From Harlem to Japan

1. Getting my stipend in the mail.

2. Buying my plane ticket.

3. Getting my Visa

4. Practicing Japanese (and for some reason Spanish)

5. Eating a lot and being lazy

I talked about scholarships a bit in a previous post. If you want to study abroad its a important to have enough funds. If you're like me, you don't have 10k in your piggy bank. Being rich is boring anyway. THERE IS NO CHALLENGE TO IT. What is nice about going to Japan, is that you can apply to Japan specific scholarships. One such scholarship is the Bridging Scholarship. You can go to the website and read about the application process. I received 2.5k from them! This covered my plane ticket expenses (1.4k) as well as gave me some pocket change to spend in Japan (as well as NY, unfortunately)!

Buying one's plane ticket is a delicate process. You need to be QUICK and you need to be thorough. It is important to check MORE THAN ONE DISCOUNT SITE. I realized that travelocity, expedia, and orbits all have different lowest prices. BE CAREFUL WITH THESE COMMERCIAL SITES. I'm sure they're being bought out somehow. There are also various different student travel agencies, I'm sure they can help too. BE A SMART SHOPPER. I actually found my cheapest tickets on www.cheapoair.com.

Going abroad is expensive, be sure to save as many hundreds of dollars as you can!

First you need to wait to get your CoE. This is an example of what one looks like. You can see I've gained a few lbs since I last wrote here.

Second, you need to take your certificate to the Japanese Consulate in your town (or mail it I presume) along with a 2x2 picture of yourself and your passport. Requirements may vary depending on the country/city/etc.　For the 2x2 photo DON'T SMILE. God forbid you look pleasant when taking a photo. The meaner the better. This is a perfect example.

In NYC the Japanese Consulate can be found between 48th street and 49th and Park avenue. Building number 299. If you don't have a passport size photo of yourself you can buy two for an arm and a leg (I mean $10) near the consulate at the RiteAide(?). Ask the desk person where to purchase such wares.

Thirdly, you follow the nice security guard up to the Japanese Consulate floor and go through metal detectors. Then you take a seat and wait about 3mins for the window to call you. (There was virtually no one there!) You fill out your application, hand them all the documents, and then leave. They'll have your Visa ready for you in less than a week! ^_^

Lastly, go back and pick up your VISA! It's basically a sticker they put into your passport. And don't worry! They staple your CoE to your passport too! Congratulations, you have your Visa!! Hopefully, you look as close to a serial killer as possible!

But seriously though, be prepared to take A GOOD PICTURE. You can't have the people at the airport thinking you're not photogenic. They'll totally talk about you behind your back. Fer sure.

Studying not only the language, but the culture you're about to immerse yourself into is important! Take the time out to review some useful phrases like. "Do you understand English?" or "'I don't understand" or "Help!"'

英語がわかりますか？Eigo ga wakarimasu ka？

すみません、わかりません。Sumimasen, wakarimasen.

助けて、(ください)。Tasukete (kudasai)! or ﾍﾙﾌﾟ｡Herupu (Literally, help with a Japanese accent)

Also! If you're going to Japan, you should at least learn Kana. Kana is the shortened term to describe both Hiragana and Katakana writing systems together. Japan has three (there is also Kanji, which will be discussed in a later post). Hiragana is used to write Japanese words that you don't know the Kanji for, or that don't have Kanji. And Katakana is used to spelling out foreign words. It's pretty simple to learn. It took me about a week to learn how to read the 94 characters. Just kind of stick with it for 7 days and then practice a bit. It's fun to practice reading! There are a few games that help. :P But really, studying from a text book helped me the most ($60 spent!).

It's totally important that after you get all your busy work done (which includes the packing that I haven’t done), you relax a bit. You're about to go to a totally different world (I'll be there in four days! Eek!). Hang out with your friends, eat a lot of food, and try not to go broke. OH and make sure you start a relationship, I know I did! That way if culture shock isn't tormenting enough, the long distance relationship will surely pummel you into a submission worth medicating! :D!

Anyway, that's all for now!

じゃあね！Bye!