MLO 5: Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion
5.1 Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Japanese cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community.
I had the genuine pleasure of attending Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. I had a rather lengthy list of things I wanted to accomplish while I was there:
1. Learn Japanese - I can say with certainty that I definitely learned Japanese while I was abroad, thanks in no short part to Ritsumeikan. The program put me at the perfect level, considering I was in the middle of the 300 level class at CSUMB when I arrived. We had about 70% immersion, as our language classes and basic, everyday chores had to be completed entirely in Japanese. For the more difficult tasks, such as opening a bank account, we had buddies who would go with and help interpret. However, because of the international community and the Open Study in English program, I feel as though I may have fallen back on English a bit too much.
2. Learn more about Japanese history - many of the culture classes available at CSUMB focus on current events in Japan, and pop-culture. I had learned bits and pieces of Japanese history, but I had hoped to learn more. That was another reason I had picked Kyoto, the historical capital of Japan; surely, there was no place better to learn about the history. In between my dorm and the school campus alone, there were at least ten shrines or temples. I visited as many historical spots as I could in between homework assignments. I also visited neighboring Shiga Prefecture, and toured Hikone Castle. You can see many of my entries on these spots in my travel blog.
3. Visit as much of Japan as possible - during my time in Japan, I visited Tokyo, Sapporo, Otaru, Osaka, and Hiroshima. I did most of my exploring in and around Kyoto, but those few trips I was able to take outside of the area were brilliant. Before I arrived, I had hoped to also get down to Kyuushuu, where I hoped to get down to Mount Aso; a chain of five volcanoes, Aso is home to Aso-jinja, one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and the region is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately, such a trip would prove too expensive, so I wasn't able to go.
4. Sunday Adventures - Like many students going abroad for the first time, I was nervous a few days before I was set to take off. I confided in one of my friends, who came up with a plan: every Sunday, I would have an adventure. If I had meaning to visit somewhere, I would go. If I had no set place in mind, I would pick a direction and go. I accidentally started on the very first day I was in Japan by going to an aquarium on my own (which was a bit of an accident, but a fun accident). While I was unable to go out every Sunday (I did need to rest sometimes), I was largely able to keep this practice up the entire time I was in Japan.
With these in mind, I turn my attention to the purpose of this MLO: Did I actively immerse myself in an authentic cultural and linguistic environment? Yes, I lived, immersed, in Japan for five months. Have I internalized the language and culture? Yes, upon returning from Japan, I felt the full scope of just how much I had learned during my time abroad, from the finer points of cultural behaviors to a higher fluency of the language. Have I developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community? Yes, I have a new, first-hand experience of Japan, and what it means to be Japanese.
Classes that fulfill this MLO:
This MLO was fulfilled by my time spent abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. You can find more information about my time in Japan by checking out my study abroad page, my LESCANT page, or my travel blog.
I had the genuine pleasure of attending Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. I had a rather lengthy list of things I wanted to accomplish while I was there:
1. Learn Japanese - I can say with certainty that I definitely learned Japanese while I was abroad, thanks in no short part to Ritsumeikan. The program put me at the perfect level, considering I was in the middle of the 300 level class at CSUMB when I arrived. We had about 70% immersion, as our language classes and basic, everyday chores had to be completed entirely in Japanese. For the more difficult tasks, such as opening a bank account, we had buddies who would go with and help interpret. However, because of the international community and the Open Study in English program, I feel as though I may have fallen back on English a bit too much.
2. Learn more about Japanese history - many of the culture classes available at CSUMB focus on current events in Japan, and pop-culture. I had learned bits and pieces of Japanese history, but I had hoped to learn more. That was another reason I had picked Kyoto, the historical capital of Japan; surely, there was no place better to learn about the history. In between my dorm and the school campus alone, there were at least ten shrines or temples. I visited as many historical spots as I could in between homework assignments. I also visited neighboring Shiga Prefecture, and toured Hikone Castle. You can see many of my entries on these spots in my travel blog.
3. Visit as much of Japan as possible - during my time in Japan, I visited Tokyo, Sapporo, Otaru, Osaka, and Hiroshima. I did most of my exploring in and around Kyoto, but those few trips I was able to take outside of the area were brilliant. Before I arrived, I had hoped to also get down to Kyuushuu, where I hoped to get down to Mount Aso; a chain of five volcanoes, Aso is home to Aso-jinja, one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and the region is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately, such a trip would prove too expensive, so I wasn't able to go.
4. Sunday Adventures - Like many students going abroad for the first time, I was nervous a few days before I was set to take off. I confided in one of my friends, who came up with a plan: every Sunday, I would have an adventure. If I had meaning to visit somewhere, I would go. If I had no set place in mind, I would pick a direction and go. I accidentally started on the very first day I was in Japan by going to an aquarium on my own (which was a bit of an accident, but a fun accident). While I was unable to go out every Sunday (I did need to rest sometimes), I was largely able to keep this practice up the entire time I was in Japan.
With these in mind, I turn my attention to the purpose of this MLO: Did I actively immerse myself in an authentic cultural and linguistic environment? Yes, I lived, immersed, in Japan for five months. Have I internalized the language and culture? Yes, upon returning from Japan, I felt the full scope of just how much I had learned during my time abroad, from the finer points of cultural behaviors to a higher fluency of the language. Have I developed a personal understanding and new perspectives of the community? Yes, I have a new, first-hand experience of Japan, and what it means to be Japanese.
Classes that fulfill this MLO:
This MLO was fulfilled by my time spent abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. You can find more information about my time in Japan by checking out my study abroad page, my LESCANT page, or my travel blog.