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| The view from my room. and it never gets old. |
It was dark when we arrived at the dorm, so I could not really see the surroundings. When the sun came out, boy was I in for a big surprise! As I opened the blinds, I was struck with the most amazing view, my jaw dropped. I love waking up to this view every day! At the same time, my curiosity was awakened, as I saw in the distance what looked like a temple structure. I was so itching to go an explore it…. I just couldn’t wait to go out and discover all that Japan has to offer.
A little shopping and a lot of school orientations.
Guided by a student who has been here one semester already, a few of us went out to locate the stores in our area that offer food at affordable prices.
A little shopping and a lot of school orientations.
Guided by a student who has been here one semester already, a few of us went out to locate the stores in our area that offer food at affordable prices.
The first store we visited reminded me of the Dollar Tree in the USA.
The next store was somewhat similar.
The last store we visited became the subject of an intense debate in our dorm: The prices are excellent and the food is very good, but it is quite far from the train station, so we have different opinions on whether the distance that we have to walk is worth it. I say it is: Every time I go, I find new things that I had not noticed before. I am becoming a better shopper and a better cook.
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| Best super market chain in all of Japan! |
Bugs, and a cheap and easy way to get rid of them.
I was not expecting any bugs. As it turns out, my dormmate and I had a terrible ant infestation. The first few days in Japan I was bitten at least once a day, I was desperate. But I found a safe, inexpensive solution. Can you believe it? Dishwasher soap. We applied it on them and solved the problem. No more ants. We even used it, with great success, on a roach that was hiding behind the washing machine. So I can happily report that we no longer have a bug problem in our dorm.
Orientation Week
On the first day of orientation, all of us from dorm residence 5 were out and about sharing our experiences of the last few days. We were getting ready to take our first walk to Kwansai Gakuin University. You could feel the excitement in the air. We met our buddy team, which consisted of international students like ourselves, and 3 Japanese students who would assist us in filling out the paperwork that was still pending, and guide us in any way needed during our days of orientation.
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| Resident 5 members waiting for our first walk to KGU |
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| Kwansei Gakuin University |
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| Just admiring the beauty of the school |
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| One of the few gardens in the school |
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| Having lunch with our team. |
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| one of our first rain days |
The University hosted a Welcome Luncheon that was really exciting: there was fresh fruit and other incredible goodies.
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| About 200 international students gathered in one place. |
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| Photo credit to David |
And a tease for what’s to come:
Erik, a senior international studies major, is spending the Fall 2017 semester studying Japanese in Osaka through USAC.
Read more from Erik at https://erikarrjapan.blogspot.com/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
