UGA Exchange - Waseda University : Testimonials (Tokyo)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by UGA StudyAway
Final Reflection Questions
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
I would say I got more connected with my Japanese background and made me more a culturally aware person. It changed my whole perception of the world.
— Dallas Hayes, Spring 2017 |
What were the most significant take-aways from your experience?
Going on this trip showed me how much I had grown in my language learning journey in a tangible way. The international dorm was also an amazing experience where I had the opportunity to meet life long friends from around the world. Those people helped me see the world from many new perspectives along with opening me up to new adventures.
— Jera Edmondson, Fall 2018 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
I fully recommend this program and just studying abroad in general. This program is the Japanese experience from top to bottom.
— Dallas Hayes, Spring 2017 |
What are your words of advice to students considering this program?
Make sure to research the country you are going to and pack things from home that you cannot access easily. In Japan, deodorant, tampons, cotton balls, and peanut butter were all either really expensive or hard to find. So make sure to bring enough of those things to last your stay. Also make sure to be friendly and invite as many people on adventures as possible. Studying abroad can be exciting but also very lonely without people's normal support network there. Having more people on outings helps build a larger support network aboard along with more chances to make life long memories!
— Jera Edmondson, Fall 2018 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
This experience made me more confident in going forward with my business goals and aspirations.
— Dallas Hayes, Spring 2017 |
How did the experience impact you and your future educational/career/personal goals?
Going abroad made me realize that I was pursuing the wrong career path. Although I love learning languages, and that is a passion that I hope to feed for the rest of my life- I do not want to be a translator. From some perspectives, realizing I was pursuing a job and major that made me depressed and unhappy would seem like a negative realization from a study abroad trip. But it allowed me to have time to refocus on purely myself, my passions, my beliefs and from that redirect myself on a path that in the future will make me a happier person. Although I no longer want to be a translator, this trip gave me memories of using my target language with native speakers that brought me a lot of joy. Those moments motivate me to improve my language abilities, not for a job, but for the people that I could communicate with in the future. I am grateful for this experience because it gave me an opportunity to put on the breaks for once and have time for some much needed time to reflect.
— Jera Edmondson, Fall 2018 |