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Where would you study abroad?
- Thread starter StormingWynn
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I knew someone would call me out on this. Yes, I know where Africa is. That's why I included the "Other... Specify" option. No, seriously I just blanked out and thought I had included it. I guess I didn't. Excuse me, on my part. 😳
FIY. This is how the conversation flowed.
And what I said about racism.
Conclusion:
Please read the bold.
Racism exists everywhere.
My experience in Japan as an outsider = Japan is NOT highly racist.
My friends' experiences in Japan as an outsider = Japan is NOT highly racist.
Yet, Racism exists everywhere.
Thank you.
I hope the point comes across better since Storming always have the tendency to misintepret my posts.😎
And what I said about racism.
Conclusion:
Please read the bold.
Racism exists everywhere.
My experience in Japan as an outsider = Japan is NOT highly racist.
My friends' experiences in Japan as an outsider = Japan is NOT highly racist.
Yet, Racism exists everywhere.
Thank you.
I hope the point comes across better since Storming always have the tendency to misintepret my posts.😎
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Would you go to Japan for different mindset? Different pathology?
I'd go to Portugal. 😳
I'd go to Portugal. 😳
1) YES!!!! 😀
2) what is pathology?
3) I will go to Portugal to boo at Ronaldo.
👎thumbdown👎thumbdown👎and give him
for diving.
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Pathology is the study of disease. If Japan is more susceptible to a different set of problems than is the U.S., you could say Japan has "different pathology." It's like saying you see different pathology in the Bronx from Omaha, NE.
Yeah I knew what it was in medical terms but not in "country" terms.
Yeah, sure I would go to Japan for that too! Right? 😀
I am not too sure where Omaha is... but I am sure they are pretty different!
(at least in my opinion!!!)
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I travel to Japan often, and I love it; however, I would agree that it is more racist than some other countries. Not a big deal, especially as a white English-speaker with passable Japanese, but definitely true. Not condemning it - Japan is no more racist than some parts of America, and younger educated people in every country tend to be pretty accepting. The culture is definitely rich and distinct, and this is especially evident outside of the big cities. If you go to Tokyo, visit the Parasite Museum near Ebisu station!
I also lived in Madrid for a year during college, and I can recommend it as a fun place for partying, if not for cultural enrichment! (Although that Spanish will come in handy down the road...)
I also lived in Madrid for a year during college, and I can recommend it as a fun place for partying, if not for cultural enrichment! (Although that Spanish will come in handy down the road...)
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Any interesting places you'd recommend seeing?
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I guess it depends on what you're into and where you're going... I like the open-air farmhouse museum in Kawasaki, the big flea market in Kyoto, hiking in the mountains. Definitely make time to get out of the cities; maybe you know someone teaching in the Jet program that you can stay with? There are also inns in many small towns. If you can stay at an inn with an onsen, it's a treat. Hmmm, there's RIKEN research labs near Kobe, if you do any cell bio research and are a fan of their papers... Actually, it can be pretty fun to go visit college campuses in other countries. Go introduce yourself around saying that you're just visiting, and you can often pick up a fun group of guides-for-the-day...
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Hehe, I was talking about Spain, but since you brought those up I'll keep them in mind. 😀
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What i liked most about Spain is that there are gorgeous guys everywhere (i'm female and my guy friends said the girls are also amazing) Madrid is like a collection of all the handsome models you could squeeze in one city
In madrid i recommend going to the prado museum, I am not an artsy person but i absolutely fell in love with "las meninas" Go to the reina sofia and see the picasso piece "guernica" and after you are done with the mandatory museum visits that must be done in any european city...
Go to the retiro park, it's gorgeous and a great place to hang out especially when the whether is good
Go to sol at night (and during the day also i guess) there are so many people out its ridiculous at mid-night the place is so packed you would think it's rush hour. Stay in a hostel (unless you'll be there long term) it's a good way to meet people. And then please, please avoid the touristy clubs like "joy" Although one i would highly recommend trying at least once is Kapital... it is a huge seven floor club which you have to see to believe. and all the floors have different types of music. If you go there keep an open mind and try the techno floor I found the people down there least sleazy and every few minutes they do this fog thing from the roof that is amazing. I loved kapital. except the high price tag to get in.
and to close of a good night go and have chocolate con churros (amazingness)
you should also go on side trips to other cities. like Toledo is a small city near madrid which looks like the cities you see in fairytales with a Wall around it and all that good stuff
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Presently, I am studying abroad in Japan. I've been here for about nine months, and I'll be returning to the US in January. Most of my experience here has been classroom, travel, and social, but I'll highlight a few of the experiences I've found rewarding.
1. Cultural differences.
It's true: Tokyo is very similar to New York. It's crowded, loud, and bustling with energy all the time. But it would be in error to state that it is just like it. Every place has its own flavor, so to speak, and Japan most certainly does. For example: would you ever see a Shinto Shrine have its followers carry a portable shrine down the busiest street in New York with no complaints from any witnesses? During this time, imagine men and women in traditional Japanese dress standing side by side with men and women in suits, stands with fried octopus or riceballs just a few feet away.
However, differences run deeper than that. There is little directness. There is a concept of "空気を読む" (kuuki o yomu) which describes this perfectly. The closest English translation is "Read the air" - project meaning and read what others are projecting to you. It fine-tunes you for social interaction. You learn to read body language easily. I could give other examples, but that would be a little over the top.
2. Religious and Spiritual Differences
No matter how you spin it, despite America's foundation on religious freedom, the country is primarily Christian. Those who practice other faiths usually encounter some degree of alienation or questions about their faith a Christian might not face.
Here, though, the primary religions are Shinto and Buddhist. Most Japanese people I've met don't believe in an afterlife or the like; they believe in hard work to make life good for all around you. They pray, and there is a deeply spiritual aspect to most of their rituals, yes, but it is very different from what we see in America. And every so often, it is refreshing to be asked to explain a religious holiday to them. Now that Christmas is coming up, I frequently am asked to explain it to my classmates and friends. I'm also asked about Hannukah and other celebrations. I feel like I'm learning as much as they are when I explain.
3. Incidentals
When I say "incidentals", I don't mean things like what people wear or which side of the street people drive on. I mean the things that you find on your way through the stay that stick with you.
When I first arrived here, I lived next to a hospital. Every day, I would pass by an old man in a wheelchair and have a conversation with him to practice my Japanese. We grew somewhat close, and I looked forward to seeing him on a daily basis.
One day, I greeted him and he just stared me down. He didn't recognize me at all. His nurse told me he had Alzheimer's and was having a bad day. I was heartbroken, and it got worse. She told me that I was his only visitor - he had no family left, and none of his friends lived near enough to see him. I never even learned his name, and I was told he would look out the window in the mornings to make sure I didn't leave without saying hello.
Two months ago, the old man was transferred to an end of life home. I will never see him again.
It sounds strange, even to me, but if I'd never met that old man, I don't know that I might ever understand the concept of being alone. And I think it's vital that people know exactly what that is now.
Or another incidental might be the public transportation - the nonchalantness with which people approach a suicide on a train line. The way station attendents push and shove you into your train with no regard for where their hands go. The utter silence of the afternoon trains.
I don't think it precisely matters where you go - as long as that place is different from where you come from. I've been to China and Mexico as well, and I have to say it: until you've been somewhere completely different from what you know, you can't say you understand other lifestyles or cultures. So if you're considering studying abroad, I suggest you choose someplace you may never have considered going. India, Russia, South Africa, Germany - wherever you might find differences.
That's my two cents, I guess. And thensome. Hope it helped someone out!
1. Cultural differences.
It's true: Tokyo is very similar to New York. It's crowded, loud, and bustling with energy all the time. But it would be in error to state that it is just like it. Every place has its own flavor, so to speak, and Japan most certainly does. For example: would you ever see a Shinto Shrine have its followers carry a portable shrine down the busiest street in New York with no complaints from any witnesses? During this time, imagine men and women in traditional Japanese dress standing side by side with men and women in suits, stands with fried octopus or riceballs just a few feet away.
However, differences run deeper than that. There is little directness. There is a concept of "空気を読む" (kuuki o yomu) which describes this perfectly. The closest English translation is "Read the air" - project meaning and read what others are projecting to you. It fine-tunes you for social interaction. You learn to read body language easily. I could give other examples, but that would be a little over the top.
2. Religious and Spiritual Differences
No matter how you spin it, despite America's foundation on religious freedom, the country is primarily Christian. Those who practice other faiths usually encounter some degree of alienation or questions about their faith a Christian might not face.
Here, though, the primary religions are Shinto and Buddhist. Most Japanese people I've met don't believe in an afterlife or the like; they believe in hard work to make life good for all around you. They pray, and there is a deeply spiritual aspect to most of their rituals, yes, but it is very different from what we see in America. And every so often, it is refreshing to be asked to explain a religious holiday to them. Now that Christmas is coming up, I frequently am asked to explain it to my classmates and friends. I'm also asked about Hannukah and other celebrations. I feel like I'm learning as much as they are when I explain.
3. Incidentals
When I say "incidentals", I don't mean things like what people wear or which side of the street people drive on. I mean the things that you find on your way through the stay that stick with you.
When I first arrived here, I lived next to a hospital. Every day, I would pass by an old man in a wheelchair and have a conversation with him to practice my Japanese. We grew somewhat close, and I looked forward to seeing him on a daily basis.
One day, I greeted him and he just stared me down. He didn't recognize me at all. His nurse told me he had Alzheimer's and was having a bad day. I was heartbroken, and it got worse. She told me that I was his only visitor - he had no family left, and none of his friends lived near enough to see him. I never even learned his name, and I was told he would look out the window in the mornings to make sure I didn't leave without saying hello.
Two months ago, the old man was transferred to an end of life home. I will never see him again.
It sounds strange, even to me, but if I'd never met that old man, I don't know that I might ever understand the concept of being alone. And I think it's vital that people know exactly what that is now.
Or another incidental might be the public transportation - the nonchalantness with which people approach a suicide on a train line. The way station attendents push and shove you into your train with no regard for where their hands go. The utter silence of the afternoon trains.
I don't think it precisely matters where you go - as long as that place is different from where you come from. I've been to China and Mexico as well, and I have to say it: until you've been somewhere completely different from what you know, you can't say you understand other lifestyles or cultures. So if you're considering studying abroad, I suggest you choose someplace you may never have considered going. India, Russia, South Africa, Germany - wherever you might find differences.
That's my two cents, I guess. And thensome. Hope it helped someone out!
My girlfriend is Chinese. She seems to concur that there is a strong disdain for the Japanese (mostly due to the atrocities committed during WWII by imperialist japan) and the Japanese also seem to return the favor by viewing others in the region as beneath them. However, the Japanese don't seem to look down on China these days... if anything, they're afraid of China's rise.
Also, I'm of south asian descent and I can say my gf's parents view me as an outsider due to my skin color. Anecdotal, I know, but it's been my experience and I've heard from others that have shared my experiences FWIW.
Also, I'm of south asian descent and I can say my gf's parents view me as an outsider due to my skin color. Anecdotal, I know, but it's been my experience and I've heard from others that have shared my experiences FWIW.
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I'd really like to visit Ireland or Spain. Studied for 3 months in Southern Italy and loved it.
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I didn't call it racism; I used the word "xenophobia."
For all of you unfamiliar with Japanese train crowds, imagine being able to get on the following train without any human contact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug
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I spot a tourist!
Yes, the Shinkansen is comfortable. Traveling by shinkansen is similar to traveling by plane, actually. You reserve seats when you buy your ticket, and thus there is never overcrowding. If you have to stand on a shinkansen, you are doing something SERIOUSLY wrong.
As for the subway, it depends on the line and the time of day. My line is pretty chronically late. It's crowded in one direction in the morning and crowded in the other in the evening. It's also the second cheapest fine if you commit suicide via train (as is pretty common here, sadly), so it's the line most people jump on. Theoretically, you could have a NYC-like ride on many lines, but the most used lines usually involve some degree of packing and shoving.
Heck, on a good day, you can pick your feet up and hover there because you're supported by all the people crammed up against you. It's happened to me twice!
But like I said, it depends on what lines you take, and what kind of train. Maybe you were just luckier than most!
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Studied abroad in Africa before.
