Send Kayla Irvin to Study At Chubu University In Japan

Kayla Irvin Start Date: Mar 26, 2015 - End Date: Jul 23, 2015
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Chubu University, 1200 Matsumotochō, Kasugai-shi, Aichi-ken 487-0027, Japan

My Travel Story

by: Kayla Irvin Start Date: Mar 26, 2015 - End Date: Jul 23, 2015
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Cultural Exchange
My name is Kayla Irvin, and I grew up in a small town called Martinsburg in West Virgina. Throughout high school I was very serious about going into the veterinarian field because I love animals, I still love animals, however in the beginning of my college career I found that I was actually more passionate about learning languages (Japanese and Chinese). So, I began to explore my options on trying to find a school that was close and would offer both languages. I choose West Virginia University (WVU) for those reasons. Berfore coming to WVU I wanted to see which language I was more interested in learning, so I took a class online over the summer in the Japanese language. The class not only taught the language but some of the cultural chracteristics as well, like the politeness levels, the business etiquette, and the unique holidays, such hanami (flower viewing). I knew that that was what I wanted to study and I immediately fell in love with the culture and language. As of now, I have taken two years of Japanese studies, and I also spent one month studyingnat Kindai University in Osaka. In the past I have been fortunate enoough to have met many amazing people from Jpan and they have shown me that there is much more to the world than what we think we know. While most people find Japanese to be a hard language to learn, I have found it rather enjoyable, especially the kanji, since I also study Chinese. In my pursuit of my dream job of teaching English in Japan my parents continue to reject the idea of me one day moving to Japan, but I have discovered that I need to do this for myself. Being a teacher was my dream ever sincce childhood, but I had no idea that I would want to teach English in Japan. In Japan I want  to be able to better myslef as a person and learn about the world through a different perpective. I want to study in Japan because of my love and fascination with the culture, but I also want to prove it to myself that if I put a little effort into something I can accomplish anything.
Upon returning to the United States, I will be a senior in college. At this time, I will be applying for the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching program USA) program as well. With the JET program, I continue my journey of becoming an official teacher of English in Japan. Before I go, however, I hope to work with our International Studies Office and try to get more students to study abroad. After spending just one month in Japan, I realized that by studying abroad, one cannot just discover a new culture and language, but they can truly discover themselves if given the chance.
  • Chubu University, 1200 Matsumotochō, Kasugai-shi, Aichi-ken 487-0027, Japan

Updates

1

  • Application Process Is Going Well!!!

    Just Finished turning in my application to Chubu University in Japan. Now i am waiting for the acceptance letter and visa application!! Can't believe its only 5 months away!!!