The past six months have been the best experience of my life. Whilst the challenges were real and the work was intense at times, Tokyo was an amazing place!
Not only do I highly recommend an exchange abroad experience for EVERY student, I also recommend the full year. Six months was not long enough. My fiance was waiting for me in Adelaide when I returned and I am so lucky to have him. However, my advice for anyone thinking about exchange is to definitely do it. You will learn so much about the world and yourself and meet the most amazing people.
Chuo University was extremely accommodating, but there is a lot in Tokyo you need to figure out on your own. This is the most valuable experience you will have. All the friends I made are friends for life. I saw mountains, Cherry Blossoms, Rivers, Beaches, Flashing Lights, Ridiculously high skyscrapers, fast trains, a less than diverse society and so much food!
The highlight for me was when I went travelling
for a few days by myself. One time I took a bus 1.5hrs through the mountains to get to a specific place “Dogashima” and the cruise I wanted to go on was not on that day due to the weather. So naturally, I had a coffee and then took the bus back to the city I was staying at. I met some great old ladies that I could practice my new Japanese with. It was nice.
Cheers and good luck!
Bianca Ambroso, a Bachelor of Languages student, Semester 2 2015 exchange at Chuo University, Japan
