Off to Go

A few more hours to go and we’re off to the world’s most visited and history rich country, Japan. When I found out that I was chosen to this exchange program, my initial reaction was, of course- to jump for joy. I really thought that I wouldn’t get in because of how I answered the second phase of elimination which was the interview. I was intimidated because of a.) my lack of self-confidence and b.) I messed up the talk (kind of like defending a thesis) on why we should be chosen/why we chose this subject as our “dream research proposal”. If you wanted to know what I did wrong, well, I answered a question of “Describe yourself with one word” and I replied with “I am curious- Oh wait, that’s three” (cue the awkward laugh).

Nevertheless, I am thankful for the privilege to be part of this exchange program. I know that there will be numerous responsibilities and tasks to be done but I believe that I (we) will get through all of them. I am ready to immerse myself in a different country and I’m ready to leave behind what I’m used to so that I can fully appreciate the new culture that I’ll be experiencing. I’ll be a sponge and gladly absorb all the knowledge that I will be getting.O