Thursday, August 18, 2016

On my way to become IUC student

Writing helps me to organize my own thoughts.
I make order in my life by writing either online or in my diary. I write since I remember and diaries take lots of space in my basement probably since the time I was 9. Often I do not know what I think until I take a piece of paper and try to verbalize it.
Words are never enough but our task is to try making the most of them. Find this one special word to express one special feeling. It can sound kitschy, trivial or vague but there will be this one person who will internally get it. Lately after a unique meeting I believe in the possibility of human mutual understanding in spite of all babble about lonely islands and relation walls.

Upcoming time will be extraordinary and will torn all my life apart so at least I want to try managing it by organizing memories. Call it castles on sand but know that I am not giving up.
Yes, I know that I am crazy about planing and organizing. Unending fight for the order which is then broke all of a sudden.
Anyway I do my best. No. Rather work on trying doing my best. You have to work on a simply process without being sure that in fact you could do more and your best was far below your limit.

On 21th August everything starts. Hello Japan again.

If you wonder what I am going to do there until June next year I will explain all doubts (and avoid questions). In fact thanks to this blog some people will be able to see how the life of IUC student looks like and maybe they decide to apply as well.



IUC, I said, what means Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama. Kanto. I add it because the simply though about being in Kanto, close to Tokyo, in difference to my previous stay in Osaka (Kansai) makes me all excited.

IUC is a language school for undergraduate/ graduate/ post-graduate students which is operated by different American universities but was started by Stanford University in 1961. Even now all application process goes through Stanford. Wikipedia proudly calls it top Japanese language programs in the world but mostly seems like it is top in creating American-Japanese relations.

In the beginning it was only for Americans then they opened it for Europeans and Australians. And here I am. All Polish alien among Americans as I see it now.

They offer both summer and all year courses. Most famous is this 10-months one which I am going to participate in. 10 months program changes into The Nippon Foundation Fellows Program if you are accepted to receive Nippon Foundation fellowship. This one is for graduate students who follow Japan-focused carrier in law, academia, diplomacy business.... I hope not to be the biggest alien ever in my Lolita dresses and Harajuku research..

The program is mostly about learning Japanese, getting some cultural knowledge and meeting IUC senpais, discussing your research, mastering reading academic texts in Japanese. It all ends with an oral presentation. Similar to Japan Foundation program I took part in earlier but it does not make my stress any smaller.

Seems like the stress is slowly accumulating and the amount of food with a special emphasis on the peanut butter chocolate is ridiculous. At least I hope that there is not enough time to get fat or at least on a moderate level. If still... this happens then I hope that cute staff in Japan will make me stingy with food so I will lose weight quickly.

Sunday all begins. If only fav peanut butter chocolate helps then I will continue eating it because probably there is no other way as surviving and the believe that the chosen direction is a proper one makes it worth fighting. And eating.
Sunday. Warsaw-Tokyo and Japan will greet me again. At least it has no choice. Neither have I.
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1 comment:

  1. Bon voyage! Have a pleasant time in Japan! I hope that everything will be allright.I'm waiting for the next post :)

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