I flew to Japan with no real expectations. It may sound strange for some people but I like not having expectations because it makes the experience that much more special. My flight was an interesting one, though incredibly long. I left San Francisco at around 1 in the morning. I’ve lived away from my family before but this was my first time living in another continent. I never told my family this but for a moment, as I looked at my family for the last time until the next year, I was a little afraid. This was only my second flight and it was much longer than my first one (16 hours in total versus 1 hour). I didn’t know what I should do but luckily, I was extremely tired – so I pretty much slept for the first flight.
I arrived in Taiwan for my first stop at 5:25 AM. I was slightly groggy but the walking I had to do to find my loading area woke me up with ease. My layover was going to be 12 hours long so I needed to occupy myself. Luckily, I was able to meet a friend at the airport so we ended up eating breakfast together. However, her layover was much shorter than mine and she left for Japan not long after our meal. The next 8 hours somehow flew by (it helps to have a wi-fi station near my boarding area) and I was off to Nagoya.
I arrived in Nagoya at roughly 9PM. Due to how late my flight was, I was the last of the new exchange students to arrive. One of the Resident Advisors (RA) was assigned to pick me up and take me to my dorm. It was my first time riding a taxi and I was surprised at how comfortable the ride was. During the ride, I glanced outside to look at my new surroundings, absorbing them in my memory as I realized that this was going to be my home for the next year.
My first impression of I-HOUSE was mostly positive: I was able to meet my three RAs and one of the exchange students from the previous semester (we called them senpai) was there to welcome me to the dorm. Then we moved my luggage to my room, which was on the second floor. I was surprised at how spacious my room was – it was larger than any of the rooms I had at CSUMB. As my senpai explained everything, I would often ask questions to clarify some rules. I don’t know how it exactly happened but the way my senpai and I were speaking and reacting to each other made the RAs laugh, comparing us to a comedy act. Whatever the reason was, I know that for my first night in Japan, I slept with a smile on my face.
I arrived in Taiwan for my first stop at 5:25 AM. I was slightly groggy but the walking I had to do to find my loading area woke me up with ease. My layover was going to be 12 hours long so I needed to occupy myself. Luckily, I was able to meet a friend at the airport so we ended up eating breakfast together. However, her layover was much shorter than mine and she left for Japan not long after our meal. The next 8 hours somehow flew by (it helps to have a wi-fi station near my boarding area) and I was off to Nagoya.
I arrived in Nagoya at roughly 9PM. Due to how late my flight was, I was the last of the new exchange students to arrive. One of the Resident Advisors (RA) was assigned to pick me up and take me to my dorm. It was my first time riding a taxi and I was surprised at how comfortable the ride was. During the ride, I glanced outside to look at my new surroundings, absorbing them in my memory as I realized that this was going to be my home for the next year.
My first impression of I-HOUSE was mostly positive: I was able to meet my three RAs and one of the exchange students from the previous semester (we called them senpai) was there to welcome me to the dorm. Then we moved my luggage to my room, which was on the second floor. I was surprised at how spacious my room was – it was larger than any of the rooms I had at CSUMB. As my senpai explained everything, I would often ask questions to clarify some rules. I don’t know how it exactly happened but the way my senpai and I were speaking and reacting to each other made the RAs laugh, comparing us to a comedy act. Whatever the reason was, I know that for my first night in Japan, I slept with a smile on my face.