¡Me voy a Japón! (Con la beca Monbukagakusho de pregrado)

Querido lector:

La autora de este blog no sabe hablar ni escribir en español. El siguiente contenido fue traducido con su autorización. Todos los correos y formularios de contacto escritos en español y con preguntas específicas requieren pasar por un traductor y no hay garantía de que se ofrezca una respuesta satisfactoria. Si deseas contactarla, utiliza el idioma inglés y evita hacer preguntar específicas de un país o embajada. Por favor revisa la siguiente publicación para más información acerca de las preguntas puedes hacer: Por favor, NO me hagas estas preguntas (en inglés). También siéntete libre de revisar las preguntas frecuentes (en inglés).

Gracias por tu comprensión.

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English version: I'm going to Japan! (With the Monbukagakusho Undergraduate Scholarship)

Translated by: Carlos Balderrama

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Antes de comenzar, ¡estoy muy emocionada! Y no es porque fui al zoológico hoy (aunque eso también fue genial). No, es porque la carta por la que estuve esperando meses finalmente ha llegado:

20 de enero de 2012

Tan Pei Ling Eustacia
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Singapur



Estimada señorita Tan,

Beca Monbukagakusho (MEXT) 2012 (Estudiantes de Pregrado)

Es un placer informarle que ha sido seleccionada para la beca mencionada arriba por el MEXT para el periodo comprendido desde Abril de 2012 hasta Marzo de 2017. Se espera que salga hacia japón durante la primera semana de Abril de 2012.

A pesar de que recibí un correo de aceptación por email en diciembre, sigue sintiéndose muy bien el tenerlo en papel en mis manos. Ahora mis hermanas (también mis padres y mi familia) no pueden seguir preguntándome si es una farsa porque ya tengo una carta oficial (: Sólo necesito hacer que dejen de hacer esos comentarios insensibles acerca de que me volveré japonesa (el mensaje subliminal detrás de que traicionaré a mi raza).

Me doy cuenta de que no hay tantos posts acerca del proceso de la beca Monbukagakusho para licenciaturas, y también, por mi memoria de corto plazo, creo que en verdad sería útil escribir mi experiencia.

Primera etapa: Enviar los documentos

Esta debería ser teóricamente la etapa más sencilla. Pero ya que no tenía muchos de los documentos, me la pasé preocupándome un buen tiempo. Esto es porque apliqué antes de graduarme de la escuela, lo que significaba que no tenía ningún documento referente a mis calificaciones finales ni nada de eso. Todo lo que tenía era una carta de la escuela diciendo que las “expectativas” eran que me graduara.

E incluso esa carta fue un problema. La primera vez que la escribieron, se referían a mí como “él”. Y tomando en cuenta que regularmente se tardan tres días hábiles para escribirla, estaba en un estado de pánico. Todo lo que puedo decir es GRACIAS A LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DE LA ESCUELA. Especialmente por hacer una excepción a la regla de los tres días por mí.

Después, escuché que algunos candidatos (los que pasaron el filtro de los documentos) cometieron algunos errores, como elegir universidades privadas para colocación directa. Si nada cambia, MEXT sólo te permite aplicar para universidades públicas. Soy una persona muy cuidadosa, así que preferiría no equivocarme con los documentos, sobre todo si eso puede perjudicarme.

Lección aprendida: Asegúrate de tener mucho tiempo para llenar y enviar los documentos correctos.

Segunda etapa: Exámenes

Para humanidades, tuve que tomar tres exámenes: Inglés, Matemáticas y Japonés. (¿ya mencione que estudiaré Administración de Empresas?). La mayor dificultad de esta etapa fue el tiempo. Si recuerdo correctamente, tuve cerca de una semana para prepararme. Así que terminé repasando los apuntes del año pasado cada noche.

Si el inglés es tu idioma nativo, no debería de suponerte un gran problema el examen. Y probablemente no será un problema para la mayoría de los candidatos. De hecho, creo que las calificaciones deberían de ser las mismas para todos.

En matemáticas, por el otro lado, fue pesado. A pesar de que tomo matemáticas de un nivel más avanzado (no es que sea muy buena en ello, ya que saqué un 6 en BI), fue muy muy difícil. Le llevé algunos problemas a varios profesores de matemáticas (todos ellos brillantes) e incluso ellos tuvieron problemas para resolverlos. Pero por suerte, me las arreglé para terminar la mayoría de las preguntas, aunque he oído que hubo quien entregó el examen en blanco.

Finalmente, el idioma japonés es bastante difícil de estudiar en una semana. Todo lo que puedo decir es que estudien regularmente, por eso yo estuve muy agradecida por haber tomado clases previamente. Se supone que es muy importante, así que es necesario tener conocimientos básicos de los kanas y kanjis.

Tercera etapa: Entrevista

De nuevo, hay cerca de una semana de antelación para las fechas de las entrevistas, así que debes de dejar ese día libre lo más pronto posible (te dan un horario). Aparte de eso, otras dos cosas:

1.  Sé honesto (a).
2.  Practica tus repuestas con alguien. Tengo la bendición de tener a mi profesores de Negocios y Administración, quien pasó unos ratos para darme preguntas de entrevista de forma que no me exalte (tanto) en la entrevista real. Hay que notar que esto no contradice el número 1. Pensando y practicando cómo explicar tus motivaciones no quiere decir que tengas que inventar historias para contarle a los entrevistadores.

[EDITO] He estado recibiendo muchas preguntas acerca de la entrevista, así que mejor haré otro post y haré que den clic y clic y clic (además eso haría que las estadísticas del blog se vean bien). Aquí está lo demás que puedo recordar después de dos años.

1. La entrevista no será tan mala como crees. Honestamente. Las preguntas no son capciosas, son de la clase normal – “¿Por qué quieres estudiar ______?”, “¿Por qué quieres estudiar en Japón?”, “¿Qué planeas hacer después de graduarte?”. Por supuesto, las preguntas pueden variar cada año, pero deberían de ser casi las mismas.
2. Sí, la entrevista es muy importante. Es la última etapa de la selección por parte de la embajada, así que esfuérzate.
3. Esto es sólo una recomendación, pero creo que darías una buena impresión si fuera en un traje o en tu uniforme escolar. Pero si tienes dudas (sin importar dónde vías, todos se visten de una forma particular para las entrevistas), pregúntale a un profesor (yo le pregunté a mi profesor de Negocios, quien también me preparó).

Cuarta etapa: Exámenes médicos

Si he aprendido algo acerca del proceso de la entrevista, fue que los japoneses son personas eficientes, así que como en las otras etapas, tuve una semana. Esta vez se requirieron cosas como exámenes de sangre y radiografías, así que si puedes, paga extra para tener los resultados tan pronto como sea posible. En verdad ayuda si tu doctor escribe una nota a la gente de ahí (si vas a lugares fuera) para explicar por qué, ya que ellos podrían tener una política acerca de eso. Por supuesto, dile a tu doctor acerca de la fecha límite para el envío de los papeles, así sabrá por qué lo estás apurando.

Este podría ser un buen momento para mencionar que yo entregué personalmente los documentos en la embajada. A pesar de que el Servicio Postal de Singapur es muy efectivo, me sigo sintiendo más segura cuando los documentos llegan a la embajada, y por supuesto, ¡sabiendo que llegaron!

Quinta etapa: Espera

Esta es la parte más difícil, porque la espera es larga. Mantén la calma y ten esperanza.

NOTA: Creo que muchos de ustedes, mis queridos lectores, encontraron mi blog a través esta página, así que si tienes alguna pregunta, me encantaría que echaras un vistazo a estas páginas primero:

Preguntas frecuentes (en inglés)
Por favor, NO me preguntes esto. (en inglés) 

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English version: I'm going to Japan! (With the Monbukagakusho Undergraduate Scholarship)
Translated by: Carlos Balderrama

A Note About the MEXT Scholarship Allowance and Grocery Money

I met with a kouhai called Amber last Friday. By the way, I think she's gonna do great in Japan - she's very realistic about her expectations, and she's already fluent and familiar with the country. But a comment she made, and the few days of eating/fattening up that I've been experiencing after, got me thinking.

During my first year of MEXT, there was this period of time where I made several food posts. Like this and this and oh dear, I can't bear to look anymore. At that time, I thought I was being smart and frugal and all that, but well, the truth is, my eating habits were horrible. The food I was cooking was simply not enough, and actually affected my health negatively, prompting an emergency trip home.

And when I moved to Fukuoka, I simply forgot about this, until Amber mentioned it. Apparently, I had scared/made her think the allowance was so little that I had to restrict my food intake. So today's post is to share pictures and information of what I'm actually eating nowadays and reassure everyone that yes, the MEXT allowance is enough.

Eating/Cooking Habits
Since last year, I started cooking school. So nowadays, instead of cooking once a week and living of that, I cook about twice a week, and I cook a lot more. I also eat more vegetables and meat. Plus, there's a Hotto Motto near my station, so I don't have an excuse for skipping meals anymore. Oh, and for lunch times in school, I have a prepaid food card, so the hit to the wallet happens only about once a year. (Each school lunch costs about 340 plus to less than 500 yen, depending on what I choose, and if I add desserts/bottled drinks)

According to my Japanese friends, you should be able to cook healthily and eat enough (for a girl) for under 10,000 yen a month. Since I end up buying omiyage with my groceries, my bills are higher, but I think that's roughly correct. And if you buy rice from Rakuten, or share meat from Costco with friends, your bills will probably go down more.

So yes, please don't worry about food, and don't be as silly as me when it comes to eating habits. Health first guys! (And thanks Amber, for pointing that out)

Recent pictures of meals I cooked (So you know I'm telling the truth)

Nasu tomato spagetti 

Hamburg (with rice, not pictured)

If you need proof it was me who cooked

Mapo doufu

It's um, Green-tea salmon (my friend suggested the recipe), fried mushrooms underneath
and that tofu thing I like (forgot the name argh). With rice, of course. 

I hope this reassures some scholars who may have been worried about the allowance!

ゼミ results (Part 2)

A while back, I talked about how I was torn between two tutorials. Well, today, I got the results for the first tutorial application (we have to application periods - the second one is if you failed the first one).

But first, which ゼミ did I choose in the end? 

As I said before, I really like both tutorials, but in the end, I applied for the Corporate Finance tutorial, and will try to get into the Economics of the Internet tutorial as my sub-tutorial. The reason was that after talking with my family, it seems like Corporate Finance will make me more employable than Economics of the Internet (it doesn't teach programming, it's really just analysing internet companies).

More about the Application Process

For all tutorials, you have to submit a form (printed correctly), either nicely typed out or handwritten. The form asks for your reasons for wanting to enter the tutorial, but different teachers have different requirements. The Corporate Finance teacher wanted us to add the things that we can contribute to the class (mine was basically "I CAN DO FOREIGN STUDENT OPINIONS AND BRING YOU TO SINGAPORE. PLEASE TAKE ME IN").

For the Economics of the Internet tutorial, there was an added 面談 (mendan - interview) which I did because I want to take it as my sub-tutorial. Now that some of my friends are considering whether to take a sub, this requirement is a bit of a turn-off.

In the interview, which took place during a lesson -gulp, I MISSED CLASS-, the teacher asked me about why I wanted to join the class (insert story about ebook revolution and my interest in how it unfolds), and why I didn't want to take it as my main tutorial, and then, he brought out my result sheets and asked me why I only got a C for Microeconomics and Statistics. That last part was a shock. But I managed to explain why, and assuming that there's space in the class, I should be able to take it as my sub-tutorial. YAY!

Announcement of Results (結果発表）

 The results were announced at noon today. Of course, I didn't know the time, just the date, so I went there in the morning and was puzzled at the lack of results. But since we have our 政治経済学 (um, Political Economics?) final exam part 2 from 1pm, I went to study.

Oh yes, Kyudai decided to announce the results one hour before a final exam. And since there was one teacher who had 40 students apply, there are at least 30 students who will be disappointed before they have to take a compulsory exam (This subject is compulsory for us).

The results were stuck on the board. I tried to blur out all the student numbers, but I think you can still get a feeling of what it's like, to be pushing your way through the crowd to look for your number.

My future teacher is all the way on the left.

Thankfully, I got in!

For the exam season, this is probably one of the best ways to end my week.

Encouragement

Tis the season to hear from Kouhai's. I've been so so happy (and flattered) that some of you new MEXT scholars have emailed me to tell me you got in! Every time I get the email, it makes my day. And since we're well into Christmas season, I thought it was time for a more reflective post.

Here's a pretty but completely unrelated painting to start. 

Recently, I got a comment from +Zahratul Amanah my Post-Exam Wrap-Up post. If you don't remember the post, basically, I was sad because my results were not as good as I wanted them to be, and I was feeling a lot of pressure about what to choose for my university.

Of course, two years down the road, you all can see that I'm absolutely happy with my choice of Kyudai, because I have awesome classes (Studio Ghibli class anyone?), good class, and loads of chances to travel. And wear pretty kimonos.

I'm not saying this to rub salt in anyone's wound, but I'm trying to encourage you guys. It might seem like a big deal, but it's really not the end of the world. Tani-sensei has said this before, that we foreign students come here thinking only of Todai. We think the only good university is Todai (and maybe Kyodai). But actually, it's this gradually sliding scale. There are loads of good universities. Hokkaido University, Kyushu University, Osaka University, Hitotsubashi University... there is more to life than Tokyo University. Plus, move out of Tokyo and your living costs go way down - that means more money for things like fun and traveling.

And remember, MEXT chose you to get the scholarship for a reason. You may not understand why, in fact, I still don't understand why I got the scholarship. Especially when it seems that everyone else are much smarter than you. But the fact is, there's something special about you that stood out. Don't you ever forget that.

So yes, study hard, don't even think about cheating and choose your university wisely. But please please please, don't stress about it too much. And if you guys ever need to talk about university applications or stress or whatever, feel free to comment/email me. I'm always here to support you guys. 一緒に頑張ろう！

Here's a pretty picture from Mount Aso - PLEASE CONSIDER KYUDAI! 

ACS (Independent) Study in Japan booth!

I spent today at my old JC (Junior College = high school) to talk about studying in Japan! The idea was proposed by Austin, and since I had the email of one of the guidance counsellors, we managed to get it all set up!

*Dances about* I really want more juniors here in Japan!

Also, the school gave us water and a bookmark (with the school logo on it, of course). First time we've ever received these kind of things!

It definitely feels different going back to school with a purpose other than visiting teachers. Speaking of which, I didn't get to meet a lot of teachers, so I will have to go back again soon~

Our booth

We set up a booth in the SAC with a never-ending slideshow, some sweets, brochures and Austin's name card.

Us being hardworking

Amazingly, quite a few students came over to talk. Of course, I have to thank my awesome cousin, for bringing a few of her friends over. One of them was really interesting, he introduced himself as a "weaboo". Really funny guy ^^

But there was also another guy that came really well-prepared, he knew about the monbukagakusho scholarship and everything! The only thing is that he applied in the wrong country >< I hope he still gets to go to Japan though!

Most of the time though, we just answered questions about life in Japan, and what we feel are the advantages of studying there. These juniors might not have considered studying in Japan, but I hope we opened their minds to the possibility!

Plus, I saw two of my juniors (though I didn't recognise one), and met a few of my ex-cohort mates. Most of them couldn't recognise me immediately though, it normally took a few minutes. I wonder if bangs really make such a big difference?

For lunch, we shared (like I shared on Google+) PRATA APOCALYPSE! I was actually planning on introducing Austin to the C4, but then I saw the Apocalypse and had to try it. The uncle was really friendly too, and I found out that the prata store has a Facebook page too! Times have really changed...

Prata Apocalypse

Today was really fun! We gave out quite a lot of the namecards and brochures, so hopefully, some students will contact us, and one day come to Japan to study! I'll be going to RI on Friday for the same thing, hope it goes well too!

Frequently Asked Questions III

Pic unrelated. But Ajisai season was just over! 

Are you shocked? After doing on FAQ a year, I'm suddenly releasing a third one, what, 3 months after the second one came out. Well, I've been getting a lot of questions lately, and I realised that applications are around now. (Singaporeans, your application deadline is 25th July (Friday) )

Scholarship-related:

Is there a bond? (This questions is specific to Singaporeans)

Nope, there is no bond, but if you decide to take up the scholarship through the Singapore government, you do have to serve a bond. I believe it's about 6 years. You also get a bit more money is month.

Do you have to pay the scholarship money back?

Nope, not at all.

Who wrote your applications? Your teacher or your principal?

I'm not too sure, since I didn't open the envelope to check (it was sealed), but I think my teacher wrote it for me, and then the principal signed off it. It makes sense after all, because my teacher knows me better than my principal.


University related:

What is your opinion on the English language programs vs the Japanese language course? Is it riskier to apply to an English language course?

I'm in the Japanese course, so I'm obviously biased to that. I think, if you want to master the Japanese language by the time you graduate, you should go for the Japanese course. In the English course, there is less opportunity to intensively practice and study Japanese - there are Japanese classes, but things like reports do require lots of practice, I'm still learning about it!

As for the risk, I have no idea. I'm not MEXT and I didn't apply to any English course, so I can't help you there.

Are most Economics/Business related courses internationally recognised?

Probably. If you go to a public school, and especially if you go to an ex-imperial university, your degree will probably be recognised worldwide.

(By the way, Econs/Business people should consider Kyushu University (Kyuda) because we have QREC)

Does Japan have a double-degree program?

Sadly, no. But in Kyudai (at least), you can get an additional degree (actually, a diploma) with your bachelor's degree. Examples include the EUIJ program (stay tuned for more information), the 21st Century Challenge and the Japan-Korean college. I'm in the EUIJ program, so I can tell you that if you choose your modules carefully, you can graduate with an extra diploma without having to take extra courses. I'm not sure about other universities though, you'll have to check with them.

In your opinion, how academically rigorous is university in Japan (in reference to the Tofugu post about university being the spring break of life)?

So you saw Austin's post! Todai seems very very lax, but I study more than him (I think). Then again, Austin is also smarter than me so.... Personally, I think it depends on the major. For Kyudai Engineering students, they need a high GPA in order to be able to specialise in the area they want. But for Economics students, there's not GPA requirement (we do have to pass some modules). But I do believe some exchange programs require a minimum GPA.

Life in Japan:

How expensive is it to live in Japan? Is the scholarship money enough?

(This answer is the updated answer from the first FAQ)
The answer is: it depends. Tokyo is expensive, Fukuoka, not so much. While I was in a dorm in Tokyo, and in Fukuoka, the scholarship money is enough. Of course, if your rent takes up half your allowance, like in Tokyo, then it's probably not going to be enough :p

Are we allowed to do part-time work?

(Again, updated answer from the first FAQ)

The answer is "no" for TUFS and "yes" for university (after you apply for a permit for part-time work. It will limit the number of hours you can work per week - but be careful not to fall into the trap and work too much. Japanese students can afford to fail/retain, but I think we have to at least pass/graduate on time).

What is the weather there like? Is it dangerous to live in Japan? (Mudslides/Tsunamis/Earthquakes etc)

It depends on which part of Japan you're at. I haven't felt an earthquake since I moved to Fukuoka, and even the recent typhoon decided to avoid us. So I live in a safe area (with regards to natural disasters). I do remember experiencing more earthquakes in Tokyo though, although I hear that the recent typhoon was a non-event there too. (It was terrible in Okinawa though)

By the way, weather is... seasonal. I'm not sure how to describe it other than that. There's spring, summer, autumn and winter. If you're from a tropical climate, I guess it could take quite a lot of adjustment.

Is it tough living in Japan by yourself?

What a loaded question, I honestly think my answer will differ depending on my mood. But basically, it depends on the person. I'm fine, but there are people who find it tough. It depends on your lifestyle now and whether you feel homesick and all that.

(Also, I'm so tempted to do an in-depth post about it one day)

Personal questions: 

Why did you choose to study in Japan?

To cut a long story short (hmm... maybe I should blog about it one day?). I went to Kyushu for my ROCS3 program in school and fell in love with the place. Then in JC, I learnt about Kaizen, 5S systems, read Shusaku Endo and decided to come study here

And of course, I really wanted to learn Japanese, and for me, the most effective way is by immersion. So, uni in Japan it was! :D

Many thanks to Sagar, Seany, Keefe, Drew and others for the awesome questions! And thanks to everyone who wrote in with their experience and questions, I love hearing from all of you :D

Please check out the first FAQ, the second FAQ and the anti-FAQ as well. If you have any questions not covered by the FAQs or any past blog posts, or you want to read about a certain topic in-depth, let me know in the comments or through email.

Do My Bank Books Hate Me?

I was actually about to blog about Tosu Premium Outlets today, but then this happened.

When I say this I mean to say that I had to get a new bankbook. This makes it my fourth bank book, and I'm only entering my third year here.

Now, these bank books are insanely useful. I didn't use them very often in TUFS, but since I moved to Fukuoka and started to pay things through my bank account, I've found them to be very helpful in tracking my spending habits. Withdrawing money through the ATM card is convenient, but it doesn't tell you if you're withdrawing money too frequently, or if there are other purchases you made but forgot about.

And for some reason, ever since I moved here, I've had three bank books die on me. It appears that something went wrong with their magnetic strip at the back of the book.

So, for all of you living in Japan (and all of you to come), here is the advice that I've gotten from the people at the Yuuchou bank:

• Don't put two or more bankbooks together. Apparently the magnetic strip is very sensitive and the fiction can spoilt it. 
• In that vein, placing pieces of paper (like receipts) and such with your bank book is also a rather bad idea. 
• In fact, you should totally keep it in the plastic case they gave you. 
• And because these magnetic strips are so sensible, don't keep them in your bag with your handphone for long periods of time. Apparently the handphone will ruin your magnetic strip. 

Now that I know all this, here's to hoping that my fourth bank book will last much longer than the previous three. 

Misc. News.

1) +InasWH, my junior studying at TUFS now has made a video about studying in TUFS. For all your prospective scholars curious about MEXT/TUFS, you should definitely go watch it!

2) Today is commonly celebrated as International Labour Day, but you might not know that this is the day that Minamata disease was officially diagnosed (the things I learn in the doctor's office). Minamata disease, if you didn't know, is one of the four big pollution diseases of Japan and came about due to companies not caring about the environment. If you're ever in Kumamoto and near Minamata, you should go to the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum. If you're not, well, I did transcribe an account that I heard from a survivor. You can find it here. Let me warn you though, I only transcribed it, which means the grammar is a little choppy.