Trading Spaces

09Aug08

My Certificate of Eligibility, as well as some other papers and information, have arrived.  Unfortunately, it would seem that the university has run out of host families.  As such, I’ve been moved to the dormitories.  On the plus side, this dormitory (which is among at least three or four others ran by the university) is the closest one to campus — right across the street, in fact.

While having a host family was my number one choice, this change isn’t too big of a deal for me.  When you weigh the pros and cons of host family versus dormitory, either choice is as good as the other.  For host family, you have a greater degree of immersion, as well as some nice home cooked meals.  But on the other hand, you have less privacy and some particularly brutal commuting times each day.  For dormitories, you live near the school and have a looser schedule, allowing for more freedom and time to explore; and in contrast to the host families, the level of immersion isn’t as high.  Either way, I’ll likely have an opportunity to have a host family during the spring semester instead of this semester.

The dormitory I’m moving into is called Nagoya Koryu Kaikan.  Each student is put into groups of four — three foreign students, and one Japanese student.  Each of the four students gets their own private room which has a bed (futon), desk, shelf, heater, telephone, and air conditioner(!).  The four students share a common area with a stove, microwave, toaster, bathroom, TV, etc.

My only dilemma is that I’m arriving in Japan on a Sunday, one day earlier than the move-in date.  Because I thought I’d be staying with a host family, I was going to have them pick me up on that Sunday.  But since that is no longer an option, I’ve reserved a hotel in Nagoya for that evening.  It’s centrally located right by the train station that connects to both the airport and Nanzan University, so I shouldn’t have a problem getting around by myself.

I’m heading to Chicago on Tuesday to get my student visa.  After I get that, I’ve got the green light to board my plane out of the United States in exactly three weeks from now.

Filed under: Japan, Study Abroad   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: dormitory, host family, Japan, nanzan