that he was literally a kid. I mean, a kid in the sense that he seemed fresh out of high school.
Anyways, you`ll get to see a picture of him eventually. He leads me up to our room and I open the door to find a room twice the size of what I had imagined. And, given what other people had told me about room sizes in Japan, it turned out to be the size of an average dorm room in the States. It even has a divider curtain thing that runs through the middle of the room so that you can block out the light from the other half of the room. Its pretty nifty.
After the initial view of the room wore off, I realized one thing that had up to that point slipped my mind... I couldn`t understand a word my roommate was saying. I mean, nothing, zip, nada. Not one word. He speaks waaaaay too fast for me to understand with my now deteriorated Japanese and when I ask him to slow down a bit, he slows down for only about two sentences and then goes back to full speed. Also, whatever Kanji I knew is gone... But that's another story for later.
I managed to pull out my dictionary and since then, everyday it has been one word search fiesta after another. It is rather frustrating, but that is my own fault for not practicing enough before coming here. You reap what you sow folks, remember that!
Aside from the language barrier, he is perhaps the most quiet individual I have ever met. He is constantly on his cellphone or either has his headphones on listening to music. Also, he sleeps more than any human being I have ever met and has a gift for doing disappearing acts. I wake up, he`s still sleeping. I leave the room and come back, he`s not there anymore. I come back later in the day, he`s back in the room sleeping some more. I leave to go have dinner or something, and THEN he`s awake. He`s awake only long enough for me to talk to him 30 minutes or so and then I have to go to sleep because its close to midnight already.
He`s an odd person. I`m sure eventually he`ll be forced to stay up the whole day. I mean, he has to study too once classes begin, right? Guess we`ll find out eventually.
WELL, that`s it for me again folks. My time is almost up. Untill next time!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Day One-ish - Part Two
Hello again folks!
This time I am typing to you from perhaps the most comfortable internet cafe I have ever been in. I mean, I have my own little room with a huge comfortable chair, a TV, headphones, and a foot rest so that I can put my feet up. And, just outside, there is a huge selection of Manga and Anime for me to read and watch.
But that`s a story for another time. Back to the beginning we go!
SO... Where was I? Oh yes, I had just arrived at the airport.
Okay, so, after meeting up with the larger group of international students and the volunteers, I quickly realized that I was the only non-white person there aside from the students from China and Korea. Also, because I was wearing my hat and was perhaps the tallest person there by a foot, I stood out like a sore thumb. Immediately thevolunteers began asking me questions which they later realized that I couldn`t understand 100% and switched to English. It was good to say the least.
After the meet and greet with the volunteers and the other students, we quickly boarded a bus that took us to Umeda. As I have found out, Osaka is not a City but a State. It is just so populated that the city limits just blur into one another. Umeda just happens to be one of the cities. The bus was rather small, I ended up hitting my head on the roof which has never ever happened to me back in the States. I felt a bit silly because of it, but oh well.
The bus took us to the bus station in Umeda and we quickly got off. I found myself helping a lot of the student with their luggage when it came to getting it up the curb of the sidewalk.
The train station is perhaps one of the biggest, if not only one, I have ever seen. The oddest thing about it? People are organized. I mean, it was like watching ants gonig back and forth. Everyone had their own little path and line to follow. It was very effective given the sheer amount of people in the train station.
Anyways, we bought our tickets from this little vending machine. I`ll have to show you those pictures later. we got on the train and quickly became the center of attention. I would like to think it wasn`t because we were foreigners, but because all the luggage we had was blocking the aisle.
After what seemed a rather long train ride, mainly because by that point I had been up for close to 38 hours or so, we arrived at the next train staition. Now, funny thing about local train stations, there is no escalator or such. We had to carry our luggage up the stairs.
Now, before I boarded the airplane back home, they weighed my luggage. Adding the luggage plus my carry own, I was carrying close to 135 lbs up a flight of stairs. After I got up the stairs, I had to walk for 20 minutes or so across town going up and down hills. It was not pleasant... Not at all. I thought I was going to drop dead. Still, I made it to my dorm in one piece.
I`m going to have to stop at this point because my time is almost up.
Until next time folks!
This time I am typing to you from perhaps the most comfortable internet cafe I have ever been in. I mean, I have my own little room with a huge comfortable chair, a TV, headphones, and a foot rest so that I can put my feet up. And, just outside, there is a huge selection of Manga and Anime for me to read and watch.
But that`s a story for another time. Back to the beginning we go!
SO... Where was I? Oh yes, I had just arrived at the airport.
Okay, so, after meeting up with the larger group of international students and the volunteers, I quickly realized that I was the only non-white person there aside from the students from China and Korea. Also, because I was wearing my hat and was perhaps the tallest person there by a foot, I stood out like a sore thumb. Immediately thevolunteers began asking me questions which they later realized that I couldn`t understand 100% and switched to English. It was good to say the least.
After the meet and greet with the volunteers and the other students, we quickly boarded a bus that took us to Umeda. As I have found out, Osaka is not a City but a State. It is just so populated that the city limits just blur into one another. Umeda just happens to be one of the cities. The bus was rather small, I ended up hitting my head on the roof which has never ever happened to me back in the States. I felt a bit silly because of it, but oh well.
The bus took us to the bus station in Umeda and we quickly got off. I found myself helping a lot of the student with their luggage when it came to getting it up the curb of the sidewalk.
The train station is perhaps one of the biggest, if not only one, I have ever seen. The oddest thing about it? People are organized. I mean, it was like watching ants gonig back and forth. Everyone had their own little path and line to follow. It was very effective given the sheer amount of people in the train station.
Anyways, we bought our tickets from this little vending machine. I`ll have to show you those pictures later. we got on the train and quickly became the center of attention. I would like to think it wasn`t because we were foreigners, but because all the luggage we had was blocking the aisle.
After what seemed a rather long train ride, mainly because by that point I had been up for close to 38 hours or so, we arrived at the next train staition. Now, funny thing about local train stations, there is no escalator or such. We had to carry our luggage up the stairs.
Now, before I boarded the airplane back home, they weighed my luggage. Adding the luggage plus my carry own, I was carrying close to 135 lbs up a flight of stairs. After I got up the stairs, I had to walk for 20 minutes or so across town going up and down hills. It was not pleasant... Not at all. I thought I was going to drop dead. Still, I made it to my dorm in one piece.
I`m going to have to stop at this point because my time is almost up.
Until next time folks!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day One-ish... Part ONE!
HELLO FOLKS!
I have survived my flight. First let me say that so far everything has been rather interesting. I have a lot to say abut everything beginning with my flight and up to present day events. That being said, I will have to make this a two or maybe three part post depending on how much time I have.
Alright then, on to the first part of my adventure!
First thing I need to mention, and this is more important than any of my previous rants. You need a visa to enter Canada. No matter what the reason is, even if you are just landing there to change airplanes, you still need a visa. Out of about 15 people who I asked, one of them including my program coordinator, no one told me that I needed a visa to change airplanes at Canada. Also, as it turns out, me being of Mexican Nationality means that I need a visa to land just about anywhere. That was the first problem in my adventure.
After arriving at the ticket counter for Delta Airlines at about oh... 4am in the morning and not having slept the day before because of a combination of nerves and excitement. I was greeted with this rather infuriating piece of news. Now, it is no ones fault but that of the governments involved. Apparently the visa requirement was added some point in the past month. This just goes to show that you should perhaps check, double check, and triple check your information before you hit the airport.
Now, as you can all guess, there is somewhat of an issue with not being able to land at the airport in order to catch your next flight. Believe me, this was not lost on me. So what did I do? Well, I tried to keep my temper in check and called my booking agency, Orbitz, and asked what my options where. After about 40 to 50 minutes of making phone calls to different airlines, I managed to get my ticket cancelled and refunded. That just left me with one problem... How do I get to Japan now? Why, American Airlines of course, they were kind enough to sell me a last minute ticket to Osaka that would let me arrive on time to register into my dormitory... And they all lived happily ever after...
Well, WRONG! The new ticket cost me almost $400 dollars more, all window seats, and it had me flying from Dallas all the way to Tokyo Japan. A nice long 13 hour flight over about half of the United States and the Atlantic Ocean as well. And, for those who know me, I hate flying. I mean, I really hate it. I had prepared myself mentally for it, but that was when I had over an hour of lay over at each airport, which would allow me to pull myself together, and it didn`t have me sitting for 13 hours straight.
That was just the beginning of it too. First flight from Tucson, Arizona, to Dallas, Texas, had me sitting in perhaps the most uncomfortable chair known to man and hardly any leg space. I mean, I`m a 6' tall person and I`m a bit on the wide side. That just the way I was built, tall and wide. I have to wear XL shirts because of the width of my shoulders. But anyway, flying to Dallas from Tucson only took me a little over an hour. Unfortunately, I had to ask the two people sitting next to me to please let me out so that I could use the restroom. They were not happy about that. By the way they looked at me, I might as well have shot the Pope.
After arriving at the Dallas Airport, which by far is the biggest airport I have ever been in, I ran into a new problem. Our airplane arrived at one of the B gates. My connecting flight was all the way over at the D30 gate. Of course, at the time, I didn`t know how big the airport was mainly because I had my window closed on the airplane and didn`t want to see anything outside. It gives me a slight feeling of vertigo that combined with the queasiness in my stomach during flying... well, you can imagine what would happen. Anyways, I got out of the gate and asked the first person I say where the D30 gate was and if I could walk there in 30 minutes. He said yes. I can only hope now that he has suffered some horrible illness or accident for saying that.
After 10 minutes of walking, I quickly realized that I was not going to make it there on foot. Luckily, I figured out the tram system they had there and manged to take it the wrong way which meant I had to go the long way on the tram. I managed to catch my flight though with only 5 minutes left to spare. I never had to run so much in my life to catch something that I had such a dislike for.
I think I will spare you the horrid details of the 13 hours flight. You just need to know that it was a window seat again. Also, the choice of movies on the airplane was rather good. If you get the chance watch *The Proposal,* it was very good and funny. I was however lucky that the person sitting next to me was a rather kind lady from the US that had lived in Japan for years. She gave me a phone card which I used later to call home.
After arriving in Tokyo, I was greeted by a rather perky and cheerful Japanese man who had a sign with my name on it. Apparently, I had about 20 minutes to catch my flight to Osaka. And, as luck would have it, it was at a gate on the other terminal. SO, the perky Japanese man led me and two other people from my same flight across the terminal and through the security check point. It was literally a sprint across the terminal. I have to say that after having sat for 13 hours straight, getting off an airplane only to run is perhaps the most horrible feeling in the world. My body literally felt stagnant. I mean, I thought I was going to drop dead somewhere along the way.
Anyways, after making it onto the airplane I was rather surprised. For the first time I was actually comfortable. I had enough leg space and a whole row to myself. It was awesome and rather relaxing after everything up to that point. Little did I know that it was all just a set up.
After arriving at Osaka, I had to wait in line to get through immigration. Now, I`ve never gone through airport immigration in the US, but I can only imagine how horrible it is. I had to wait in line for what felt an hour thanks to the poor air circulation in the room. After going through immigration, I had to pass to the inspection area where they open the luggage and ask you why your brought this and why you brought that. It took way to long as compared to other people that walked or were literally waved on by. I guess it was my fault too. I brought some tools with my for some of my hobbies. Apparently they had never seen anything like it and that lead to a lot of questions and them asking to see what they were for.
After that, I went outside the arrival area to meet a group of volunteers that were there to help us get to our dorm. I was glad to see other students from other parts of the world that looked just as confused as I did.
I think this is a good place to stop. I have taken some pictures, but until I can purchase a cable for my camera, since I forgot mine back home, I won`t be able to upload them any time soon.
So folks, please join me again for part two of my arrival into Japan!
I have survived my flight. First let me say that so far everything has been rather interesting. I have a lot to say abut everything beginning with my flight and up to present day events. That being said, I will have to make this a two or maybe three part post depending on how much time I have.
Alright then, on to the first part of my adventure!
First thing I need to mention, and this is more important than any of my previous rants. You need a visa to enter Canada. No matter what the reason is, even if you are just landing there to change airplanes, you still need a visa. Out of about 15 people who I asked, one of them including my program coordinator, no one told me that I needed a visa to change airplanes at Canada. Also, as it turns out, me being of Mexican Nationality means that I need a visa to land just about anywhere. That was the first problem in my adventure.
After arriving at the ticket counter for Delta Airlines at about oh... 4am in the morning and not having slept the day before because of a combination of nerves and excitement. I was greeted with this rather infuriating piece of news. Now, it is no ones fault but that of the governments involved. Apparently the visa requirement was added some point in the past month. This just goes to show that you should perhaps check, double check, and triple check your information before you hit the airport.
Now, as you can all guess, there is somewhat of an issue with not being able to land at the airport in order to catch your next flight. Believe me, this was not lost on me. So what did I do? Well, I tried to keep my temper in check and called my booking agency, Orbitz, and asked what my options where. After about 40 to 50 minutes of making phone calls to different airlines, I managed to get my ticket cancelled and refunded. That just left me with one problem... How do I get to Japan now? Why, American Airlines of course, they were kind enough to sell me a last minute ticket to Osaka that would let me arrive on time to register into my dormitory... And they all lived happily ever after...
Well, WRONG! The new ticket cost me almost $400 dollars more, all window seats, and it had me flying from Dallas all the way to Tokyo Japan. A nice long 13 hour flight over about half of the United States and the Atlantic Ocean as well. And, for those who know me, I hate flying. I mean, I really hate it. I had prepared myself mentally for it, but that was when I had over an hour of lay over at each airport, which would allow me to pull myself together, and it didn`t have me sitting for 13 hours straight.
That was just the beginning of it too. First flight from Tucson, Arizona, to Dallas, Texas, had me sitting in perhaps the most uncomfortable chair known to man and hardly any leg space. I mean, I`m a 6' tall person and I`m a bit on the wide side. That just the way I was built, tall and wide. I have to wear XL shirts because of the width of my shoulders. But anyway, flying to Dallas from Tucson only took me a little over an hour. Unfortunately, I had to ask the two people sitting next to me to please let me out so that I could use the restroom. They were not happy about that. By the way they looked at me, I might as well have shot the Pope.
After arriving at the Dallas Airport, which by far is the biggest airport I have ever been in, I ran into a new problem. Our airplane arrived at one of the B gates. My connecting flight was all the way over at the D30 gate. Of course, at the time, I didn`t know how big the airport was mainly because I had my window closed on the airplane and didn`t want to see anything outside. It gives me a slight feeling of vertigo that combined with the queasiness in my stomach during flying... well, you can imagine what would happen. Anyways, I got out of the gate and asked the first person I say where the D30 gate was and if I could walk there in 30 minutes. He said yes. I can only hope now that he has suffered some horrible illness or accident for saying that.
After 10 minutes of walking, I quickly realized that I was not going to make it there on foot. Luckily, I figured out the tram system they had there and manged to take it the wrong way which meant I had to go the long way on the tram. I managed to catch my flight though with only 5 minutes left to spare. I never had to run so much in my life to catch something that I had such a dislike for.
I think I will spare you the horrid details of the 13 hours flight. You just need to know that it was a window seat again. Also, the choice of movies on the airplane was rather good. If you get the chance watch *The Proposal,* it was very good and funny. I was however lucky that the person sitting next to me was a rather kind lady from the US that had lived in Japan for years. She gave me a phone card which I used later to call home.
After arriving in Tokyo, I was greeted by a rather perky and cheerful Japanese man who had a sign with my name on it. Apparently, I had about 20 minutes to catch my flight to Osaka. And, as luck would have it, it was at a gate on the other terminal. SO, the perky Japanese man led me and two other people from my same flight across the terminal and through the security check point. It was literally a sprint across the terminal. I have to say that after having sat for 13 hours straight, getting off an airplane only to run is perhaps the most horrible feeling in the world. My body literally felt stagnant. I mean, I thought I was going to drop dead somewhere along the way.
Anyways, after making it onto the airplane I was rather surprised. For the first time I was actually comfortable. I had enough leg space and a whole row to myself. It was awesome and rather relaxing after everything up to that point. Little did I know that it was all just a set up.
After arriving at Osaka, I had to wait in line to get through immigration. Now, I`ve never gone through airport immigration in the US, but I can only imagine how horrible it is. I had to wait in line for what felt an hour thanks to the poor air circulation in the room. After going through immigration, I had to pass to the inspection area where they open the luggage and ask you why your brought this and why you brought that. It took way to long as compared to other people that walked or were literally waved on by. I guess it was my fault too. I brought some tools with my for some of my hobbies. Apparently they had never seen anything like it and that lead to a lot of questions and them asking to see what they were for.
After that, I went outside the arrival area to meet a group of volunteers that were there to help us get to our dorm. I was glad to see other students from other parts of the world that looked just as confused as I did.
I think this is a good place to stop. I have taken some pictures, but until I can purchase a cable for my camera, since I forgot mine back home, I won`t be able to upload them any time soon.
So folks, please join me again for part two of my arrival into Japan!
Friday, August 28, 2009
What now?
Okay, if you have been reading my ramblings thus far, then you should be more or less at the same point I am now.
Hopefully you have received your passport on time, and I mean with enough time. I'm not referring to the kind of "on time" that has you stopping by the post office on your way to the airport demanding they give you your mail.
Anyways, assuming all is going according to plan and there have been no major delays, then right now you are just waiting for your departure date to arrive. AND, what should you be doing while you wait? That's right, you should be doing something productive with your time.
My recommendation is that you get your affairs and things ready for your departure. Depending on how long you will be abroad, you might need to make plans for some minors things, such as paying bills, so that you don't have any problems from home while you are away. Now, I am not referring to paying rent or anything like that, but things like the cellphone bill, cable, internet, credit cards, computers, and whatever other things you have to pay on a regular basis.
Now, how you go about this is solely up to you. But, it is better to get them in order before you go and not while you are over there. Give yourself a peace of mind so that you can focus on what you are doing abroad. No sense adding more worries to whatever other worries you already have.
There are also other things you can do while you wait. One thing I found helpful was taking the time to decide what I want to take to Japan, aside from important documents and such. Things such as cloths and small items that will remind me of home were at the top of my list. I am sure that even though I might not admit it now, at one point or another I will find myself feeling homesick. Might as well plan ahead, right?
So, okay, that is pretty much what I have at this point. I am a little more of a week away from my departure date. I am almost 100% certain when I say that I am ready to go.
Congratulations folks, and to myself, you and I have caught up to the current point in time where all this is taking place. Does this count as time travel?
Hopefully you have received your passport on time, and I mean with enough time. I'm not referring to the kind of "on time" that has you stopping by the post office on your way to the airport demanding they give you your mail.
Anyways, assuming all is going according to plan and there have been no major delays, then right now you are just waiting for your departure date to arrive. AND, what should you be doing while you wait? That's right, you should be doing something productive with your time.
My recommendation is that you get your affairs and things ready for your departure. Depending on how long you will be abroad, you might need to make plans for some minors things, such as paying bills, so that you don't have any problems from home while you are away. Now, I am not referring to paying rent or anything like that, but things like the cellphone bill, cable, internet, credit cards, computers, and whatever other things you have to pay on a regular basis.
Now, how you go about this is solely up to you. But, it is better to get them in order before you go and not while you are over there. Give yourself a peace of mind so that you can focus on what you are doing abroad. No sense adding more worries to whatever other worries you already have.
There are also other things you can do while you wait. One thing I found helpful was taking the time to decide what I want to take to Japan, aside from important documents and such. Things such as cloths and small items that will remind me of home were at the top of my list. I am sure that even though I might not admit it now, at one point or another I will find myself feeling homesick. Might as well plan ahead, right?
So, okay, that is pretty much what I have at this point. I am a little more of a week away from my departure date. I am almost 100% certain when I say that I am ready to go.
Congratulations folks, and to myself, you and I have caught up to the current point in time where all this is taking place. Does this count as time travel?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Almost There
Welcome back folks! The mood has struck me again, so I will post something.
Alright, in my last post I mentioned that waiting was perhaps the hardest part of the whole study abroad process. Can you guess what comes after you've waited for a reply, hm? No, no one? Well, what you do next is...
Wait some more!
Yes folks, that's correct! After you wait for a reply and you finally receive said reply, you have to wait some more. Now, this might be different depending on your study abroad program, but in some way or form you are still going to have to wait a bit more.
Now, thanks to modern day technology you will likely receive the reply of whether or not you got accepted into the program well in advance before your information packet arrives from the university or school in which you will be studying while abroad. Hopefully however, this should arrive rather quickly. All of course depending on the postal system and what courier they decided to use.
So, why do you have to wait for this information packet? Well, within it you will find your arrival information and other important instructions that you will need at some point or another. Also, depending on the length of your program, you will receive your ever so important certificate of sponsorship (also referred to as a sponsor's note, certificate of eligibility, sponsorship, etc.). Without this certificate, it is likely that you will not be able to get a visa.
Why do you need this certificate to apply for a long term visa?
Well, this certificate basically tells the embassy, from which you are applying for a visa, that you are going to their country for the specified reason or reasons you have given them in the application. No certificate, no visa. Its that simple.
SO, while you wait for your information packet and certificate of sponsorship to arrive, you should continue trying to keep yourself busy. No sense loosing that newly acquired habit, huh?
Now, assuming you did all the required leg work at the beginning of this whole process, you should have an idea of where the embassy is. However, if you don't know where the embassy is yet (shame on you), then this is the perfect and last chance to do so. By NO means should you leave the visa application for the last possible minute. Applying for a visa can take time, and by that I don't mean hours. It can take days, weeks, and in the most drastic of cases it can take months. If you wait till the last minute possible, you can very easily find yourself on the other side of that window looking onto the tar mat as your airplane leaves without you.
As such was my luck, I received my information packet and certificate of eligibility one month before my scheduled arrival date. I mailed it to the Japanese Embassy in L.A. (yes, that's the nearest one for Arizona) as soon as it was in my hands. I had the envelope ready and all the required extra copies and my passport inside the envelope. I am glad to say that it only took them about a week and a half to receive it, process it, send it back, and for me to receive it.
That being said, my only advice for this post is that you be prepared. If you have to wait, then wait and use your time wisely. Get things ready to go because, at this point, as soon as things start getting in motion, you can and may find yourself wishing you had an extra few weeks to prepare.
Alright, in my last post I mentioned that waiting was perhaps the hardest part of the whole study abroad process. Can you guess what comes after you've waited for a reply, hm? No, no one? Well, what you do next is...
Wait some more!
Yes folks, that's correct! After you wait for a reply and you finally receive said reply, you have to wait some more. Now, this might be different depending on your study abroad program, but in some way or form you are still going to have to wait a bit more.
Now, thanks to modern day technology you will likely receive the reply of whether or not you got accepted into the program well in advance before your information packet arrives from the university or school in which you will be studying while abroad. Hopefully however, this should arrive rather quickly. All of course depending on the postal system and what courier they decided to use.
So, why do you have to wait for this information packet? Well, within it you will find your arrival information and other important instructions that you will need at some point or another. Also, depending on the length of your program, you will receive your ever so important certificate of sponsorship (also referred to as a sponsor's note, certificate of eligibility, sponsorship, etc.). Without this certificate, it is likely that you will not be able to get a visa.
Why do you need this certificate to apply for a long term visa?
Well, this certificate basically tells the embassy, from which you are applying for a visa, that you are going to their country for the specified reason or reasons you have given them in the application. No certificate, no visa. Its that simple.
SO, while you wait for your information packet and certificate of sponsorship to arrive, you should continue trying to keep yourself busy. No sense loosing that newly acquired habit, huh?
Now, assuming you did all the required leg work at the beginning of this whole process, you should have an idea of where the embassy is. However, if you don't know where the embassy is yet (shame on you), then this is the perfect and last chance to do so. By NO means should you leave the visa application for the last possible minute. Applying for a visa can take time, and by that I don't mean hours. It can take days, weeks, and in the most drastic of cases it can take months. If you wait till the last minute possible, you can very easily find yourself on the other side of that window looking onto the tar mat as your airplane leaves without you.
As such was my luck, I received my information packet and certificate of eligibility one month before my scheduled arrival date. I mailed it to the Japanese Embassy in L.A. (yes, that's the nearest one for Arizona) as soon as it was in my hands. I had the envelope ready and all the required extra copies and my passport inside the envelope. I am glad to say that it only took them about a week and a half to receive it, process it, send it back, and for me to receive it.
That being said, my only advice for this post is that you be prepared. If you have to wait, then wait and use your time wisely. Get things ready to go because, at this point, as soon as things start getting in motion, you can and may find yourself wishing you had an extra few weeks to prepare.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Still Some Time Left
Alright, in my last post I talked about having a plan. Assuming you got all your paperwork turned in, and on time, what you have to do next is perhaps obvious. All you have to do now is wait. Sounds simple enough, huh? Well, you're wrong!
Waiting is perhaps the hardest thing you'll have to do. This is mainly because after you do all that running around trying to get your paperwork turned in and what not, you begin to realize how big a deal this really is. Questions such as, "Did I fill out that part correctly?" or, "Did I forget to fill that part out?" will pop into your head and gnaw at it like rabbit on a carrot. You'll also begin to wonder about a lot of "what if" scenarios.
"What if they don't accept me and I already told everyone?"
"What if I wait till the last minute to do anything and then I can't get anything done before I go?"
"What if I get accepted and then something happens and I can't go after getting everything done?"
"What if I can't get my airplane ticket on time?"
"What if I forget/forgot something important?"
"What if my financing/scholarships get pulled before/after I'm there?"
"What if..."
These are just the tip of the iceberg people. Believe me when I say that just when you think you answered (read "Buried in the crevices of the back of your mind") more and more will come up. And trust me, some of them will just be silly. Well, you'll realize they are silly after the fact, but when they hit you, they'll be the most serious thing you've thought of up to that point.
Now, for these questions and "what if's" there is no real or easy solution. Things will or will not happen, and you'll have to deal with these things when they do or do not happen. This is all of course IF they happen or do not happen at all... Confusing huh? My point is though, that while you are waiting, things will begin to settle in and your mind will begin to wonder.
Some people while waiting will have more doubts, questions, worries, or "what if's" than other people will. This is just the nature of the beast, so be prepared for it. My suggestion for this is perhaps obvious and somewhat simple. Are you ready for it? Here it is...
Keep yourself busy!
What it all boils down to in the end, is that there are just some things that do you no real good to worry about them. Sure, some worries are more valid than others, but that's just it. Don't just worry about it, do something while you have time to wait.
If you are concerned about finances, look up other income alternatives for before and after you are there.
If you worry about what will happen if you do or do not get accepted, then look at alternatives. Talk to people that have gone or have tried to go on a study abroad program.
If you are concerned about anything, just look it up! Talk to people (especially your program coordinator), look it up on the internet, read a book, but don't just linger on it.
If you worry and do nothing, it will just drag on and it will feel like an eternity. If you worry and keep yourself busy, it will not seem like an eternity and some of those worries will be answered or disappear all together.
Think of it as an odd combination of the saying that, "patience if a virtue" and the saying of, "idle hands are the devil's play thing."
You will have more time than you think while waiting for an answer from your study abroad program. Use it wisely!
Waiting is perhaps the hardest thing you'll have to do. This is mainly because after you do all that running around trying to get your paperwork turned in and what not, you begin to realize how big a deal this really is. Questions such as, "Did I fill out that part correctly?" or, "Did I forget to fill that part out?" will pop into your head and gnaw at it like rabbit on a carrot. You'll also begin to wonder about a lot of "what if" scenarios.
"What if they don't accept me and I already told everyone?"
"What if I wait till the last minute to do anything and then I can't get anything done before I go?"
"What if I get accepted and then something happens and I can't go after getting everything done?"
"What if I can't get my airplane ticket on time?"
"What if I forget/forgot something important?"
"What if my financing/scholarships get pulled before/after I'm there?"
"What if..."
These are just the tip of the iceberg people. Believe me when I say that just when you think you answered (read "Buried in the crevices of the back of your mind") more and more will come up. And trust me, some of them will just be silly. Well, you'll realize they are silly after the fact, but when they hit you, they'll be the most serious thing you've thought of up to that point.
Now, for these questions and "what if's" there is no real or easy solution. Things will or will not happen, and you'll have to deal with these things when they do or do not happen. This is all of course IF they happen or do not happen at all... Confusing huh? My point is though, that while you are waiting, things will begin to settle in and your mind will begin to wonder.
Some people while waiting will have more doubts, questions, worries, or "what if's" than other people will. This is just the nature of the beast, so be prepared for it. My suggestion for this is perhaps obvious and somewhat simple. Are you ready for it? Here it is...
Keep yourself busy!
What it all boils down to in the end, is that there are just some things that do you no real good to worry about them. Sure, some worries are more valid than others, but that's just it. Don't just worry about it, do something while you have time to wait.
If you are concerned about finances, look up other income alternatives for before and after you are there.
If you worry about what will happen if you do or do not get accepted, then look at alternatives. Talk to people that have gone or have tried to go on a study abroad program.
If you are concerned about anything, just look it up! Talk to people (especially your program coordinator), look it up on the internet, read a book, but don't just linger on it.
If you worry and do nothing, it will just drag on and it will feel like an eternity. If you worry and keep yourself busy, it will not seem like an eternity and some of those worries will be answered or disappear all together.
Think of it as an odd combination of the saying that, "patience if a virtue" and the saying of, "idle hands are the devil's play thing."
You will have more time than you think while waiting for an answer from your study abroad program. Use it wisely!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Lets get this show rolling!
Alright, its that time again. I figured since I have more or less a month till I have to be at the airport, I might as well start posting something in relation to this whole endeavor. So, that being said, I think I'll start with what one should consider or plan when deciding to go off and study abroad.
First thing one should realize is that you need a plan. An attack plan so that you can catch the enemy with their pants down. A plan is key, a plan is everything, you do not disobey the plan or the consequences will be dire. Everyone, including your dog, will shun you and you will be cast out like a plagued rat to the street corner... Okay, maybe not dire. Your dog won't shun you but everyone else will, including the study abroad program you are applying for.
So, what am I trying to say? I'm saying you need to be organized and plan ahead. You need to try and have everything ready before they ask you for it. I myself have never been a really organized person. Well, not for a lot of things anyway. I first talked to my program coordinator well over a year ago. Granted that some of the things he told me went in one ear and out the other, but I still managed to get everything done well in advance.
So, my best suggestion for you in the early stages of going to study abroad would be that as soon as the idea hits your noggin, get as much information on it as you can. Check to see what paperwork or documents you will need. Try and figure out what deadlines you will need to observe and how much things will cost you. Usually, you can get all this information from the program coordinator or from the program website. Neither of these two will refuse you information and if anything, talking to a program coordinator will be the best thing you can do. Use whatever resources you have at your disposal.
Once the idea has firmly cemented itself in your brain, and its something that you can do, then by all means do it. If you got the information ahead of time and started looking into what things you already have ready and what you need to get ready, then you should be able to have everything done well before the deadline for the application. I am not saying things will magically get done on their own if you did the research in advance, but you will still have to do all the leg-work.
Now, I am not saying that nothing will go wrong. Something has to go wrong in order for something to turn out right. So expect it and be prepared. I think with my application, the only issue I had was that I accidentally filled out an outdated version of one of the forms in the application packet. I found this out because the program coordinator in Japan contacted my program coordinator here in the States and emailed him the newer version of the form that I needed to fill out. This was after my original application packet had already been mailed to Japan. If you've ever mailed anything to another country, you know it takes time. Something like this is perhaps common, but if not handled immediately, it can delay your application. However, because I had done the research before hand and managed to have everything ready in advance and turned in my application well before the original deadline, I was able to fill out the new form and send it to them in a timely manner. Obviously everything worked out.
SO! If you have kept on reading through my rambling, you should have a clearer idea of what I'm trying to tell you. However, if you are the type of person that likes to read the beginning and then skip to the bottom, I will impart upon you my advice in a different manner...
"Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare." -Japanese Proverb-
Oddly enough, this little piece of advice came to me through means of a bottle cap, given to me by a classmate that knew I was going off to Japan to study abroad.
Lets see how many more bottle caps I can base my advice off of.
First thing one should realize is that you need a plan. An attack plan so that you can catch the enemy with their pants down. A plan is key, a plan is everything, you do not disobey the plan or the consequences will be dire. Everyone, including your dog, will shun you and you will be cast out like a plagued rat to the street corner... Okay, maybe not dire. Your dog won't shun you but everyone else will, including the study abroad program you are applying for.
So, what am I trying to say? I'm saying you need to be organized and plan ahead. You need to try and have everything ready before they ask you for it. I myself have never been a really organized person. Well, not for a lot of things anyway. I first talked to my program coordinator well over a year ago. Granted that some of the things he told me went in one ear and out the other, but I still managed to get everything done well in advance.
So, my best suggestion for you in the early stages of going to study abroad would be that as soon as the idea hits your noggin, get as much information on it as you can. Check to see what paperwork or documents you will need. Try and figure out what deadlines you will need to observe and how much things will cost you. Usually, you can get all this information from the program coordinator or from the program website. Neither of these two will refuse you information and if anything, talking to a program coordinator will be the best thing you can do. Use whatever resources you have at your disposal.
Once the idea has firmly cemented itself in your brain, and its something that you can do, then by all means do it. If you got the information ahead of time and started looking into what things you already have ready and what you need to get ready, then you should be able to have everything done well before the deadline for the application. I am not saying things will magically get done on their own if you did the research in advance, but you will still have to do all the leg-work.
Now, I am not saying that nothing will go wrong. Something has to go wrong in order for something to turn out right. So expect it and be prepared. I think with my application, the only issue I had was that I accidentally filled out an outdated version of one of the forms in the application packet. I found this out because the program coordinator in Japan contacted my program coordinator here in the States and emailed him the newer version of the form that I needed to fill out. This was after my original application packet had already been mailed to Japan. If you've ever mailed anything to another country, you know it takes time. Something like this is perhaps common, but if not handled immediately, it can delay your application. However, because I had done the research before hand and managed to have everything ready in advance and turned in my application well before the original deadline, I was able to fill out the new form and send it to them in a timely manner. Obviously everything worked out.
SO! If you have kept on reading through my rambling, you should have a clearer idea of what I'm trying to tell you. However, if you are the type of person that likes to read the beginning and then skip to the bottom, I will impart upon you my advice in a different manner...
"Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare." -Japanese Proverb-
Oddly enough, this little piece of advice came to me through means of a bottle cap, given to me by a classmate that knew I was going off to Japan to study abroad.
Lets see how many more bottle caps I can base my advice off of.
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