I originally came across this opportunity through a simple email. Applied. And by miracle, found myself accepted. I’d come into it with narrowed expectations on Japan and the wonders it would bring. South Korea was a mystery for me, until it became an absolute beast of it’s own. It blew me away in every aspect, I was genuinely surprised.
Throughout both South Korea and Japan we visited various hip museums, old historical sites, abundant markets and thrilling gaming studios.
I found myself initially very shy with my fellow travellers. This quickly subsided, and I ended up becoming close friends with many of them. I learnt that being open to experience is by far the most infectious quality a fellow traveller can have.
The language barrier was a struggle at times, yet a simple Google translate always did the trick.
For anyone who’s keen on this trip, I’d totally recommend you just go for it! You’ll never have this opportunity again, and almost certain you’ll have an even better time than expected.
Were you satisfied with the cross-cultural experiences this programme provided?
I found the culture to be very well presented. We experienced various sites of cultural heritage, both historic and present. There were times when we were thrown into the deep end, which was actually extremely insightful. For instance, we ended up at a restaurant where no English was spoken, and strict etiquette on eating rules were thrown upon us. Instead of being flustered, we managed to get around this issue by accepting their culture and translating using either short commands, body gestures, or Google Translate.
Overall, I felt that we were given an adequate experience of what life would be like in either South Korea or Tokyo.
What skills do you think this experience helped you gain, and how so? How might this differ from the experience you could otherwise gain in New Zealand?
Certainly the most important skill I developed when on this trip was my ability to communicate effectively. I started out extremely shy, like most others. Quickly you realise that everyone else is in the same boat. We were all in a completely new environment which gave us all something to relate about.
I was extremely surpised at myself for how social I became. I clearly wasn’t the social butterfly, but I found myself getting aong with everyone. Discussing our excitement for the trip, what we studied, what we wanted out of this experience.
I’d definitely reccomend this trip even to those that are worried about the social aspects of it.
Did you encounter any particular challenges in preparing for or during this programme that might be important for future students to be aware of?
The programme was an extremely smooth experience. Everything was well organised and It felt as though no planning on my behalf was needed.
As such, a small gripe that isn’t neccessarily a challenge, ended up in the form of doing things that wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned. What I mean, is that having this set itinerary left us with little time to do the things I’d envisioned myself doing. To be more precise, I’d wanted to travel to Japan for the Tsujiki fish markets, Wagyu beef, to visit Fromsoftware headquarters, etc. I’d achieved a couple of these yet left wanting more. I suppose we didn’t nearly have enough time, hence left me pining to go back!
You rated this programme as one you would Highly Recommend to a friend. What makes you say so?
I definitely recommend this trip. It’s a great value. If you’re extremely keen on either of the countries, yet unsure exactly how to experience it, I’d say this is your best bet. Everything was streamlined and easy to follow along with.