Written by Ryan Sowers, (Wabash College), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Summer 2022
Summer in Osaka with CET is an intensive program; each day is packed with things to do, places to go, and, of course, homework. First, I usually wake up around 7:00. When I manage to pull myself out of bed early enough, I’ll sometimes head to the konbini to pick up an onigiri for a quick breakfast. I leave around 8:30 with the rest of my housemates to catch the 8:34 train to campus.
Passing through campus on my way to lunch.
Classes begin at 9:00 and the last one doesn’t get over until 2:20. We get 10-minute breaks in between classes, and one hour for lunch. Once it’s time for lunch, my classmates and I walk across the street from the International Center to the main part of campus where the dining hall is. My favorite meal has to be the kimchi and mochi donuts. Although the prices there are cheap, it’s much better and more consistent than what I’m used to for school lunches. After the fourth hour class gets over, I’ll take the train back home unless I have an individual lesson that day or another meeting.
Lunch outside the dining hall.
Once I return home, the rest of my day is normally devoted to doing homework or studying. As a break from homework, I often go out somewhere with the rest of my housemates for dinner. That said, there are nights where too much homework means grabbing a sandwich or a salad from the konbini and continuing the grind. On a good night, I’ll finish up with homework by 8:00 and have plenty of time left over for study or prep for tomorrow’s class. On other nights, I have to prioritize in order to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Night view of Ai River by the train station.
On the weekends, I have the chance to plan a trip to a nearby city (think Kyoto, Nara, or Kobe), catch up on studying, or to have a simple yet fun night out around Osaka with my housemates. As every weekend comes after five days of hard work, they are cherished times for rest and recreation.