As I walked past my house door, bidding goodbye to my family, my dog, my friends, and lastly, my country, I realized a lot of things. I did not have answers to the who, what, and when that came to…
Tips and resources for international students for Winter 2021
In what feels like a lifetime ago, I was at the Toronto airport in June departing the city for an indefinite time. It’s now been multiple holidays and birthdays since and I do hope that it is getting better day…
Exchange Academics: What’s Different?
With social media, it’s easy to forget all about the “study” in “study abroad”! As a student on exchange, you’ll much sooner find me Instagramming a museum or a lunch out than my latest homework assignment. I’m sure other students…
Exchange Experiences: Learning about Japanese Culture
Culture shock is an infamous aspect of the exchange experience. It's no secret that living abroad can bring on homesickness, but it also presents a chance to learn about another culture, first-hand. Being half-Japanese, I didn't experience culture shock, but…
Going Abroad While Abroad
When I tell people that I’m on an exchange, I often get the question: “Have you done any traveling?” I always find this question surprising! To me, studying abroad is traveling in and of itself. Nonetheless, I understand why it’s…
Why I Almost Didn’t Go on Exchange
From mouth-watering food to New Year’s celebrations, going on exchange to Tokyo has been one of the best experiences of my undergraduate career. With all the joys I’ve blogged about, it may be hard to believe that just a year…
Surviving Exam Season: Japan Edition
On January 28th at 10:00 PM JST, I jumped for joy and started playing “Freedom! ‘90” on full blast. At this moment, I submitted the final assignment of my first semester at the University of Tokyo. Due to the different…
Thanksgiving in Tokyo
Studying abroad means constantly learning. Not always by sitting in class or studying at the library, but in daily interactions. Every day is an opportunity for cultural exchange– embarrassing myself during conversations, listening to my obachan talk about etiquette, and…
Interning While Abroad
I have two main vices. The first is my undying love for Starbucks, in spite of the merciful pleas from my wallet. The second is my (lowkey) obsession with LinkedIn. Last year, I saw many of my peers posting job…
Studying Abroad This Summer?
As the semester’s end is quickly approaching and the fresh breath of spring is in the air, this last week’s warm weather has me thinking about summer. A few months ago, I applied for the QES Scholarship which has placements…