The Beginning to the End

My journey from nothing to something in the field of Asian Studies.

          My journey in Asian Studies and Japanese is a long one (and it has yet to finish). It began before I even knew I was going to go into these fields. I absolutely adore getting to tell this story because these subjects mean the world to me. It seems romanticized and cheesy, perhaps it really is, but passion is the root of why I began walking down this road. Honestly, for as long as I can remember, I loved learning about foreign places. It did not start specifically with Asia, though. It began with Europe, specifically Germany. I have never been able to explain why, and I still cannot explain it. Either way, that was the beginning.

          When I was in grade school, I vividly remember finding foreign places fascinating. Germany was my primary interest. I thought I was in love. All I wanted to do was travel the world and settle down in the rural areas of Germany some day. However, I was told this phase would pass. In a way, the people who said that were right, but not entirely. Yes, the “Germany phase” did pass me by eventually. As I went through junior high school, my obsession with Germany faded, but my love of foreign places stood strong in my heart.

          It was in 8th grade that I became interested in Japanese pop culture. However, there were no foreign language classes in my junior high. I wanted to study Japanese, but when I got to high school, a place with actual foreign language classes, I ended up studying Spanish. Of course, there is nothing wrong with Spanish, but I was developing a new obsession, beyond just pop culture. However, my grandmother paid me to take Spanish, and I figured Spanish would be more helpful in getting a job in the United States. I do not necessarily regret my decision, but I do wish I could have started Japanese sooner.

          Fast forward after three years of Spanish and one year of American Sign Language to the start of my time at St. Olaf College, I finally saw my chance to give Japanese a try! I still took Spanish though, in addition to Japanese, because my initial plan was to double major in Philosophy and Spanish and become a lawyer. I was only taking Japanese for fun. At this point, I still had no experience with Asian Studies. My entry was through the Japanese language, and it was through Japanese that I found myself growing fonder and fonder of not only Japan, but Asia as a whole. I was already intrigued by Asian cultures, of course, because they just seem so incredibly different from American “culture,” but this interest grew and developed into something more as I began taking courses.

          Outside of Japanese, my first exposure to any Asian Studies topics was through my first year Interim class: Japanese Civilization. It is the class that got me interested in a possible future in Asian Studies, putting language courses aside. Learning the history of Japan made me want to learn more about Japan. More broadly, it made me want to learn more about Asia. How are various Asian countries similar? How are they different? How are they similar to Western countries, if at all? What Western influences can be seen? How are they different? These are the questions that drove me to take more Asian Studies courses.

          I was clueless about Asia, and something about that fact did not sit well with me. To start, all I had was an interest in the field. Since then, I have learned a lot and grown a lot. The majority of my classes these four years were either in the Asian Studies department, about an Asian country, or a Japanese language class. The minority were classes required for General Education. I took every opportunity I could to learn more.

          It was the end of my first year; I decided I no longer wanted to major in Philosophy or Spanish. I quit both. Those two fields felt like a burden on my shoulders. I was not sure if I really wanted to become a lawyer. It was the only career I could really settle on at the time. As a result, I frequently had doubts and I felt as though I was chained to two heavy metal balls named “Philosophy” and “Spanish” just trying to drag them along. So I quit. I still had yet to settle on if I wanted to switch to Asian Studies, but I was just relieved to be free.

          Although I did not decide on Asian Studies as a major, I did decide to enroll in Asian Conversations for my sophomore year (2018-19). Although I have some regrets from that Interim trip staying inside more than I would have liked, it was still an amazing experience to have. I had the opportunity to use Japanese when asking for directions, which was both terrifying and exciting. I saw a lot of things relating to pop culture which I wanted to see, such as Akihabara. The food was delicious and I got addicted to tonkatsu (pork cutlet). I began to bow out of habit, which became a very awkward thing when I returned to America. I bought decorative chopsticks that I am still completely in love with, among other souvenirs. I got to pet a real deer. In China, I got to see an old water village and eat a lot of delicious food. Overall, the more I think about it, the more I miss both China and Japan.

          It was actually the Interim trip which solidified my desire to major in Asian Studies and Japanese. At the end of my sophomore year, I declared my majors. At this point in time, I gained some knowledge of Asia, but not enough. I was hoping majoring in them would itch this scratch. The more I learn about Asia, the less it itches. However, it is still there.

          I moved onto my third year in the Japanese language my junior year, and I continued to take many Asian Studies courses, among other helpful classes. A few of these examples can be found in my “Other Projects” tab, including my SOAN class and “What is a Hero?” Asian Studies class. How does SOAN relate to Asian Studies? Well, this class specifically was about the existence of “borders” between countries. We read about them and discussed them, and what the term actually means. This class allowed me to stop idolizing Asia, but rather gave me more reason to genuinely want to learn more in a scholarly context. Similarly, my Asian Studies hero course, while talking about fictional heroes in Asia, I realized that Asia is not full of divine beings, but rather just people who also look up to fictional people, like me. Again, it encouraged me to want to get to know about Asia culturally on a more scholarly level.

          My knowledge grew and my understanding began taking shape, as much as it could, of course. Now I am in the Spring of my Senior year. I have come such a long way since I first entered college. I have learned a lot. I plan to continue learning about Asia even after graduation whether that is continuing my education officially, in my career, or even just on my own. Also, not only has my knowledge grown, but I have also grown as a person.

          As for my future endeavors, I am not quite sure where I am going from here. However, I do know I have a variety of options. I can continue my education and become a scholar. I can find a job in the government, which is most likely where I will end up. There are other job opportunities, as well. Even if the job does not pertain to Asia itself, I can still use the skills that I have learned. For example, research is a prized skill in many fields. I can apply it even to office jobs. Or even if the skill is not that big, but something as small as leadership and responsibility, I can apply it to many careers and jobs. Studying other cultures requires understanding and discipline, so I know that I have developed many different skills. While I am not completely sure where I intend to go, I do know there is a place for me, and I will find it.

          By learning about places so vastly different from where I grew up, I have learned to broaden my horizon. I have learned to be respectful and humble about other people and cultures. I have learned how to do research. I have learned that mistakes are okay and necessary, both in research and in language learning. I have learned to show compassion for people everywhere, because international problems and conflicts are not simply black-and-white. I now understand that we will never truly understand Asia, or any place for that matter. Culture and language evolve and change constantly. What matters, however, is that we approach learning with an open mind, and that we try to understand even if we know it is futile in the end. While I have learned many things during my journey, those things are probably the most important, and I hope that I can continue to convey these life lessons to friends, family, and even strangers as I live my life.