Dear Japan, why are you so expensive?

I didn't think that spring quarter would be this busy. I'm taking JAPN 20C, LTWR 100, BIMM 100 (molecular biology), and BILD 3 (evolutionary & organismic biology). It sounds easy but the workload's not as light as I thought it would be for JAPN 20C and LTWR 100. D:

Anyway, I told Grace that I'd write a post like hers where she goes through all the stuff that she had to pay for so hereeee I go:

Putting the ICU application together:
* Passport sized pictures: At least $20.00 -- the first set that I took wouldn't show my shoulders when I cut them down to 4 cm x 3 cm. This also costed me an ENTIRE DAY because I kept running around to get them taken. Then I had to manually cut down the 2 in x 2 in pictures down to 4x3 cm.
* Printing and photocopying: At least $5.00
* Buttering up (to use Grace Mao jargon) the lecture who wrote my letter of rec: At least $20.00 (This is an underestimate. The card and chocolates were so expensive.)
* Sending three separate things via overnight mail: $54.00
> Total: $99.00

EAP & Japan health clearance stuff
* Blood test (to see my blood type. I'm A+): $3.59
* Urinalysis: $10.00
* Chest x-ray: $37.00
* Health history review (I think? It's just listed as Health HX Rev): $30.00
* Travel visit: $35.00
*PPD immunization (wait a minute... I didn't get this...): $9.00
> Total: $124.59

UOEAP stuff
* First payment: $450
* Extending my overseas health insurance for 30 days: $35.70
> Total: $485.70

Things I have yet to pay for:
* Hepatitis A immunization (w/SHIP): $25
* HPV immunization (w/SHIP): $62.50
* Flu: TBA ( D: )
* Oral typhoid vaccine: ?
* Cipro: ?
* Second payment: $1,158
* Final payment: ? It doesn't say how much but it says that I have it! D:
* Plane ticket: ~$1200
> Total: At least $2445.50

What the heck:
* Orientation, activities & services fee: $75
* Mandatory health insurance (I thought that this was included in our UOEAP payments, though?): $115
> Total: $190

Grand total: At least $3344.79!


This doesn't even touch how much I have to pay for boarding and food once I get there. Here's a link to the projected costs. On the table, my program's "Joint ICU/UC Fall Term," the last column. That includes the costs of everything (minus my health stuff and the silly costs that I added) that's related to the program. It projects that the program'll cost me $13,538. This is the second most expensive program on there. But the thing is that ICU is going by the quarter system while all the other universities are going by the semester system. With that in mind, my program is the most expensive. :( :( :( :( :( :(

And look at this! According to google, 100 Japanese yen = 0.9994 U.S. dollars! 100 yen = 1 USD is a rough conversion factor. It's been fluctuating a lot, though; one day, 100 yen = 1.0666 USD or something like that. Then it dropped to 0.98-somethingsomething USD the next day. -_-

Well, there you have it. And considering that I'll hopefully be traveling in Japan and buying souvenirs and stuff, I think that I'll be spending well over the projected costs. :(

As doom & gloom as this entry is, I still vouch for people studying abroad in Japan! (Even though I haven't even gone, yet. 8D;; I'm sure that there are better things to come!)


Oh! Word of the day!

お金 (おかね = okane. For you gringos, it's pronounced oh-kahn-eh)
Definition: Money
Example sentence: 今お金がありません。 (Ima okane ga arimasen.)
Translation: I'm po'

EAP Japan ICU Fall

Since I'm working on my lab report and am in need of a break every now and then, I'll be writing a brief (hah... hah...) post on the application process for EAP Japan & then the application process for ICU itself.

So for y'all that don't know, I will be attending International Christian University in the fall, Lord willing. It's in the suburbs of Tokyo. Or something like that. I just remember that it takes an hour to go to downtown. Anyway, this is the entire process that I went through (if anyone is interested in applying for this program or for EAP in general, feel free to ask one of us -- we'll be more than happy to assist you):

1. Sign up for first steps. It's a pretty short informational session that equips you with the things you need to know in order to find not only the program that is right for you (OAP or EAP?) but also universities in the countries that interest you. What's crazier is that you can see classes that students took before and got UC credit for.
2. Go online and do your application. They give you the link for it at the first steps seminar. It's pretty thorough and time consuming. ... Well, I guess that the whole application process is thorough and time consuming. D:
3. Get a letter of rec.
4. Get 2987928749238 signatures (ok, maybe just 3-5, depending on if you're going to take classes that count for something at UCSD).
5. Write a statement of intent.
6. Turn it in. (I might be missing something here o_o)
7. Wait for about a month.
8. Find out if you're in the program of not! If you get rejected from the program, please proceed to the last paragraph. If you get accepted, continue onto number 9.

9. Get a travel appointment & UC health clearance. That means that depending on your country, you need to get a blood test, urinalysis, immunizations & x-rays. Travel appointments and UC health clearance appointments are necessary for every student going abroad through EAP.
10. Apply to your host university. I don't know if other countries do this but for ICU, I had to apply to the actual university itself. This application process was more laborious than the EAP application process but they both are laborious in their own special ways. To apply for EAP, you have to get a letter of rec, write a statement of intent, and then run around and get some signatures. For ICU, I had to get a confirmation of financial resources (had to go to the bank for this), print out probably 20-some, 30-some pages of paper for all the different forms that I had to fill out, an x-ray of my lungs, and then 12 passport pictures that I had to cut down to 4cmx3cm.
10. Mail your stuff in! I had to express mail mine in yesterday. It costed me $16.25. WOW. I can buy a week's worth of groceries for that amount. Or half a tank of gas. @_@;;;

What's next? I guess that I'm just waiting around for my certificiate of eligibility. ICU is going to apply for me in getting that and after I get that, I can go up to the Japan consulate in LA and get my student visa. After that is chill time with the whole process.

I will also be looking for a church in Tokyo. Grace recommended Tokyo Evangelical and I checked out their website -- their statement of faith seems pretty right on but I read their gospel presentation and they don't mention God being holy... D: I'll listen to a few of their sermons to see.

So yes, that's probably the biggest thing for GMW -- finding a church abroad. Please pray for us as we look into churches and do a thorough investigation before we go abroad.

Ok, that's all. :D Bye. (G & W, update with your experiences with the application process too.)