PRE-DEPARTURE; Summer heats up in Michigan, but not as much as much of Japan

In much of Japan the summers are hot and humid. 
This thinking of summer, and Japan got me in the mood to do some DIY windchimes and I was looking up how to make furin or wind bells similar to wind chimes and came across a great site that talks about many of the summer inventions and practices in Japan.

Summer in Japan

Screenshot of the site which is linked above

It has some REALLY interesting things related to Japan summer. Some people even use items like groin and armpit absorbing patches, to better deal with the combination of heat, humidity and  the frequent wearing of suits for work.

Screenshot of the patches.

I also found a good YouTube channel that has great scenic videos and informative cultural explanations like this one on Geisha and Maiko differences.

I just thought I would share these Japanese summer themed video and info sites with you.

PRE-DEPARTURE; Bridging Japan and Gilman International Scholarships

Hello!

I thought today would be a great day to talk a little about scholarships since I just got news that I will receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and previously found out I will get the Bridging Japan Scholarship. Really, these scholarships are truly helping to make my study abroad possible. They really are. I don't think I could be doing this right now in this capacity if I didn't have these scholarships, to be quite honest.

So first of all I hear it all the time that students think you have to have straight A's or be super poor or you might as well forget about applying for scholarships.

But FORGET ABOUT THAT NONSENSE!
Seriously! I highly recommend reading the book "How to go to College Almost for Free", here's a G4 interview with the author Ben Kaplan. It really puts it into perspective that there are so many different kinds aimed at so many people for different ages, sexs, races, orientations, interests, locations,  heritages and other demographics that you just have to look and try!

It may not be as easy as sitting on the couch watching TV and eating cheese puffs during spring break but if you want it enough you can do it. I know, I have been applying for almost anything I can as long as I meet the eligibility requirements.

I applied for and received Journalism, Foreign Language, and Study Abroad department scholarships at CMU. I have even applied for other outside scholarships that endorse study abroad and language study such as the Gilman and Bridging Japan.

I worked my butt off writing and revising mostly during spring break but if you don't have the money and want to go study abroad, this is a great way to do it.

This isn't so much a soap box preaching but I like to see others succeed, and when I have fellow classmates saying they only wish they could go to X country, or study abroad, and I tell them to apply I see the looks that show they have shut down any notion of scholarships helping them.

So check out the book, or searches like College Board to get a head start on your search!

PRE-DEPARTURE; Summer begins

I. Semester update
The spring semester at CMU has now ended and the summer before my study abroad for fall has started. I plan to save up as much as possible for my ticket and other expenses during this time.

So I am continuing to write for Central Michigan Life as a staff reporter during this time, and am also searching for a summer job that can give more hours. Since we are paid per article not per hour CM-Life is great in addition to a summer job as a choice for me to save up money.

Also, I will hear about the winners of the Gilman and Bridging Japan Scholarships later this month. 

II. A Note on Food and Nara Plans
I have been in contact with Ryan Boundless who has a YouTube channel and Facebook dedicated to helping foreigners in Japan through videos on obscure things such as grocery shopping, and other cultural notes. Anytime you can look at what are called J-Vlogs (Japan Video Blogs) I would recomend it, since they have so many little and big tips about Japan-things you hardly hear about elsewhere. 

Other J-Vloggers I follow are Brother Annie,  Afternoon no Hirusagari a bi-lingual Japanese/English miniseries, BC Podcast, and many others who Vlog on Youtube about their experiences as foreigners in Japan.

Screenshot of the group page

Ryan Boundless suggested a Meetupsite called Vegan Kansai Meetup Group which is not just for Vegans, but also Vegetarians, and people just wanting to eat healthy. The group caters toward helping people to find other like-minded healthy eaters in the area where they share tips, and great food!

I also came across a great Organic Farmers Market find when I was searching on healthy foods in and near Nara! It has been in operation for about 2 years and is right in front of the JR Nara station. Nara Organic Farmers Market.

I absolutely plan to make my own foods, and want to meet the farming community in Nara so it is a logical step for me to frequent the market. Plus, I know this is a healthy and affordable alternative to relying on ready-made foods constantly. Foods like rice, tofu, eggs, and homemade Ramen are a sure way to make your money last while eating healthy.

III. Weather and info on Nara
I looked up the coordinates for Nara, knowing it would be similar to the weather in the southern United States but wanting to know more. Basically it was similar to South Carolina as far as the temperature goes.

I know Wikipedia isn't the best source of information, but it had the simple statistics I was looking for and a general overview of the terrain and climate information nicely organized Wikipedia Nara info.

Population comparison

*Nara Prefecture

Total population: 386,636 people

Density: 3,448.8 per square mile

*Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Total population: 26,016 people

Density: 3,361.2 per square mile

*Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Total population: 193,091 people

Density: 44,217.8 per square mile

So Nara has a pretty similar amount per square mile, but is a larger area with more people since the numbers I got were for the prefecture and not the city itself. 

This makes me happy to have an even more relaxed environment in comparison to my Tokyo experiences, even though the area of Tokyo I was in wasn't as metropolitan.

Also the region of Nara I will be in, according to Wikipedia and my friend Eric in Nara right now, is pretty mountainous. I'm excited since I miss the hills and mountain areas of Tennessee where I spent several years and love wooded hill-side areas, and would love to see areas like this.

Rounded Comparison figures from 

Wikipedia and The Weather Channel (fall semester)

Nara's Temperature & Precip.

*Sept. 66-83°F & 6.4 Inches

*Oct.   54-72°F & 4.4 Inches

*Nov.  44-62°F & 2.8 Inches

*Dec.  35-53°F & 1.9 Inches 

Michigan's Temperature & Precip.

*Sept. 50-72°F & 3.2 Inches

*Oct. 39-59°F & 3.1 Inches

*Nov.  29-45°F & 2.8 Inches

*Dec.  20-33°F & 2.14 Inches

I will be starting classes September 2 the month with the third highest rainfall during the year next to June and July in Nara. My semester ends in late December.

IV. Plans to Explore
During my 'researching' on Nara I found another place I want to go; Kasugayama Primeval Forest.

Screenshot of Kasugayama Google Image Search

I just read an article that gives a deeper look on Nara, Japan and they mentioned this beautiful wooded region that reminds me of something from the Japanese film Princess Mononoke.

Article screenshot at cnnasttraveler.com

And here is a video of the forest from BUSSYYYY's  YouTube channel.