Summer in Tokyo

I chose the summer program for Tokyo, and by the time it was over, I found myself wishing I'd stayed longer.

Initially, I was extremely nervous about the social scene since I went into the program not knowing anyone, but I made close friends that made me less afraid to try new things (like singing karaoke in front of people I didn't know well) and to practice Japanese. Being in crowded spaces usually scares me as well, but I got used to the trains faster than anticipated since we commuted to class every week. I fell into a routine fairly quickly. We'd often start our mornings with a convenience store run and eat and study some more before class. I also spent a lot of time in the cafe of the hotel we were housed at and even made friends with one of the people who worked there.

The IES staff was a great help as well. When I wanted to plan a trip to Yokohama with my friends, we asked the best places to visit and good ways to get there. They gave us a lot of helpful advice. I'm also glad I brought some good sneakers because we walked a ton every day!