Well, it's been a while. Five days ago I landed at the Kansai International Airport and have been finding my feet for my new life in Kyoto ever since (with a few leaps and stumbles here and there).
What am I doing here and how did I get here in the first place?
I am currently mid-way through an international dual masters degree program with American University: School of International Service and Ritsumeikan University: Graduate School of International Relations, studying international development and global cooperation, respectively. I finished my year at American University, and now I am in Kyoto, about to start my Ritsumeikan year. After that is done, I'll need to return to DC to wrap up my SRP (substantial research paper) at AU, but I will have two masters degrees when I am done with all this. My semester with Ritsumeikan starts during the last week of September, but I am here early, getting my feet on the ground and starting language classes.
Of course, being a full-time graduate student and a half-time language student sounds a bit like a silly idea, but I am full of silly ideas like this. This is also a part of my Boren Fellowship, so while silly, it is financed, and it means that I do get to improve my language skills while I am here.
Followers of this blog from when I was in India may already have noticed that I have re-branded the blog as "Where is your village?" after a conversation I had with a little boy when I was living in India. He followed me down the road one day as I was returning home from work and he was leaving school. He caught up with me and wanted to ask where I was from, but asked, instead, "Where is your village?" which really took me aback, as I did not really have a good answer for him. Even since returning from India, finding my own place in the world, wherever I happen to be, has been a very conscious journey for me. Now, in Japan, it is even more at the fore-front of my mind.
Consider this the re-launch of my travel blog. I will have thoughts on apartment hunting, phone buying, rainy weather, and a class full of Chinese students soon.
What am I doing here and how did I get here in the first place?
I am currently mid-way through an international dual masters degree program with American University: School of International Service and Ritsumeikan University: Graduate School of International Relations, studying international development and global cooperation, respectively. I finished my year at American University, and now I am in Kyoto, about to start my Ritsumeikan year. After that is done, I'll need to return to DC to wrap up my SRP (substantial research paper) at AU, but I will have two masters degrees when I am done with all this. My semester with Ritsumeikan starts during the last week of September, but I am here early, getting my feet on the ground and starting language classes.
Of course, being a full-time graduate student and a half-time language student sounds a bit like a silly idea, but I am full of silly ideas like this. This is also a part of my Boren Fellowship, so while silly, it is financed, and it means that I do get to improve my language skills while I am here.
Followers of this blog from when I was in India may already have noticed that I have re-branded the blog as "Where is your village?" after a conversation I had with a little boy when I was living in India. He followed me down the road one day as I was returning home from work and he was leaving school. He caught up with me and wanted to ask where I was from, but asked, instead, "Where is your village?" which really took me aback, as I did not really have a good answer for him. Even since returning from India, finding my own place in the world, wherever I happen to be, has been a very conscious journey for me. Now, in Japan, it is even more at the fore-front of my mind.
Consider this the re-launch of my travel blog. I will have thoughts on apartment hunting, phone buying, rainy weather, and a class full of Chinese students soon.
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