The Beginning of my Study Abroad ♡

Back in the Summer of 2013, I decided to look into possibly study abroad in Japan after hearing about how amazing our sister school, Yokohama College of Commerce, also known as YCC, was from my friends who recently got to travel there for 2 weeks, thanks to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (my school)! After a few emails with the study abroad adviser, I learned more about the Vira Heinz program and application process, soon to figure out that it would be very possible to study abroad if I won! I'll mention later on how the application process was and how you could qualify. ~

So, I'm sure you're wondering...

What Is The "Vira Heinz" Program?

"The Vira I. Heinz (VIH) Program for Women in Global Leadership prepares women for tomorrow's global challenges by offering a unique opportunity for international experiences, leadership development and community service. Universities and colleges across Pennsylvania participate in the VIH Program. Three young women from each institution are admitted into the program and receive a scholarship of at least $5,000 to put toward the cost of an international experience of their choosing." (source: http://viraheinz.pitt.edu)

It is still unreal to have been chosen as one of the 3 winners for this scholarship! It wasn't really easy at all, but this award money will cover nearly all of my costs for the semester that I am there for! Which any gaijin knows is a dream come true!

As an American exchange student, I am of course expected to learn as much as I can about the Japanese language and culture. I will also be taking a Japanese Language course there and going on educational excursions to the historical parts of Kyoto and Nara, how awesome is that?! To be honest, I really don't know a lot of Japanese. But thanks to my friend, who is an exchange student from YCC, I am learning more words and phrases while also studying on my own. Of course, I won't be fluent when I get there, but I am going to continue to study this language and do the best that I can! Positivity is key!

"Why Did You Choose Japan?"

A lot of people ask me why I have chosen Japan as my ideal place to study abroad. To be honest, I have always enjoyed the Japanese culture since I was young and watching anime! I feel like that is where most people begin their interest with Japan. As I got older, I became closer with my cousins who were Japanese and learned more about their culture from their Grandmother, who lived in Japan until she got married. My interests then eventually led me to a Japanese Culture and Language class at Pitt-Bradford, which I took during my freshmen year and had the opportunity to study Japanese and learn a lot about the country from my professor who had taught English at YCC for a whole summer! I found out a couple of days ago that he will also be leading a trip from Pitt-Bradford while I am there! I guess you could say one thing led to another, I could not resist turning down the chance to study abroad in Japan!

If you didn't know, I am also an English Education and Writing major. When I go to Japan, I will be assisting in an English class at YCC for a Summer Intensive English Program, which will eventually come to America by the time I have to return! I was so excited when my adviser told me about this opportunity because  it will get my foot in the door when I go to apply for teaching jobs, either abroad or in America!

The Vira Heinz Application Process

To be honest, this process was not all that easy. I had no idea how many fellow female students I would be up against, so the pressure to do the best that I could was intense. First, you have to be QUALIFIED for the application; have a 3.0 (they won't even look at you if you're under that.), never have been out of the country, and be in financial need. Luckily, I was able to qualify, obviously! The application was all online through Pitt's study abroad website, upon opening the application, there are quite a few questions they want you to answer. The questions required a lot of thinking and writing, I think I worked on it for about 2 months, towards the time that it was due (which was November 1st), I had been going to the Writing Center and getting my answers checked to make sure that I didn't sound stupid! Juggling my jobs and school work, I stayed up a lot and made time to work on my essay responses. You could say it was the most stressful thing I had ever worked on, but it was entirely worth it. I don't regret a second of it.

So, on November 1st, I turned in my application online. It was a HUGE relief to finally be done, but now all I had to do was wait for an interview, which happened the following week! I prepared as much as I could, trying to remember all the reasons why I was so passionate about this country and how I would explain it. Upon arriving at my interview, I could feel myself getting SO nervous, but it was actually a really relaxed and laid back interview. Although I thought I could of done way better when it was all said and done, I found out I had done really well and my passion for Japan had shown as clear as day. I waited and waited, and then finally, on November 25th, I was emailed that I had been selected!

This was so cool to read, eeee!!!

So yeah! That's about all I have to say for now! I will be attending a Spring retreat before I leave, which will be held in Pittsburgh, PA. And in about 4 months I will be headed out to Yokohama, Japan, where I will stay with a host family (which I still need to find out!! The wait is KILLING me!). In the mean time, I will be filling out more paper work to ensure my spot in this program. What a dream come true!

In later posts, I will talk about where I will be staying and what kind of things I want to see and do! If you would like to ask me anything specific about the Vira Heinz program, please feel free to contact me!