Here it is! The next installment of The Road To Japan.  And easily the most exciting one yet! And to celebrate – Check out the new header!

So in the last installment, I mentioned that Mitch told sent me a text saying that only two people applied for Kansai Gaidai as their first preference, and two people applied for Kansai Gaidai as their second preference.  So I was very confident that we would both be going.  But nothing was official, and I did have doubts.  Here’s why:

As part of the application process, we have to go in for an interview with the Student Exchange people at QUT.  So Mitch an i did that shortly after I posted the second Road to Japan.  They went well, however, Mitch and I both had something against us.  Mitch’s GPA was high enough to partake in the exchange, but selection is determined by GPA, and the possibility that someone else had a GPA higher than Mitch’s was a possibility.  But he brought that up this semester from a 4.5 (or something) to a 4.9xx (or something..) due to a solid Semester GPA of a 6 this semester.  Which is really good.  So that up’d Mitch’s chances big time! Gratz Mitch!

Now I was sitting on a GPA of 5.5 (brought it up to a 5.75), so of course someone could still have had a higher GPA than me too, but i was just a little safer.  But the thing going against me was that in the past, an IT student went to Japan and caused a big problem.  Basically he went there and didn’t want to learn the language; which is compulsory.  This student wasn’t studying Japanese as part of his course like me (however I am doing 1 semester of Japanese).  This student also went to Kansai Gaidai.  So to Kansai Gaidai and the Student Exchange people, this all seemed too familiar.  There was nothing I could really say to convince the Student Exchange people that I was genuinely interested in travelling in Japan, studying there, and ESPECIALLY studying the language!  When I tried the guy just said “That’s what he said”.  So it’s up to me to SHOW them that i’m genuine, which shouldn’t be hard as I am genuine about this experience.

So today I gave them a call as they said they would know in December, which it is now.  And the verdict is…. *drum roll*… We aren’t going.. :’(

Just kidding: MITCH AND I BOTH GOT ACCEPTED INTO KANSAI GAIDAI!

I am over the moon right now, once i get the acceptance letter i’m gonna start working on the rest of my documents such as visa, looking at flights etc. etc.  OMG SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!

Ok so the other thing i have to comment on is how i am going to be overloading my subjects in Japan.  Now my enrollment was all screwed up and it pretty much meant i would have to study full time for 1 more year, then part time for 2 years, which is completely boned.  So i decided this was NOT going to be the case.  So here’s the catch: I will go to Kansai Gaidai and study 4 subjects there – whilst studying MATHS via correspondence from QUT.  5 SUBJECTS!! NOOOOOO! Well the thing is, if i dont pass this Math subject, I will have to study for another year at uni.  So whilst I’m in Japan my Math subject will be my priority.  I don’t mind math that much anyway.

So that’s where it all is at the moment!  Mitch and I are going to Japan!  The Road to Japan is set – Now we just have to walk it!

Ciao for now!