When an opportunity to go abroad knocks at my front door, I welcome it in to my house and offer it a place to sleep! I love traveling to other countries to explore different cultures, not only to compare them to my own, but to take a piece with me when I return home.

I am studying for two degrees at UT, one in communication studies and the other in journalism and electronic media with a concentration on magazine publishing. I have a high interest in international communication. Traveling abroad offers a hands on atmosphere for new observations. 

For the month of May, I will be traveling around Japan with my boyfriend, Ben, who is a student at UT, and his mother. His mother is from Japan and is also excited to visit again.

No, I am not going to take summer school classes or for a foreign exchange student program. I am going just to go because I have always wanted to go.

Through the years, several opportunities to travel abroad to other countries came along and I took them. The thoughts and wishes of going to Japan were still in the back of my mind.Why Japan? My father has worked for a Japanese company for almost 18 years and has traveled over there on several occasions. Growing up in an environment so open to varying cultures, specifically a Japanese flare, planted a desire to explore the country myself.

Growing up, I became obsessed with traveling to Japan. When I was younger, my topic for a social studies project was Japan. My dad and I even built a model of the Golden Temple in Kyoto and everything. I loved researching about the religion practices, food, and large emphasis on arts and humanities.

There was an opportunity to participate with a foreign exchange program through my dad's company, where a student of an employee in Japan comes to an American student of an employee here and stays for a week and travels around America.

The next week, the American student goes to Japan with the Japanese student and travels around Japan. This sounds wonderful for both students, because even the native student may not have traveled to all the popular landmarks of their own country.

I wanted to participate in this program as soon as I was eligible. However, the first summer that I was old enough to go, my mother wasn't comfortable sending me to Japan when I had never even been on a plane. A 15-hour plane ride isn't exactly the best first plane ride experience. So she said next year. The following September was the 9/11 attacks and after that, my dad's company was not comfortable with the idea of the program for a while until national security was up to normal.

I was never able to visit Japan with that program.

Through the years, several opportunities to travel abroad to other countries came along and I took them. The thoughts and wishes of going to Japan were still in the back of my mind.

Needless to say, my excitement level about May's trip to Japan is indescribably high! Over the semester, we have planned activities in Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo and Embetsu. Ben's mother's family lives in Embetsu, so we will be staying with them on their farm. Yes, a farm. I am very intrigued by that too. I have no idea what to expect, but I sure am excited.

We are still ironing out the details as far as traveling to specific places in the cities. However, we are staying in a Japanese style hotel in Kyoto. I was happy to hear this news, but my dad told me of the great differences between the bathrooms in a Japanese style hotel and the hotels we are used to here in America. I guess I'll find out for myself!