Finally!! The official acceptance e-mail from the awesome program coordinator came in! It's officially official now! I've been accepted to go to ICU by EAP and now accepted by ICU to go to ICU. It's gonna happen!
Also, to all those who may go to Japan in the future (in Tokyo), my friend who is an international student from Tokyo recommended to me Tsukiji Fish Market for delicious and cheap sushi restaurants. He also said that the $1 Sushi places and Japanese "Fast Food" places are really good (Not like Mc. D's, but rather like fast Japanese food). Anyways... It's official now! Woo Hoo! Here I come Japan
I've decided that after talking to a representative from Osaka University as well as Japanese international students that I will not be going to Meiji Gakuin University. While their EAP program does concentrate on International Studies, I've been told that a school in Tokyo called International Christian University (ICU) is a much better school.
Since I'm not exactly religious I was a bit ambivalent about choosing this school, but I've been told and have come to conclude that it's not a religious school (duhh). It's more like an international school with a church. Ironically Meiji Gakuin has a church too so there's really no difference except for prestige I guess. I think I'll get a better bang for my buck through this program and here were many classes available for me to take in English at ICU which I could transfer as credit for my major!
I've filled out all the paperwork already...and it was a handful. For those thinking about studying abroad, it first starts with filling out an online application along with a few other forms (such as a photocopy of your passport) and bringing it to your campus' EAP office. After that's said and done, you willl have to wait a week or two to see if the campus accepted your application. THEN the real applications begin. You have a full list of pre-departure instructions that you must follow. There were maybe 10 forms for JUST one quarter... It's really not bad though, but I kept e-mailing the program coordinator just to make sure I did everything right. I REALLY only just finished my application since I registered my itinerary on arriving to Japan.... I also bought my flight ticket!!
OH AND I ALSO GOT A $2000 SCHOLARSHIP! I don't know how long that will last while I'm in Japan, but money is money, and any money is good because it'll lighten the burden that my Dad has to carry since he is paying for the entire trip. Scholarships are super easy to apply for... so I highly recommend it!
My plan as far as I know is that I will be leaving August 26th from SFO to LAX and after a 1.5hr layover, I will take LAX to NRT (Narita Airport). That flight is apparently only ~14hours, but it will take +1 day because of the time change.
I will arrive August 27th where I will take a train to my HOSTEL where i'll stay for two days until taking a train to ICU for my orientation on the 29th.
Lets talk a little bit about my hostel... which seems awesome by the way for its price.
Welcome to... Nui Hostel & Bar Lounge!
I will be staying here for only ~$27 a night!! I made my reservation and it looks pretty cool. I will admit the rooms look a little cramped but I mean what do you expect from a hostel? You can't expect that type of stuff when you're paying $27 a night. For the price and the ratings, I thought that this was the best hostel. Also, it's real close to Sensoji Temple which is a huge tourist attraction. The hostl is about a block away from the Sumida River as well... There is a festival for the Sumida River in Early August, but I wont be able to make that :(: (
I will give the two days to meet people and explore tokyo until I have to move to my new home....
I've also been making a list of what type of things I want to do, and where I want to go within these two days....
Mt. Fuji only stays open until Aug. 31st, so that's one of the things that I want to do... however, my friend from Japan that I met at school told me that it was a difficult climb that takes ~6hours both ways... AND that when he did it he say the sun rise from the top of mount fuji... I really want to do that now....... but we'll see =\
Anyways that's it for my update during my long period of hiatus. I've chosen ICU over MGU and have filled out all the forms and even bought my flight ticket... Now, the wait! 63 more days left!!! I'm getting excited!
((PS. there is actually one more step I need to do: I need to get my durn'd student VISA mid-July but I'm waiting for some forms from ICU in order to get my VISA so that's just gonna have to wait.))
