So I was informed today that the letter from the Dean has been sent, and my Certificate of Eligibility is on it's way here. I'm going to get it, run down to Atlanta (GA), grab my VISA, and then I'll be off to Japan.
I'm happy and excited. Even though it's 4:20am, I'm wide awake because I just read that email. Yay! I'm actually going to go! My family has been trying to keep me down to earth by saying that "maybe you wont get to go," especially my mom since I'll be so far away, but "confidence begets confidence" (from a fortune cookie), and I held onto every ounce of hope and it feels like I might actually be going. Yay!
I'll probably post a video before I leave, just to say "Yo, what's up. I'M GOING TO JAPAN!" I'll answer any questions, if you have any. PrinceAriketh(at)gmail.com
Showing posts with label Visa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Visa. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Biggest Issue Thus Far
So I've been having some issues recently, specifically with getting my VISA, so let me give you a rundown of exactly what has gone on.
So the head university in the partnership held my application for a little bit longer than expected, but it eventually made it's way to my choice about the end of January. We've all been working hard to get myself and the other student to Japan, but my adviser has been less than helpful.
Everything was fine until we found out that the Dean of my college had yet to write me a letter. After about 2 weeks of myself, my Japanese teacher, and my Study Abroad adviser trying to get him to write me one, my Study Abroad adviser wrote one for me, but I need one from the Dean of my college when I get to Japan.
On top of this, I have been studying and hard at work on some personal projects. The projects are mostly just game ideas that I have and I work on them until I run out of stuff to work on.
Remember: if you have any questions, email me at PrinceAriketh(at)gmail.com and I'll respond on here.
So the head university in the partnership held my application for a little bit longer than expected, but it eventually made it's way to my choice about the end of January. We've all been working hard to get myself and the other student to Japan, but my adviser has been less than helpful.
Everything was fine until we found out that the Dean of my college had yet to write me a letter. After about 2 weeks of myself, my Japanese teacher, and my Study Abroad adviser trying to get him to write me one, my Study Abroad adviser wrote one for me, but I need one from the Dean of my college when I get to Japan.
On top of this, I have been studying and hard at work on some personal projects. The projects are mostly just game ideas that I have and I work on them until I run out of stuff to work on.
Remember: if you have any questions, email me at PrinceAriketh(at)gmail.com and I'll respond on here.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Getting Ready For Japan
Studying Abroad can be a lot of work, totally overwhelming, and scary, so I thought I'd give you a rundown of what I've done thus far to get ready for it. I am in no way saying you have to do any of this, but I am documenting my experience so maybe you can learn from it.
Fall of 2007 (First semester of college)
- Talked to the head of the Study Abroad department about going to Asia, namely Japan.
- Began to attend "Japanese Table," which was made to help reinforce what we learned in class. I guess you could say it was kind of like a "Japanese Club."
- Started making plans to go on the summer trip to Japan.
- To help prepare me, I took Japanese I, Chinese I (Kanji), and Japanese Pop Culture.
Spring of 2008 (Second semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad.
- Continued attending Japanese Table.
- Continued with my summer trip meetings.
- Continuing my preparation, I took Japanese II, Eastern Religious Traditions, Chinese Culture (give me a wider view of Asia as a whole), and an independent study on Shinto.
Summer of 2008
- Traveled to Japan with my Sensei, the Study Abroad adviser, and 27 other students. It was my first airplane ride, first time out of the country, and first time going to Japan. It what helped me decide that I really wanted to do this.
Fall of 2008 (Third semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad, filled out A TON of paperwork, and had it all sent over to Japan. It wasn't until around this time that I finally decided on which university I wanted to go to.
- Attended a couple of meetings designed for Study Abroad students, met another student who was planning on going to the same university, and got some advice from my Sensei and a student who went to the university the previous semester.
- Through the student who went there previously, I got in contact with a student (who is fluent in English) from the university and have gotten lots of advice and help from him, especially with a couple of forms that were in Japanese.
- Continued Japanese Table.
- I took Japanese III and the minimum amount of hours (12) so that I could focus on spending more time with Japanese.
Spring of 2009 (Fourth semester of college)
Well, that would be now. I've been listening to my Sensei's podcasts and YouTubers like Gimmeabreakman, Hikosaemon, and tokyojosh. Since all I'm doing is waiting around for my acceptance letter so I can get my visa, now is an awesome time to study.
I won't lie, I get distracted, and things do come up on occasion, but I still manage to find time. I'm also ordering Genki I, Genki II, Minna no Nihongo I, Minna no Nihongo II, Minna No Nihongo: Kanji I, and Minna no Nihongo: Kanji II. "How are you going to use all of those?!" Well, I'm glad I pretended you asked.
My main goal is to get down a lot of vocab, so I'll make a bunch of flashcards using the dictionaries. My second goal is to run through verb conjugation, which will be assisted by my Sensei's podcasts. I also want to learn as much kanji as I can, at least for recognition.
Fall of 2007 (First semester of college)
- Talked to the head of the Study Abroad department about going to Asia, namely Japan.
- Began to attend "Japanese Table," which was made to help reinforce what we learned in class. I guess you could say it was kind of like a "Japanese Club."
- Started making plans to go on the summer trip to Japan.
- To help prepare me, I took Japanese I, Chinese I (Kanji), and Japanese Pop Culture.
Spring of 2008 (Second semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad.
- Continued attending Japanese Table.
- Continued with my summer trip meetings.
- Continuing my preparation, I took Japanese II, Eastern Religious Traditions, Chinese Culture (give me a wider view of Asia as a whole), and an independent study on Shinto.
Summer of 2008
- Traveled to Japan with my Sensei, the Study Abroad adviser, and 27 other students. It was my first airplane ride, first time out of the country, and first time going to Japan. It what helped me decide that I really wanted to do this.
Fall of 2008 (Third semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad, filled out A TON of paperwork, and had it all sent over to Japan. It wasn't until around this time that I finally decided on which university I wanted to go to.
- Attended a couple of meetings designed for Study Abroad students, met another student who was planning on going to the same university, and got some advice from my Sensei and a student who went to the university the previous semester.
- Through the student who went there previously, I got in contact with a student (who is fluent in English) from the university and have gotten lots of advice and help from him, especially with a couple of forms that were in Japanese.
- Continued Japanese Table.
- I took Japanese III and the minimum amount of hours (12) so that I could focus on spending more time with Japanese.
Spring of 2009 (Fourth semester of college)
Well, that would be now. I've been listening to my Sensei's podcasts and YouTubers like Gimmeabreakman, Hikosaemon, and tokyojosh. Since all I'm doing is waiting around for my acceptance letter so I can get my visa, now is an awesome time to study.
I won't lie, I get distracted, and things do come up on occasion, but I still manage to find time. I'm also ordering Genki I, Genki II, Minna no Nihongo I, Minna no Nihongo II, Minna No Nihongo: Kanji I, and Minna no Nihongo: Kanji II. "How are you going to use all of those?!" Well, I'm glad I pretended you asked.
My main goal is to get down a lot of vocab, so I'll make a bunch of flashcards using the dictionaries. My second goal is to run through verb conjugation, which will be assisted by my Sensei's podcasts. I also want to learn as much kanji as I can, at least for recognition.
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