It’s been almost exactly two weeks since the Pitt in Japan program ended, since I said goodbye to all of the new friends that I made, and since I left Japan (for now). 🙁 Despite all of the logistical issues and stress that I ran into throughout the process of applying and going on the program, I don’t regret any of it. The five weeks that I spent with Pitt in Japan were extremely fulfilling. Almost every day was busy and tiring, but so fun and I’m so glad that I got to experience this in my last semester at Pitt.

Going into the program, I expected to spend all my free time exploring Japan by myself. I didn’t expect all of the Konan University students to be so welcoming and eager to hang out with all of us. I also didn’t expect to get along so well with all of my fellow Pitt students who also came on the program. We spent so much time together, and now we’re definitely going to make plans to hang out back in Pittsburgh! My advice would be to stay open-minded and flexible in terms of meeting people and making plans; you never know who you’ll meet and what adventures you’ll have. Even the professors were so friendly and fun to spend time with; there were multiple occasions where we all shared a meal or hung out as a class. Also, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and go out and explore all that the country/city has to offer!

The summer program definitely has changed my perspective on my future goals. I’ve wanted to study or work abroad for a while now, but experiencing living in Japan for five weeks has definitely put it high on my list of destinations. If I could do it over again, I would! I also want to learn more Japanese: we did learn some survival conversational Japanese, and I’ve learned a bit thanks to my 32 day streak on Duolingo, but I’m definitely interested in learning more. The five weeks were almost too short, though now that I’ve spent over two months away from home (I was traveling around before and after the program: I’m currently writing this in a cafe in South Korea!), I’m ready to catch my flight tomorrow and finally sleep in my own bed. Thanks for reading along and going on this journey with me!