10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad

Johanna Jarvis, Class of ’27, is a Graphic Design major studying at Tamagawa University this Spring/Summer 2024.

As the trip comes to a close, after experiencing all the fun I had and lessons I’ve learned,  I wanted to dedicate my last post to some reflections and words of advice to those wondering! My intent isn’t for this to come out complaint-like, but more of a list of things to be aware of. I think also since it’s essential to think about these things, especially as someone who, like me, is a first-year just now adjusting to the college lifestyle as well. I want to make sure to bring awareness to those like me. 

1. To start off, I want to express that I had very little idea on what exactly I was walking into when it came to the lifestyle change for moving to Japan. The only experience I had in terms of places abroad were Western Europe (such as England, France, Switzerland, and Spain), where I walked nearly the same amount as here, I wasn’t there for as long because they were Girl Scout-heavy experiences (museums, badge ceremonies, learning experiences) or a vacation. Meanwhile, I also had experience in the Caribbean (such as Mexico, St. Croix, Trinidad, and the Bahamas) where there was much more emphasis on car usage or short term walking because there were mostly markets, and the heat was harder to withstand. Having gone through these global experiences already, I may not have known everything, but I had experienced differences before, so I felt comfortable in my ability to adapt at the very least.
2. In terms of food, as someone with a dietary restriction, I wish I looked more into the common meats, and asked more questions to my advisors about accommodations– especially as we had a dining plan while abroad as well. I don’t eat pork due to cultural reasons, and because I didn’t really say I was allergic, I don’t think the cafeteria/dining hall ladies took it seriously, or easily forgot. There were multiple times I accidentally ate pork because the dorm’s online menu didn’t have any signifiers on allergy or dietary warnings, just the names of the dishes. For example, there was a tofu dinner I was excited to eat, to then see they added ground pork. This happened multiple times, where it resulted in me only being able to eat white rice with seasonings since they didn’t have any accommodations for me. 

Ways to Combat This: Learn some vital vocabulary about your dietary restrictions (what they are, saying you’re allergic/can’t eat it, maybe even why but it shouldn’t be needed), grocery shopping for dinners, talking things out with the building manager in-case you need to take out the dining plan.

3. Another rough patch I took long to get used to was the big change in commuting efforts. At Drexel, we had our dorm on campus, easily 10 minutes away from each class, easy to walk to class and easy to walk back home. In Japan, we were 15 minutes from the train station, 10 minute train, and then around a 15 minute walk to class. This was okay as we always planned to leave early, but the commute along with the increase in humidity throughout the months made me become a sweltering, sweaty mess every morning! There was an option to take the bus, but they were typically full since rush hour is typically 6:30-8:30am. 

Ways to Combat This: Potentially taking the bus, using an umbrella while walking.

4. Leading to another part: weather. This is something I consider one of the MOST influential aspects to think about when considering Japan as a study abroad destination. Since our program is Spring/Summer, spring was okay, but summer is NOT for the weak. I realized this after my mom visited around a week ago to see me. She was not only unaccustomed to the heat, but also the constant walking around everywhere without many benches or seats to simply sit down and take a breather. Then, there’s the rainy season, which I think is a little late this year, so the humidity and rain are quite common. Don’t cheer just yet when you hear it’ll rain in the summer- that just means you’ll be dealing with both sweat AND rain water. 

Ways to Combat This: Cooling wipes, Umbrella for Shade, Drinking LOTS of water and some salt candies for excessive sweating (like I had to).

5. Lastly, one of the things I think would have made my trip go a little smoother was taking a Japanese language class beforehand. Though we had a buddy group/friends to help us out with translations, they were also students with their own schedules, and they weren’t there for us all the time. As someone who wanted to join clubs and make friends as one of my main goals for this program, the language barrier was without a doubt my biggest obstacle. There were many times I wanted to expand on conversations, but I simply couldn’t because of my lack of vocabulary. At the end of the day, I still had fun, and don’t let this deter you too much. Especially if you’re going into my specific program, you’ll still be dealing with first-year adjustments, so just stress on the mandatory things (trust me). 

Ways to Combat This: Self-Study or Take a Class!

Overall, I want to thank everyone from the Drexel facilitators, Tamagawa facilitators, Dragons Abroad, and many more for this opportunity. Without this program, I wouldn’t have made so many new connections, heartfelt and wonderful experiences. Don’t miss out your chance in a place you’ve been wanting to go! There may be some bumps along the way, but that’s just how life works! Experience new things while you can! See ya later!