Personal Reflection


When I first found out this group study was going to be in Sapporo and Hakodate I didn’t know what to expect. Part of me felt like I was going to be missing out on the “true” Japanese experience because I wasn’t going to Tokyo, but I tried to keep an open mind. What I found this trip is that I was stupid for thinking that in the first place. The people I’ve met and the moments we shared were so special. Nothing else could ever compare to the time we spent here together.  I also think that the activities we did here are things I never would have experienced in my life if I hadn’t come on this trip. Visiting historical sites such as Goryokaku Park and Matsumae Castle, doing the kimono walk, and singing karaoke with my group for our research project was fun, but this trip was so much more than that. It’s about the friendships we made that I know will last long beyond this trip is over. Hakodate is a hidden gem. It’s the city that bonded us all together, and it’s a place I will never forget.

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