こんにちは

I am a college student from the U.S. who will study abroad at Kansai Gaidai in the Osaka region of Japan for the fall 2013 semester.

I am still currently in South Korea, where I am studying abroad at Korea University in Seoul for the spring 2013 semester.

The original plan I made a couple years ago was to study abroad in South Korea and Japan, and I am doing just that. I'm glad I am able to do this. Thank you mom and dad ♥

I expect my experiences while studying in Japan to differ compared to my time in Seoul and what I do here. I think my blog for Japan will be different too and I predict that I will not make as many posts as I have been doing on my Korea blog. I don't tend to make personal posts or share so-called normal or daily life experiences. I don't share a lot of information about personal things and I don't post photos of my face. (That may change.) I don't think I will have the opportunity to go on as many excursions while residing in Japan. Also, while I am interested in Japan as well, I am much more familiar with Korean society and pop culture, so don't expect lots of links from me here (as opposed to my other blog). But these are just predictions. I am not yet in Japan and I don't know what my time there will be like. These are just some thoughts about my next semester and this blog that I want to lay down.
Also, since it will be my second time studying abroad, I may share comparisons between my two study abroad experiences, since I am bound to have many thoughts concerning this.


Since this is serving as my introduction post, I'll go on to talk more about myself. I am currently 19 years old. I am a sophomore and next semester I will become a junior, meaning I will enter my third year of college. This week is actually the last week of classes at KU, and next week is the official final exam period. I am in my fourth semester of university.
I live in the northeast of the U.S. My university is located in New York (the state, not the city). I am German-American.
I first became interested in the Japanese language and Japan when I was 13 because I met Japanese exchange students and began reading manga. I started learning Japanese when I was around 15. I took classes when I was 16 and 17, and have taken three semesters of Japanese language in college. This is my first semester not taking Japanese classes, but I will study Japanese again next semester. In the summer of 2010 I spent six weeks in Japan living with a host family in Nagoya and taking language classes.
Though not the official title of my major, I basically study East Asian Studies. I am particularly interested in Korean Studies. I really enjoy it. I am also learning Korean.

Though I felt regretful about leaving Korea and not being able to experience the fall semester at KU, I stuck with my decision to move on to Japan. Now that I am paying more attention to the program that awaits me next semester I am anticipating the new experiences I can have in Japan. I am becoming excited and looking forward to my time at Kansai Gaidai.