Kim Le

Hello! My name is Kim Le. I’m a transfer student coming from Highline Community College. I will be a senior for the year of 2014-2015 academic year at the University of Washington, major in Japanese language and literature. I moved from Vietnam to the U.S at 16 years old and have been living in Seattle for 10 years. My interest in Japan started in high school when a friend introduced me to Spirited Away, the first Studio Ghibli movie that I’ve ever watched. I became interested in Japanese language and took one year of Japanese course at HCC. My goal is to be able to work and live in Japan as an English teacher or interpreter. Where in the world am I off to and what will I be studying? For the entire 2014-2015 academic year I will be studying in Fukuoka, Japan through a Kyushu University Direct Exchange program called Japan in Today’s World (JTW). With the exception of Japanese course, classes will be offered in English. I will complete all third-year requirements for my BA, studying both Japanese language and culture courses such as Miyazaki Hayao’s World, Modern History of Japan, Japanese Cultural Patterns, etc. JTW program also includes off-campus study trips that allow students to experience aspects of Japanese culture and history. What am I most excited about? I am most excited to be able to experience Japanese culture and living in such a beautiful country for one year. I have never been to Japan before and look forward to learning more about Japan, speak Japanese, form new friendships, and explore Fukuoka. I love photography and am really excited to take many pictures and to share my own view of Japan. What do I hope readers will gain from following my posts? What I hope readers will gain from following my posts is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I’ve dreamed about going to Japan for so long and I finally made it with hard work and determination. I’d like to inspire other students to do the same by documenting my experience abroad and how it can change my perspective in life.