{"id":3710,"date":"2024-09-09T13:56:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T17:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/?p=3710"},"modified":"2024-12-12T15:39:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T20:39:25","slug":"studying-abroad-while-studying-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/2024\/09\/09\/studying-abroad-while-studying-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Studying Abroad While Studying Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who could imagine studying abroad while studying abroad?  I could. When I decided on Temple University, I noticed that they had a campus in Tokyo, Japan as well. I wondered if I, as an international student, could complete a semester there. The answer was yes, and after two years on the Main Campus, I applied for the semester-long architecture program, which I attended last semester. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a blast. So far, it has been the best semester I have ever had, thanks to the Japanese culture and Temple Japan staff and students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we first arrived, everything was new\u2014from the subway system to unusual signs everywhere. I survived on three words: \u3053\u3093\u306b\u3061\u306f (Kon’nichiwa- \u201cHello,\u201d), \u3042\u308a\u304c\u3068\u3046 (Arigat\u014d- \u201cthank you\u201d), and \u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093 (Sumimasen- \u201csorry\u201d). I learned that it is hard but not impossible to live in a country with a language that you don\u2019t know.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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One day I almost became a local by finding that one ramen spot with a Japanese grandma. Somehow, the two of us were able to understand each other, and she would smile each time I opened that old wooden door. I also learned to stand in the correct lane to wait for the train to arrive, I didn\u2019t talk loudly there, and I fell asleep almost immediately just like the other passengers. I never figured out how Japanese people wake up at the right station; I personally missed a couple stations myself.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For housing options, I decided to find something cheaper than the Temple options, on my own. It was almost time to board the plane when I finally found a room in a shared house, just a 20-minute walk from the campus, through a Facebook group. A shared house is a particularly interesting concept since so many different countries were represented in that house. There were seven of us, people from South Korea, India, Japan, Ukraine, and me. It was a fun experience in a quiet, clean, and very safe Japanese neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academically, I opted for the architecture program as it is my major. However, I was able to do an independent study for my minor in sports management on the concept of overtourism in Japan. Even though none of my professors were from Japan, I didn\u2019t feel like I missed out. Instead, I got a different approach to learning and was presented with many different perspectives. In a research project for my architecture history class, I was able to dive deep into exploring the Olympic legacy in Japan. And I broadened my perspective on travel writing featuring my own travel stories.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Also, thanks to a flexible schedule, I had three days off each week, which I used for exploring the country. I saw Mt. Fuji, visited famous spots such as Kyoto and Osaka, rode the fastest train in the world from Nagano, skied on the best powder in the world at Niseko, and visited Himeji Castle, which has retained its original beauty.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“My semester was transformative, and I believe you can have a similar experience if you just say yes to adventure.” – Anna Dudareva<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There are so many things to explore in Tokyo and beyond. For example, did you know that Japan has its own Hawaii\u2014Okinawa? I didn\u2019t have a chance to get there but believe me, flights are very cheap, and living in Japan, apart from the expensive fruit, it is much cheaper than in the U.S. You can spend as little as $10 for dinner in a nice restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling has always been an integral part of my life. It has added positivity to my worldview. Meeting locals and talking with the owners of coffee spots or restaurants in different countries has broadened my mind and deepened my appreciation for diversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Last but not least are the people I met throughout my journey. Some students at the university who I met, consider Tokyo their home, while others had never been to Asia until then. Even among people from the U.S., the majority were not from Temple but from universities across America. I believe the best learning experience is not just from professors and books but also from people. I got to know how other colleges work and was able to share my perspective. Building such friendships has helped me develop communication, networking and other interpersonal skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My semester was transformative, and I believe you can have a similar experience if you just say yes to adventure. I highly recommend this unbelievable experience of studying abroad. Temple has so many options to offer. Do not be afraid; take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience and you will never forget it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Anna Dudareva
Tyler ’25 student from Russia
#WhyUS Scholar
Photos provided by Anna Dudareva<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Russia #WhyUS Scholar Anna Dudareva writes about her experience studying abroad at Temple University Japan.<\/p>\n

4 MIN READ<\/p>\n

Continue ReadingStudying Abroad While Studying Abroad<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":30058,"featured_media":3711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[131,61],"tags":[154,76,54,107,188,15,163,108],"class_list":["post-3710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-student","tag-blog","tag-global-engagement","tag-international-students","tag-japan","tag-russia","tag-study-abroad","tag-temple-university-japan","tag-tuj","ratio-16-9","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/files\/2024\/08\/Dudareva-1-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/files\/2024\/08\/Dudareva-1-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Stephen Hesson","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/author\/tup74744\/"},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3710"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3741,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3710\/revisions\/3741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/owltopia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}