Opportunity of a lifetime. A year of study abroad.

Back in March 2024 I set off on one of my biggest life challenges yet, packing everything up and leaving everyone I know to move to Tokyo, Japan.

Now, 9 months later, I can look back on some of the best times of my life, and reflect with joy on the challenges I have overcome and the connections I have made. Making the most of Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona ’s study Abroad program I spent my last 9 months at 日本早稻田大学 studying courses that would both compliment my Business degree, develop my academic knowledge in areas I would never normally reach and learn a new language from scratch to conversational level in less than a year, here is what I learnt:

Resilience: Something I quickly learnt is that it is no easy task moving halfway across the world, from ensuring all immigration paperwork had been filled out, having to go down to Barcelona to secure my visa, to overcoming the Japanese language barriers, all before even leaving the country. It all required commitment and logistical planning to overcome challenges I’d never faced before.

Opened and intertational perspective: Although this experience has been a dream of mine for over 8 years, and was a big factor in where I chose to go to University, I never knew exactly what to expect. It is easy to say, “studying abroad allows you to immerse yourself in a different culture” and although this is something I was told countless times before leaving, I never really knew what that meant. However now reflecting on my time in Tokyo, it has possibly been my favourite element of studying abroad, living in such a lively and modern city and encountering so many Japanese and international students from all over the world including Ukraine and the middle east, I really think my perspective on the world has shifted and become much broader.

An understanding of culture: I really forced myself to be a part of the japanese society instead of just being an international student who just does tourism and only meets other international students. Joining a japanese volleyball club where I was the only non-japanese student and becoming part of the Wakeijuku family—a renowned Japanese dormitory that has housed influential figures such as CEOs, UN representatives, and the celebrated author Haruki Murakami, was the best decision I ever did. I managed to really live student life like a japanese student does, making me learn how japanese society really works from the inside. From music to TV I forced myself to do everything I did in japanese not only to immerse myself in the language but also the culture. I learned new ways of having fun in their 飲み会 (nomikai) and acquired their sense of respect and manners.

Friendships and connections: This experience has allowed me to foster friendships with people on all sides of the world, this both being thanks to the international nature of the university but also being surrounded by other students on exchange, likeminded in the matter of making the most of the opportunity, and maximising the experience that Japan presents. I’ve made many friends from around the globe that I know I will stay in contact with.

Furthermore, I forged meaningful connections with many wonderful Japanese people, both at university and throughout my journey in Japan. These new friends are now eagerly awaiting my return to the Land of the Rising Sun. It was profoundly fulfilling when they told me I had become one of them, that I was already Japanese in their eyes. Considering the common belief in internet posts that international individuals will never be fully accepted as Japanese, their words deeply moved me. This reflects my dedication to immersing myself fully in the culture.

Being opportunistic: Although this 9-month long experience was centred around studying, I have been able to get up to so much more, taking weekends and short breaks to get out of the city and pick up new hobbies and experiences. With Japan being so famed for their student clubs and circles it felt only right to try joining clubs of sports I never practiced like Golf or Volleyball. I met people through university clubs I joined, on my courses, at social events and in my accommodation. One of the biggest things I learnt on my study abroad is to make the most of every opportunity, and being surrounded by like minded individuals results in great connections.

Not only has this been great for my year abroad but I return to Barcelona determined to make even more of my remaining time at University by adopting the same approach of making to most of my time I adopted whilst in a new country.

Independence: From moving to Japan with zero established connections and 0 Japanese language level, leaving everything behind, to writing this post as I return back home, I can only say that studying abroad has made my independence flourish. This really allowing for me to understand my personal values, and put myself out there, making the most of the opportunities that present themselves.

To anyone considering an opportunity like studying abroad, I would always say go for it. Despite the challenges that inevitably do come up, these just leave you as a more resilient person, and the rewards that follow are infinitely worthwhile. Whilst studying abroad has been a plan of mine for many years, the result was above and beyond my highest expectations.