Next Stop: Tokyo

Hi everyone!

My name is Madelyn, and I am a junior International Business and Marketing major with a minor in Japanese. This semester, I’ll be studying abroad at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. My semester doesn’t start until the beginning of April, so I’ve actually been on break since December! While it’s definitely been nice to have some extra time to relax, I am so excited to finally go abroad. A bunch of my friends are also studying in Japan this semester, which makes it even more exciting. I can’t wait to reunite with them once I arrive!

The cake my family got me :')

In this blog post, I wanted to share a little bit about how I’m feeling before leaving for Japan. As my departure date gets closer (my flight is actually now in just a few hours!), I've been experiencing a mix of emotions- mostly excitement, but definitely some nerves too. It’s starting to feel very real that I’ll be living abroad for the next four months. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan before, and I even have friends who live there who will be welcoming me when I arrive. Still, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little nervous about such a big change.

I’ve known that I wanted to study abroad since I was in high school, and I do believe it will end up being one of the highlights of my college experience. Learning about different cultures is something that is very important to me, and I know I will grow in ways I simply couldn’t in the United States. I’m excited for all of the opportunities and experiences that lie ahead, but at the same time, I do have some nerves about the whole process. I think that’s inevitable, though, and overall I’m feeling mostly excited!

One thing that has been easier than expected is packing. I thought it would be one of the most stressful parts of preparing to go abroad, but it actually hasn’t been too bad. I made a detailed list with exact numbers of each item I wanted to bring, which helped me stay organized and avoid overpacking. Packing cubes and vacuum-seal bags have also been absolute lifesavers. They make it so much easier to fit everything into a suitcase, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone planning to travel or study abroad in the future.

To close this post out, here is a list of the things I’m most excited for:

• Seeing my friend from high school who I haven’t seen in 3 years

• 7/11!!!

• Collecting stamps at train stations

• Making new friends

• Taking day trips

• Going to local markets

• Visiting museums

It still hasn’t fully hit me that I’m about to move to Japan for the next four months, and I’m not sure when it will- but I know this is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Thank you so much for reading, and I can’t wait to share more about my experience once I arrive!