Pre-Departure to Japan

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Hello reader(s), Michael McLeod here. Originally, I was interested in learning Japanese while a junior in high school, but there were no such classes offered, and my other responsibilities as a student kept me from the pursuit of teaching myself the language. However, I was able to take Japanese classes in my first year of college at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was from the Japanese professors I learned of the faculty-led study abroad program when it was the time of the year to advertise the program, so I applied the year after. Now, it is one day before I leave to study abroad in Kyoto, Japan.

A majority of people I had told about my trip were very excited for me, especially my family members, but I did not share the same feeling. I would say it was more of wonder to visit somewhere totally unfamiliar to me. The way I thought of it is that I have only read or watched anything that has to do with Japanese culture through various forms of media, but now I have the chance to experience it myself. I am sure the excitement will kick in once I actually land.

Iโ€™ll do my best to go about the Photo Scavenger Hunt and uploading any other pictures I think are cool (hopefully). Iโ€™m not a great shot, so youโ€™ll have to bear with me.

See you all next week,

-Michael S. McLeod 

Michael McLeod

<i>*Rainbow Scholarship</i> Hello! My name is Michael McLeod and I am a second-year Computer Engineering Technology student at The Rochester Institute of Technology. Before I came to Rochester, I lived in Punta Gorda, Florida with both my parents and older sister. From time to time I enjoy cooking or baking if we have the right ingredients at home. I donโ€™t make anything special, but it does warm my heart when I can satisfy someoneโ€™s hunger. I love to be in the company of my friends especially when weโ€™re engaged in an activity. For example, this school year I grew fond of playing mahjong at the club at RIT. Iโ€™ve always been interested in how Japanese culture varies throughout the culture, so I wanted to learn the language as soon as I started college. Now, I have been studying Japanese for the past year and a half as my liberal arts concentration, but after hearing about the study abroad program associated with the sequences of classes, from beginner to intermediate, I decided to work on a minor in Japanese Language and Culture. So, this summer I will be going to Kyoto, Japan to study abroad at Doshisha University. There, we will be studying intermediate Japanese, and have a culture class which will include trips to Tokyo, Nara, and possibly Osaka. While in Kyoto, we will be participating in language exchanges with students from the school, so I am looking forward to improving my speaking. Additionally, there will be a one week homestay with a local family. Since I am looking into specializing in telecommunications, I am looking for a better global perspective. This way I would be a more marketable employee for international business whether it is for microelectronic design and development or network management.