Why did I choose to major in Japanese Language and Culture? In high school I was blessed with the ability to pretty much choose what language I wanted to learn. I was home schooled so I was given a chance to decide on my own. I wanted to learn a language that was very different from English and Spanish. languages that I could hear in my household . I chose Japanese because I was already interested in the cultural part of Japan from a fairly young age. I began to study Japanese through books and computer programs. It was actually my favorite part of the school day, but I never planned to really use the language for anything more than the fun of learning. Eventually it was time for me to begin thinking about college and what I wanted to study and where. I had a couple of ideas of what I wanted to do, but for the most part I was very indecisive. One night I prayed for guidance, and literally the next day I received an email from Oklahoma State University describing their study abroad program. The one location they highlighted the most was Japan. This was the first time I ever imagined the possibility of going to Japan. I was just a home schooled kid in rural Oklahoma. The outside world felt like a faint dream that didn't really exist. I then began to consider the possibility of going to Japan, and maybe even living there. I actually never considered going to college in Oklahoma, for some reason I really wanted to go to California. I began to look for schools in California that would allow me to study abroad in Japan. I found California State University Monterey Bay, which had a good international program and a major in Japanese Language and Culture.
I applied to CSUMB and was accepted.My goals were to study abroad in Japan and to continue learning Japanese from where I left off in high school. I didn't have a specific goal for my level of Japanese, I just wanted to continue learning. During my junior year of college I was very blessed with the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Shiga Prefefecture for nearly 15 months. I elaborate more about my study abroad experience here. Through my studies at CSU Monterey Bay and the University of Shiga Prefecture, I am really happy with my reading ability in Japanese. I still have so much to learn in terms of grammar and advanced kanji recognition, but I am happy with my progress so far. I hope to continue strengthening my speaking as well. I feel that that is my weakness. I was recently accepted in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). I am very thankful to my professors who guided me through the application process and wrote recommendation letters on my behalf. I am very humbled to receive help in such a manner. I have been given another chance to live in Japan, and I hope to continue my journey of learning the Japanese language.
I applied to CSUMB and was accepted.My goals were to study abroad in Japan and to continue learning Japanese from where I left off in high school. I didn't have a specific goal for my level of Japanese, I just wanted to continue learning. During my junior year of college I was very blessed with the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Shiga Prefefecture for nearly 15 months. I elaborate more about my study abroad experience here. Through my studies at CSU Monterey Bay and the University of Shiga Prefecture, I am really happy with my reading ability in Japanese. I still have so much to learn in terms of grammar and advanced kanji recognition, but I am happy with my progress so far. I hope to continue strengthening my speaking as well. I feel that that is my weakness. I was recently accepted in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). I am very thankful to my professors who guided me through the application process and wrote recommendation letters on my behalf. I am very humbled to receive help in such a manner. I have been given another chance to live in Japan, and I hope to continue my journey of learning the Japanese language.