Japan
In 2008 whilst taking Pacific Asian Studies, I opted to take the plunge for the first time and live in a completely different culture that I quite admire and wrestle with at the same time – Japan. I should also add it was my first time living by myself as well – what a wild ride that was!
Through the expansive Asian Studies exchange program that Kansai Gaidai University offers, I was living in Osaka in the Kansai region of Japan – the cultural heart of the Japanese people. The experience was surreal as it meant interacting with over 400 students from all corners of the globe on a regular basis for the first time – Swedes, English, other Canadians, Americans, Spaniards, Japanese, Icelandic and such just to name a few. Some courses that were very memorable included China-Japan Conflicts (the only one of its kind), Sumi-e, and International Negotiation. I’ll never forget walking along kilometres of cherry trees in peak bloom season with Asahi in hand, strolling around the Gion district in Kyoto for the first time, listening the stories of an atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima, the pure simplicity and nakedness of Japanese hot springs with a friend, playing Igo at a local club with some really talented old people, and the sheer energy of Tokyo. I liked it so much that I went back in 2011, this time to explore the Kanto region.
Poland
I went to Krakow, Poland to study at the Cracow University of Economics for my final academic semester of my business studies.
“Why Poland?”
Why not? It is inexpensive, gritty, and amazingly beautiful. Most importantly I wanted something that was completely outside my comfort zone – language, food, and culture. As different as Japan is from China, you can sense the overwhelming influence and legacy of Imperial China on Japan in its heyday. It was a relatively easy transition. In Japan I blended in, but that was most definitely not the case in Poland. Everything was different.
With the Polish culture and geography I definitely went through some dark times and struggles, but like anything worth doing, it was all worth it in the end. It was my first time interacting with so many individuals from continental Europe and get a sense of the complexities of European history and culture. For the first time I also met first generation Polish Americans who returned to the motherland to experience it on their own terms. That really resonated with me as that’s something I potentially would do.
Being in a former Eastern Bloc communistic country allowed me to experience things I would never will in a wealthy capitalistic/socialistic western/northern European country. The ruggedness, the struggles and the spirit of the Polish people are something to be admired. I marveled at the stories of communism from my friends and awed at how fast the country is modernizing. The legacy of World War II was incredibly apparent as I lived across from the Old Jewish District, the infamous Krakow Ghettos, Oscar Schindler’s factory and had the opportunity to travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps to pay my respects. The bone chilling winters, vibrant nightlife, the gorgeous once-a-year Christmas Markets, attending the incredibly prestigious International Fredrick Chopin Piano competition (hosted once every five years), the new years eve countdown in the giant main market square in Krakow’s old town were truly something to behold and experience.