Intensive Language & Culture in Kyoto, Japan 2017 Program

In 2017, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in the Intensive Language & Culture Program at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Through this program, exchange students were fully immersed in Japanese culture and language. Students were taught Japanese in classes taught by Ritsumeikan professors, and FIU students took an additional culture class. There were countless opportunities to interact with Japanese college students and experience traditional Japanese culture. Some of the activities I participated in were Taiko drumming, meditating at a Zen Garden, and visiting the Kyoto Museum for World Peace. My favorite activity was playing games with a Maiko-san and Geiko-san; they were elegant, and I felt lucky to interact with them when not even many people in Japan have to opportunity to meet them. The opportunities that this program offered me allowed me to become more self-reliant, adaptable to unfamiliar environments, and capable of communicating through language barriers.