Learning abroad Highlight | Mai Bowles

Mai Bowles wants to be fluent in Japanese someday, so when they heard about the Intensive Japanese Culture study abroad program in their Japan 1010 class, they knew it would give them the necessary real-world experience to practice the language. What Bowles found throughout the trip, however, was that increased language skills were only one of many outstanding takeaways from the three-week summer trip.

Bowles's previous experience traveling internationally made their decision to pack up and fly 5,500 miles across the Pacific far less intimidating. Even still, they encountered a new challenge: the language barrier. Bowles’s prior understanding of Japanese became valuable on more than one occasion, but there were some times when their skills were tested.

On one lesson day, the group visited an elementary school to learn more about Japanese culture and interact with students, but they quickly found that communicating was a challenge. The children found the program members’ formal Japanese tone unfamiliar.

“Trying to communicate with the elementary school students was hard, but we all struggled through it,” Bowles recounted.

In the end, the exchange strengthened Bowles’s fluency and taught them to persevere and be resourceful, even when they don’t have all the tools at his disposal to communicate effectively.   
Through their lessons, Bowles’s understanding of Japanese culture grew deeper. While they had visited previously and knew a great deal of Japanese history, the program helped them gain a better understanding of how to communicate with people cross-culturally from a curious, positive point of view. They found that learning outside of the classroom in a foreign environment helped immerse them in their studies and gave them a greater understanding of the culture.

Bowles’s favorite aspect of the trip was meeting new people. Bowles quickly became very close with other program members and formed connections with both of their professors. To this day, Bowles is still in close contact with several friends they made on the trip.

“My program was so well organized, and all of the people were so fun to be around,” said Bowles, reflecting on their experience.

When asked what they would want to tell others about traveling abroad, they had plenty of advice.

“Don't always eat at places close to the hotel just because they're convenient.” they suggested. “Branch out! I promise some of the tastiest restaurants I ate at looked super sketchy but actually served some of the best food I have ever had. Stay safe, though. Trust your gut if you are getting bad vibes from something. When you're navigating where to go, Google Maps reigns supreme. It definitely made navigating the train systems a lot easier. Find fun activities to do with your peers, make some great memories with new friends and enjoy your time abroad!”

 

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Any views, experiences, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this student highlight do not necessarily represent those of the College of Humanities.