International Studies Student Profile

IIS wanted some student volunteers to do profiles so that they could add it in their future brochures. Hopefully you’ll see mine in them!

1. What course are you studying?

I am currently a fifth-year student in communications and international studies.

2. Why did you choose a double degree at UTS?

I was interested in studying another language and learning about a new culture and ICS was a great way to achieve it. I learnt so many new things while I was in Gifu University, made a lot of new friends and experienced so many interesting things. It was an added bonus that my fourth-year felt almost like a vacation after the previous three years of stressful studies!

3. What country is your major?

I chose Gifu University in Japan because:

a) It was much cheaper to live there in comparison to the bigger cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto. My rent was three times cheaper than ICS Tokyo and it meant that I had more money to spend on shopping, travelling and going out! I did so much shopping; I went there with 30kg and came back with 100kg! I also saved a lot on transportation cost since the student dormitory was right on campus, making it so easy to go classes in the morning.

b) It was right in the middle of Japan and so near the bullet train line. I could easily travel to the north and south of Japan as regional transportation was really accessible.

c) I didn’t know it at that time, but Gifu is so much fun! It is a much smaller city in comparison but the people there are so lovely and friendly and I really enjoyed the country atmosphere.

4. Why did you choose to focus your studies on this particular country?

From young, I’ve always been reading manga or watching anime and this exposed me to a lot of their culture. As I grew older, I became more curious as to whether these media actually reflected their culture truthfully and so what better way to find out than to live at that particular country for a year! By the end of the year, I learnt what I had wanted to learn and I even did my major project on it.

5. What is your favourite part of the course?

Obviously the not waking up really early everyday to get to my really early classes! Even though the Japanese classes were really good and taught me a lot, the most enjoyable part of my experience was to travel and see Japan. Living there for a year afforded me the time to properly explore and interact with the people as you wouldn’t get if you were just there for a short time. In other words, you could study Japanese anywhere in the world but you can’t experience Japan unless you are actually there.

6. What did you enjoy about your year overseas?

One of the best parts was meeting and making new friends from all over the world. There were heaps of people from China, South Korea, America, Sweden, Scotland and Malaysia, and I was glad to have met them. They really enriched my experience there as they taught me more about their culture and language. I now know that Sweden is one of the most gender equal country in the world and Scottish people enjoy a bit of black pudding (made from animal blood) for their meals! Oh yeah, I also found out about the deep-fried Mars bar from my Scottish friend – so bad but tastes so good!

7. What were some of the obstacles you faced during your In Country Study?

The main one was the language barrier. I had studied two years before my departure but it didn’t fully prepare me for what to come. This became a lot easier with time as I studied and learnt more but I still struggle with conversations. Another obstacle was that I didn’t feel like coming home when my time was up; I was having too much fun!

8. What are the most interesting differences you have encountered between your chosen country and Australia?

The Japanese at my university dressed up a lot when they came for classes; the girls were all shiny and sparkly and half of the guys had crazy hair. Put my sweat pants and sweater to shame!

9. Where do you hope your degree will take you?

My future? It is a bit too soon to say but I am still studying Japanese at UTS and hopefully I can continue it in a masters program overseas. It could be a start of a new adventure for me and one that I look forward to!

Anything else to add?

If I could only pass on one piece of advice to future students, then it would be to do ICS or go on exchange. The experiences that you get from stepping out of your comfort zone are so valuable and you learn so much about yourself. Travelling is all about learning more about a different culture, meeting new people and expanding your horizons. I can guarantee that you’ll come back changed for the better so go do it!