It was quite a hectic journey, but I managed to make it to Kitakyushu. After arriving in Germany, my mother and I realized that our plane tickets were actually standby tickets, and w were unable to board our plane. We booked a hotel for the nigh, bought tickets for a plane on the day after, and tried again. Then, upon arriving in Kitakyushu, we took the wrong bus, because we have never used public transportation, and we thought that the bus that arrived was the bus we needed to take even though it arrived at a different time. Thankfully, the staff at UKK were understanding and even waited outside the monorail station. Right now, I'm just glad that I made it to Japan and that I don't have to sleep on a plane anymore.
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I've checked my bank accounts, I've packed my bags, and I've booked my flights. In less than 24 hours, I will begin my 2-day journey to the city of Kitakyushu. It is going to take 2 days because I am travelling around the OTHER side of the globe, instead of flying directly to Japan. I am flying with my mother because she works for a German company, and she gets discounts on flights. However, this means that we have to fly to Germany to get the most of the discount. Altogether, the estimated total flight time is 23 hours and 55 minutes, not including layovers. So, it will be quite the adventure for me, considering I've only ever been on a commercial flight once, and that flight was only half an hour. For now, everything is in order, and we are ready to go! Our flight leaves at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, and I'm eager to get going! Although, I probably won't enjoy the flights after the first hour or two.
As I've been reviewing/studying my Japanese, I discovered a new method of approaching the daunting task of studying Kanji. It is based around a series of books written by James W. Heisig, titled: "Remembering the Kanji". Albeit, this method somewhat contradicts traditional classroom methods of Kanji learning, as it focuses on the meaning of kanji, rather than how to read them or vocabulary. Despite this, I've heard that it can help ease the overload that many people face when learning kanji by tying the characters to familiar aspects, as opposed to unfamiliar or multiple readings/vocabulary words. The method is also heavily focused on self-study, which is perfect for the remaining time that I have before I leave on the 15th. So, I've purchased the books, and I will work my way through the 1st, and possibly begin the second over these next few months. Hopefully, I will be able to use this to supplement my classes while abroad and further enhance my learning. In preparation for my expenses during my study abroad, I have been mapping out a personal budget and saving as much as possible. I also began a full-time internship on June 4th, and I have been working 40+ hours to meet those savings goals. Using the average cost of living in Kitakyushu, I have been able to map out a rough estimate of what my total expenses, and I accounted for all other kinds of expenditures in spreadsheet form using an Excel workbook. Now, I have reached my last day of work, and I have exceeded my goals by a considerable margin! However, I need to take note that I still need to watch my money numbers closely, even for this next week, despite the fact that I am not working anymore. I need to remind myself that while I have exceeded my goals, that my supply of money is not unlimited, and I can't spend it haphazardly. After all, a lot of my numbers are based on estimations on how much I will spend, I need to take care and have enough spare savings to make up for that possible margin of error.
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AuthorMy name is Trevor Bogna, and I am currently a 4th-year student at CSUMB, majoring in both Business and Japanese Language & Culture. Archives
February 2019
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