SAF Correspondent Seina Sato from Tokyo Woman's Christian University is chronicling her experience at the University of Oregon.
I, Seina Sato, will start my short journey tomorrow in Oregon. Now my feelings are very complicated because I am nervous, but also excited. In this blog, I write about such feelings and my preparation in Japan.

Hello!
My name is Seina Sato from Japan. Nice to meet you! I will study at University of Oregon (UO) for half a year starting this fall! At UO, I will study many of my interests like comics, journalism and linguistics. I want to share my experiences with many people!
My departure date is Sept. 18, so now I am preparing for my study abroad. These days, I often go out to buy clothes, bags and commodities. However, this is my first time studying abroad and going to the U.S., so I don’t know what I should do in detail...
Many of my friends already started studying abroad, so I asked them some questions. For example: “What kind of things should I bring? How is your studying in America or the U.K.? Are classes very difficult to catch up to? Is it fun?” They said: “It is very difficult to catch up with the classes, but I visit my professor, so you can do it! It is so fun. I do not want to go back to Japan.”
The other day, I went to the final orientation for going to America. Now I am so excited, but feel anxiety more than anything. That is because I cannot speak English well and I do not have much experience going somewhere alone for such a long time. In addition, my stomach is very weak... In short, I have a lot of things to worry about and tend to feel homesick.
However, some friends and my family cheered me up and gave me a letter, while others gave me useful advice. I cannot help but say thank you to all. I would like to make this opportunity a great time and also change myself. To do so, I will take on challenges as much as possible and think positively.
In my blog, I am going to write about my feelings, both the positive and negative. Also, I will share my studies and activities in UO. I hope my experiences help you in some way.
Thank you for visiting my blog!