Japan Study Abroad Informational ( Attending Study Abroad informational sessions: 2 points) Janiah Collier

As someone who loves to travel and learn about new cultures, I signed up for my third study abroad here at Spelman. I decided I want to go to Japan, and I will be there for about a month. This is something really exciting to me because I have always loved Japanese culture from shows and movies all the way down to the foods and fashion. I am also currently taking Japanese 201, therefore I will be finishing 202 in Japan. 

I have high hopes for this immersive experience! I want to expand in my language skills, being able to apply them to cultural context as well as learn different things I might not learn in class such as slang and other small things that are similar. I also would love to explore the culture in person for myself such as eating manners, going to a Japanese school, watching anime, how you should dress in certain places, etc.

Trips like these are essential because they help you grow as a well-rounded, culturally sensitive human being, and it would not be just from what we learn in America, but instead what we get from actually interacting with the people in their home spaces. I plan to study abroad many more times while here at Spelman, and I implore many of my other sisters to do the same so they may be able to experience what it truly means to learn about a culture through a non-American lens.