Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

Upon landing in Narita Airport, Tokyo Japan, the song “Windy Summer” ( ウィンディ・サマ)by 80s city-pop and R&B/Soul artist Anri, played from the one earbud dangling out of my ear while a silent conversation transpires between me and the smell of the sea the very moment I step outside.

“Kono mi o hizashi ni makasete mo. Windy summer.”  (Then let the sun shine on you. Windy Summer.) The lyrics of this song accurately encompasses my experiences with CIS Abroad at Oberlin University. I felt myself illuminated alongside the paper lanterns and the colorful fluorescent metropolis that wove the urban grid of Tokyo together. It was the peak of summer and street food vendors beckoned to me to cool down with some shaved ice on my way to school. I took a class in Eastern Society and Gender—the academia I spent the next two to three weeks in enriched not only my understanding of intersectionality but the very foundations of gender issues separate from the Western perspective. We learned about the land and the people who shape it. As someone who majors in Environmental Studies, I think getting intimate with the soil beneath my feet and the relationships between human beings is integral to what I study. Some excursions we took were exploring the high fashion of Harajuku and the temples scattered across Tokyo like Sensō-ji and Meiji Jingu. It was amazing to me to see this blend of modern technology bleeding into relics of a rich, historical past. I felt nostalgic to a world I did not grow up in. I think there are some similarities though, with each meal I remembered my mom’s own cooking and found myself sending her pictures of everything I ate, both food and knowledge.

As a woman of color and daughter to U.S immigrants, navigating my education abroad reinforced my understanding of my pursuit for a degree as I exist in an identity of intersectionality. As I navigated the foreign language, learned about creating substantive changes in policy and immersed myself into a different culture during my time abroad, I looked to perspectives of stewardship, disciplines on the environment and real people with an open-mindedness to establish a greater appreciation for diversity despite all the hardships that inevitably followed. It’s important to have hard conversations in a school setting, it’s the first step to making things better. My time abroad acted as a catalyst towards maturity, I found myself becoming rapidly comfortable with being on my own. The support system I created in Japan was something I also did not expect, I made genuine life long friends and the memories I made are experiences I hold dear to my heart—looking back to all the Polaroids I took leaves this almost bittersweet feeling in me. I remember the laughter and the air being sweet, like they let the silver grass and blueberry bushes grow wild. Tokyo is a walking based society, my commute consisted of long train rides and long walks through the city—it allowed me to exercise my body and my mind. I could talk about my experience abroad for hours, and I want others to aspire to study outside the country, so they can make precious memories of their own.

Holly's program: CISabroad - Summer In Tokyo (J.F. Oberlin University)