New Year, Improved Me: My Goals and Resolutions for 2015

Now that 2014 has ended and 2015 has begun, I have been thinking more and more about the many goals that I want to accomplish both here in Japan and when I return home. Following the end of my study abroad program, I will be only 1-2 years away from graduating with my Bachelor's degree in Biology and Minor in Japanese and Chemistry. It won't be much longer until I am out living in the real world - an undergrad no longer!  As scary as it is and as much as I want to stay in college forever, it is time to seriously plan out my life's dreams/goals and how I plan to accomplish them. 

My most immediate goals though are for my study abroad program in Japan. Here is what I hope to accomplish while I am abroad:

• Become near fluent in Japanese.  This will of course take a lot more than 1 year of living in Japan. I would however like to be able to watch a Japanese movie or anime without relying on the subtitles and be able to comfortably have a conversation in Japanese. If I were to grade my level in Japanese, I probably  give myself a solid B - which is good, but could be a lot better. By the time I leave, I hope to have an A!
• Get solid A's and B's in all of my courses at University of Tsukuba.  Admittedly, the grading system and education system in Japan completely works in my favor for this goal. First off, at University of Tsukuba, 80% and above with earn an A and 70% and above will earn you a B. This alone makes it much easier for me to get good grades. Secondly, the classes are a lot less demanding than American college courses, although you take a lot more of them (9+ classes) in a semester.  This is not to say that they are incredibly easy, but I don't have nearly the same amount of homework, tests, quizzes, in class assignments, and essays that are a constant in American classes. That said, I am confident I will leave with good grades.
• Make 10 new friends in Japan.  This goal has been far surpassed, although most of my friends are other foreigners. I hope to change that and make a lot more Japanese friends this year. 
• Be open to any and all new experiences. While in Japan I want to say yes to any new experience no matter what it is - and I am well on my way to accomplishing this goal. Recently, I tried octopus for the first time. In the US, this would have never ever happened; but now that I am becoming more open person, I won't shy away from unusual or different things, but instead run to them! (P.S Octopus is very chewy, but not too bad tasting ;D)

I will add to this list as more ideas come to me and update this list as each goal is reached.
What are your goals for the new year?

Stay tuned for my progress towards an even better me! よいお年を！！ Happy New Years!!


じゃまた

Ashia A.