“Studying abroad is the perfect way of experiencing a country. As an intern, I experience Japan as an everyday person instead of a tourist. My internship being for a high-end tourism company only affirms my belief! Studying or working in another country challenges me to work with diverse people in different cultures and languages,” reflected junior history major Katie Maier on the Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Tokyo Internship program.
“As someone pursuing library sciences to work with archives and museums, I need to deepen my language skills in my areas of interest. In this case, the Japanese language. Just as handling the historical material itself provides unique insights, stepping in the footsteps of history and tracing the grooves of culture myself has enriched my studies.”
Maier is working for bespoke and authentic Japanese tourism company TOKI Tokyo, where she is writing scripts for cultural programs, writing database content descriptions, drafting social media articles and other research-related content for analytics.
“Summer in Japan is also festival season. Even in the nooks and crannies of Tokyo, various shrines and temples offer memory-making moments amid the rainy season. Everything is novel and beautifully mundane, even when I take the wrong train. From thrifting to variety shops, Japan inspires artistic expression and makes it easy to grasp. Altogether there is revelry and creativity around every corner, making this study abroad experience nothing short of transformative.”
Maier is also the recipient of the Freeman Foundation Internship Scholarship, which is awarded by the East Asian Studies Center to provide students with valuable work experience and the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the region’s culture.
“As someone pursuing library sciences to work with archives and museums, I need to deepen my language skills in my areas of interest. In this case, the Japanese language. Just as handling the historical material itself provides unique insights, stepping in the footsteps of history and tracing the grooves of culture myself has enriched my studies,” said Maier.
“I've learned that I'm capable of doing big things. Studying abroad was always a daydream, a want-to-do that I never got around to doing. Now, for the first time, I've crossed an ocean—the largest ocean—into a new hemisphere. The result is more rewarding than any passing daydream predicted.”