12 hours to launch

Published:


So here it is…the moment of truth. I am looking at the clock and with each tick, my heart beats faster. I am not nervous at all, but rather bursting with excitement. This is a moment a year in the making and it’s finally here. I am just itching to see what new and exciting adventures await me in Japan. I know there is still a lot I need to learn about Japan, but I am ready to commit myself to this trip 110%. I have nothing in my way.

To all who have supported me during this past few months or longer, I am truly grateful and you have my deepest and most sincere thanks.

I have many plans for my future, all of which cannot be set in stone because my school schedule here is weird. But a few things can be certain. All of my goals and destinations I want to study abroad in will be met. I was supposed to go to China in the Spring but I decided to put it off because it would be difficult to organize and coordinate it from Japan. I also have service projects that neet to be done when I come back that need attention. All in all, this trip is very important to me and I plan on giving my all to learn as much as I can about Japan, the language, and the culture, and to build connections that will last a lifetime.

I will be updating my blog once a week while in Japan, as well as uploading pictures, and videos if possible. So, keep checking in to see what’s going on.

รฃรฃโ€šโ€™รฃยครฃโ€˜รฃยฆรฃยญรฃโ‚ฌโ€š

Take care.

Hector Santiago

Hector was an FEA Scholar in the fall of 2012. He studied abroad in Japan, going back to Japan to take part on the JET program after graduating from Brookdale Community College, and later going on to earn his MA in International Education at SIT. He currently works as a study abroad advisor at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey and runs his own business. *** (From 2012) Hello. ใ“ใ‚“ใซใกใฏใ€‚My name is Hector Santiago. ๅƒ•ใฎใ€€ๅๅ‰ใฏใ€ใƒ˜ใ‚ฏใ‚ฟใƒผใ€€ใ‚ตใƒณใƒ†ใ‚ฃใ‚ขใƒผใ‚ดใงใ™ใ€‚I am a 23 years old and am a student at Brookdale Community College and Kean University. I come from a low-income family and have yet to experience life outside of New Jersey. I have travelled to Florida before because my best friend lives there, but otherwise have not been out of New Jersey much. It would be a great experience to go to Japan and study a culture that interests me so much. No one in my family has ever travelled outside of the country either so it would be a chance to help move my family forward. I will be studying in Tokyo, Japan at KCP International Japanese Language School from October until December. During my time in Japan, I will be studying Japanese language and culture as outline in the course description of KCPโ€™s program. I have heard that KCP has a community service club that I would like to be involved with. In addition, I will be video recording my experience and making a video to show other students upon my return from Japan. Iโ€™m looking forward to every aspect of this trip. It is all new to me and I am very anxious to go. When I wrote my first letter to FEA for this scholarship, I was still having trouble deciding my major and how this study abroad would be relevant to it. However, over the last few weeks, Iโ€™ve decided, with great excitement, that I will pursue my B.A. degree in Asian Studies. What better way to study Asian history and culture than to be there? With the experience I get from this program, I would like to, if at all possible, start a Japanese program at Kean University when I graduate because there is none as of yet. This is why I am studying abroad through Brookdale Community College. My other interests include music, racquetball, and Goju Karate.