My Life-changing Experience in Japan

 

Four college students sitting in a ramen shop in Japan.

I know everyone says this, but studying abroad truly changed my life. I took buses and subways with locals and attended a class in a building where other international students were also studying. Being in Japan felt so much bigger than myself. 

Four girls eating strawberries on a stick in a Japanese market.

One of my most cherished memories was going whitewater rafting with my friend Sophia. We invited everyone to join, but it ended up being just the two of us. We were exhausted by the end, and both fell asleep on the train ride home, but I will never forget jumping off a boulder into a river with people I had just met!

Riley Baum

Psychology in Kyoto, Summer 2024