It’s the end of the first week, so it’s time for me to write my next blog! J
16 students from Florida International University, including myself, had our first official day of classes at Ritsumeikan University on Wednesday. Even though it was only the first day, we had a lot of activities!
My Japanese language class is from 9am-12pm every week day, so it’s pretty intense. Out of 5 levels, I managed to be placed in the 4th one, so I was pretty proud of myself! I have 2 teachers depending on the day, and so far, I like both of my sensei! I know I can do well in this class! Ganbarimasu!
After an hour lunch break, we had our first field excursion! I had no idea that our first excursion would happen on the first day of class, but I was really excited! Even better was that our first excursion would be to the very famous world heritage site, Kinkakuji (Golden pavilion). Before heading to our destination, we got to meet our Japanese buddies for the summer program. There were so many of them, and they were all very nice; a great way to practice Japanese conversation! Kinkakuji is very close to Ritsumeikan, so all of the students and the buddies literally just walked about 10-15 minutes. The site was so peaceful and breathtaking; I literally could not keep my eyes off of it. The scenery around the pavilion was just so green and natural, and I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life. All of Kyoto is truly beautiful, and the hills and mountains in the distance is an amazing site to see each day. Having Kinkakuji as the first field excursion has me excited for more, and I’m lucky that we have one almost every day for the duration of the program!
To end an already amazing day, Ritsumeikan staff and the buddies threw a welcome party for all of the international students! There was so much Japanese cuisine that I did my best to try them all! I got to make so many friends at the party and it was so much fun.
I didn’t expect my first day to be so long and exciting! I was really exhausted by the end of the day, but I look forward to the many adventures that still await me here in Kyoto!