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Around the World with Jordan LaPointe ’17

“My advice to those wishing to study abroad is to get lost. If you don’t set a destination for yourself, you’ll find yourself in interesting places that you would have otherwise overlooked.”

Jordan LaPointe ’17
Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies, Doshisha University
Kyoto, Japan

Exploring Japan has been one my childhood dreams. To finally get the chance to go meant an opportunity to explore a world entirely different from my own and to immerse myself in a rich culture going back thousands of years. Kyoto’s highlights were definitely the vast array of temples and shrines spread throughout the city and, of course, the people.

One shrine I visited in particular, Fushimi-Inari, was composed entirely of approximately one thousand red gates snaking along the side of a mountain. The sight was completely overwhelming and took an entire day to explore. My advice to those wishing to study abroad is to get lost. If you don’t set a destination for yourself, you’ll find yourself in interesting places that you would have otherwise overlooked.

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