MBU sophomore Ashleigh Morgan spent a semester abroad at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts (DWCLA) in Kyoto, Japan this past fall. As a Business major with a focus in human resources and a minor in Asian Studies, Ash chose DWCLA’s Japanese Studies Program because the program was of interest and it aligned with her minor.
“I was also inspired to go abroad because I’ve heard from a lot of people that they experienced regret not taking the opportunity to study abroad and I wanted to push myself and take a leap out of my comfort zone.”
When asked what knowledge and skills she developed while abroad, she had this to share:
“Patience. I struggled with that and realized how important it is. Being around a language I wasn’t 100% proficient in was difficult. I adjust and change when I become aware of myself, and the program gave me the opportunity to do just that! My family joked that I didn’t have patience until I went abroad. Once I developed this skill, my experience became much more enjoyable! I know that I will need this skill to work in business: I can’t expect immediate responses from clients, I have to give them time to make decisions. When conversing we all appreciated patience, as it helped us to communicate despite language barriers.”
Another skill Ash was able to develop was intercultural communication. “I took an intercultural skills class that gave me the opportunity to practice each week through different activities. I had to communicate effectively to go through my daily life. I had to think about body language, tone of voice, word choice and filtering. I had to think about my feelings and other people’s feelings when communicating.”
A third skill that Ash developed further while in Japan was problem solving.
“After first arriving in Japan I had to take a train. I didn’t know about the different types of trains: express, super express and local. I got on a train and had a feeling that it wasn’t quite right, so I got off after a few stops. Eventually I just sat and saw where the train took us, and I ended up where I needed to be. I had to deal with uncertainty and face this challenge, rather than give up. I relied on context and resources around me to figure out transportation. I found it was okay to take a step back, think and analyze the problem. I definitely feel like my problem solving has improved and this skill has helped me through other scenarios. Problem solving helped me to feel more like I was in control during difficult situations.”
“I really enjoyed my experience and I highly encourage current and future students to take part in this program and take the leap!”
