Japan: Mia Lor
Program: UW Food Systems and the Environment in Northern Japan and UW Undergraduate Research Program, Summer
Mia’s Majors: Biochemistry, Computer Sciences
What is the most memorable experience from your program?
My most memorable experience from this program was learning how to make takoyaki and okonomiyaki (common Japanese street foods in Osaka) from our Japanese partners! This takoyaki party was a really fun cultural experience because there was a lot of teamwork that happened to make this party work! I was part of the group that was preparing the ingredients and fillings for takoyaki and okonomiyaki. There was a second group that was designated to rolling and flipping the takoyaki and okonomiyaki. The people in both groups would switch out so that everyone got a chance to go eat some food. And at the end, everyone came together to clean up the mess we made.
I learned a lot about myself during this experience. Before the program, I was a very quiet and studious person who dedicated most of her time to studying. However, this program made me realize that there’s so much more to life than textbooks and grades.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?
One of the challenges I faced in Japan was the language barrier. There were quite a few ways I worked around this barrier: google translate, asking the Japanese students for help, and switching the language from Japanese to English. Google translate was really helpful for translating menus or determining what some picture was saying. The Japanese students were also very helpful in translating menus (they would occasionally use google translate as well) or ordering food when we went to restaurants together. Finally, some places in Japan use digital check outs/menus, so you can easily swap the language to English!
What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?
I learned a lot about myself during this experience. Before the program, I was a very quiet and studious person who dedicated most of her time to studying. However, this program made me realize that there’s so much more to life than textbooks and grades. There are so many things I want to change this year such as joining more clubs and dedicating more time to socializing with other people because this program has taught me how important those relationships are. Even though I only got to spend two weeks with our Japanese partners, I now consider them to be some of my best friends.
How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?
The most relevant identity that impacted my experience was my Asian American identity. While I’m in America, I feel very Asian because of the way I look and act (i.e playing into Asian stereotypes such as the “smart Asian”). However, that identity was almost completely stripped when I went to Japan because everyone there is Japanese, so my Asian identity wasn’t as significant there as it was in America. Instead, this only emphasized the American part of my Asian American identity, something I had never really given much thought to before going to Japan. So there were times I felt frustrated or sad because I felt like a fake while I was in Japan. However, going out with everyone during the program and learning about Japanese culture from our Japanese partners really helped me with these emotions, so I would definitely say to put yourself out there and just immerse yourself in the culture.