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setraOk... this is my personal essay so far. If anyone has a minute to read it and give me feedback (ANY feedback, please!)... or has time to meet me and poke at a hard copy today. I would love you forever (and bribe you with Pocky, ne?)
Going to Japan has been my dream for years. I've been studying the language and culture on my own for over four years now, and my interest has only increased with everything I learn. When I had the chance to study abroad with a group in the Experiment in International Living (EIL), I jumped at the chance. Before I left, my family and friends warned me of culture shock, of the tight living space, of the cultural differences. "It's not like what you see in anime," my dad told me. Still, I went to Japan, my first time out of the country without my family. All the things that they had warned me of didn't seem to matter. No, Japan was not like an anime. Yes, it was crowded and people spoke a different language - in both words and in actions - but everything felt natural to me. Bowing, politeness, the impulse to deny every compliment that came my way, everything just fit. I loved the food, the historical sites we visited, and the culture of the city. I was in Japan for a month, and the only culture shock I felt was coming back to the US.
The next year I began the Japanese program at CSU. I was overjoyed to finally be taking the language in an official class. The whole thing seemed like a dream come true. Japanese gave me something fun to work on in between the stresses of my first semester in Computer Science. The time-consuming nature of the subject didn't bother me, nor did the shift in grammar and style from English. I've been a committed and hard-working student for my three semesters at CSU so far. I am currently in the process of changing my major to International Studies and looking forward to continuing in Japanese for as long as I'm at the university.
I'm applying for this program because I think that Kansai Gaidai would be a good place to continue my study of Japanese. I feel that I have a clear understanding of the basics of the language and the culture, and would like a chance to experience Japan more on my own now that I have a much greater ability to communicate. I plan to apply for the Japanese Exchange Teaching Program (JET) when I graduate, and since that would entail living virtually on my own in Japan, I think that studying abroad would be a valuable experience. The classes offered at Kansai Gaidai will apply to my major, and the Japanese classes will help me in my minor, but proving to myself that I can really succeed in a foreign academic environment will be the most valuable experience of all.
Aside from the professional and academic benefits, I have purely personal reasons for wanting to study at Kansai Gaidai. I love the Japanese language and history; I enjoy interacting with the culture. On a daily basis, I listen to more Japanese music than American. I feel almost as comfortable trying to speak in Japanese as in English. I have already made some of the common mistakes the last time I visited Japan, and I want a chance to go back and see it again. The study abroad program seems to be the ideal way to experience the culture, history and language while still keeping my academic and career goals in mind.
Bishonen: Ayumu and Heero
Bishojo: Ami-chan
Going to Japan has been my dream for years. I've been studying the language and culture on my own for over four years now, and my interest has only increased with everything I learn. When I had the chance to study abroad with a group in the Experiment in International Living (EIL), I jumped at the chance. Before I left, my family and friends warned me of culture shock, of the tight living space, of the cultural differences. "It's not like what you see in anime," my dad told me. Still, I went to Japan, my first time out of the country without my family. All the things that they had warned me of didn't seem to matter. No, Japan was not like an anime. Yes, it was crowded and people spoke a different language - in both words and in actions - but everything felt natural to me. Bowing, politeness, the impulse to deny every compliment that came my way, everything just fit. I loved the food, the historical sites we visited, and the culture of the city. I was in Japan for a month, and the only culture shock I felt was coming back to the US.
The next year I began the Japanese program at CSU. I was overjoyed to finally be taking the language in an official class. The whole thing seemed like a dream come true. Japanese gave me something fun to work on in between the stresses of my first semester in Computer Science. The time-consuming nature of the subject didn't bother me, nor did the shift in grammar and style from English. I've been a committed and hard-working student for my three semesters at CSU so far. I am currently in the process of changing my major to International Studies and looking forward to continuing in Japanese for as long as I'm at the university.
I'm applying for this program because I think that Kansai Gaidai would be a good place to continue my study of Japanese. I feel that I have a clear understanding of the basics of the language and the culture, and would like a chance to experience Japan more on my own now that I have a much greater ability to communicate. I plan to apply for the Japanese Exchange Teaching Program (JET) when I graduate, and since that would entail living virtually on my own in Japan, I think that studying abroad would be a valuable experience. The classes offered at Kansai Gaidai will apply to my major, and the Japanese classes will help me in my minor, but proving to myself that I can really succeed in a foreign academic environment will be the most valuable experience of all.
Aside from the professional and academic benefits, I have purely personal reasons for wanting to study at Kansai Gaidai. I love the Japanese language and history; I enjoy interacting with the culture. On a daily basis, I listen to more Japanese music than American. I feel almost as comfortable trying to speak in Japanese as in English. I have already made some of the common mistakes the last time I visited Japan, and I want a chance to go back and see it again. The study abroad program seems to be the ideal way to experience the culture, history and language while still keeping my academic and career goals in mind.
Bishonen: Ayumu and Heero
Bishojo: Ami-chan
