As great as the first!

This year, I had the opportunity to rejoin the WCI program for the second time. Previously, I joined back in 2018 fresh out of high school and went on my own. Despite the setbacks of COVID for many, this program gave me such great experiences just like before! I went in this session only knowing a basic conversational level of Japanese. While we had a mix of members who knew little to no Japanese and some who could almost speak it fluently, we all had a great time. It may seem intimidating to live with a host family if you don't speak Japanese well, but in my case, it made the experience all that much more enjoyable! I was able to stay with the same host family I previously had in 2018 and got to see them after five years. For the other two cities, I had made new lifelong connections to them and hope to visit them again sometime.

If you've ever wanted to go to Japan but are unsure about this program, I cannot recommend it enough! The staff are very kind and supportive, the families are just as nervous as you may be, but everyone has one idea in common: To get to know each other and share our culture. Sure, you can definitely go on your own as a tourist. Thing is, all you will ever visit and find are things designed for tourists to visit and find. If you want to see the real culture of Japan where you get to truly experience everyday life and the hidden gems only the locals know about, then this is without a doubt the best program to join.

Now as a university student, while this trip isn't related to my field, I've gained so many valuable skills and experiences from this trip that any employer would love to have. Before this trip, I couldn't have ever seen myself not only navigating a country with a language I don't speak. Reflecting now, I've been able to create lifelong friend and family connections across language barriers on top of significantly raising my own self confidence and leadership skills.