Hello, my name is Frida Martinez, and I am a senior at Arkansas Tech University, majoring in Environmental Science with an interest in languages. I am a first-generation Mexican, Indigenous woman. When I’m not in school or engaged in university-related activities, I enjoy hiking, thrifting, binge-watching my favorite shows, or helping my parents. I chose to study abroad for the fall semester of 2026 in Nagoya, Japan.
I stumbled upon the idea of studying abroad by accident when I attended a college fair with some friends during my senior year of high school. Professor Haulmark of my current university was the first person at the study abroad table who demonstrated the various locations that I could travel to. Among them were countries such as Spain, Germany, and Japan. At the time, I was still a timid individual, so even though it was hard for me, I asked for more information about the different programs that I could apply for; my biggest interest being Japan. Throughout my college career, me and Professor Haulmark stayed in contact to stay updated with the requirements of the Japanese program. Once I met all the requirements to study abroad, I scheduled an in-person meeting with the professor and discussed which host university that I wanted to attend in Japan. Nagoya University of Foren Studies, or NUFS, was the only option that I had, given the limited number of Japanese classes that I had completed at my home university. Regardless, I continued with this decision and began my application for NUFS.
Before leaving my home and my university, I felt unsure of my departure for Japan because I had just returned from an extended stay abroad in Mexico three days before. However, the closer my departure date drawled near, the more excited yet anxious I became to have the smallest taste of independence to have from my home. At the time, I was glad to leave three things behind: one, the high cost of living within America, specifically Arkansas, two, the lack of safety for myself as a minority that is currently targeted in the US, and three, a lack of basic health care within my state. I especially knew I was going to miss the cultural practices and food that I was surrounded by at home, but I longed to see the outside world and experience new things that lied ahead. On that note, although many services here in Japan are more affordable compared to the US, there are some things that still shock me to this day on their price points and high market gouges compared to the US. Fresh produce, especially fruits, were the caveat that I observed many people ran into when grocery shopping through YouTube videos and social media. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that many ingredients commonly found in Hispanic cuisine are not readily available here, and when they are, they are overpricing and have little quantity available. Not seeing or spending quality time with both family and close friends was another issue I knew I would have to tackle and overcome. However, I did not realize just how hard it would be to cope here.
A mindset I knew I would take with me and was instilled in me by my parents is: “Hechale ganas.” It roughly translates into several meanings, such as “do your best”, “keep pushing forward”, or “give it all you’ve got”. Apart from that, my parents often emphasized the importance of dedication, integrity, and authenticity, regardless of what others might think or say.
From the moment I decided to study abroad, I was expecting to visit surrounding countries every week, especially since I had been given that impression by a student who had previously studied abroad. He admitted in our conversation that he was able to do so frequently during his time in Japan. I developed the notion that Japanese people would be kind and inviting, regardless of whether I was a foreigner, especially if I attempted to learn the language and culture, and regardless of whether I looked different from them. My goal (before realizing Japanese is one of the most challenging languages to learn) was to develop enough fluency in Japanese to then have meaningful conversations around economic and social issues within both Japan and the US with Japanese students and people alike. I had envisioned that the instructors would be more understanding and laid-back, like those back home in the US, given that I would be an international student.
At the time, the location of NUFS would be a city like Tokyo, with a lot of diversity and people eager to interact with you. I imagined Japanese students would often come up to me to practice their English and ask to hang out. I frequently found myself holding the host culture to high standards and usually placing it on a pedestal when it came to my expectations. As a result, I experienced numerous culture shocks upon arrival and was perceived as a foreigner.
Traveling to other regions of Japan and surrounding countries was what I looked forward to the most. I knew before leaving for my host university that I had imagined visiting and exploring surrounding countries and making a bucket list of things to do once I got there. My main reason for going was also the fashion scene in Japan, which I often saw online and in YouTube videos of street interviews. I was eager to improve my fashion sense and learn something from the people within the fashion scene. However, through traveling, fashion, and learning the language, I made connections with international students, Japanese students, and the people I interacted with.
I had several fears as I walked into this experience. One of those was getting lost at the airport. This fear almost became a reality. I somehow got separated from the other students I was traveling with at immigration in the Tokyo Airport. Luckily, with the bit of Japanese I knew, I managed to have the staff help me find them. I was more anxious about the prospect that I might not make friends at all. Although I am a bit of a shy person, once I come out of my shell, I am quite loud and talkative. The biggest fear I would say I had was failing classes and not making the most of my trip, given that I had been anticipating it for years. I would often contemplate how I would manage to balance academic, social, and travel life. This fear happens to stem from the fact that my parents sacrificed their well-being to give me an opportunity at a better education, job opportunities, and overall quality of life. The same scenario was often replayed in my mind: if I failed, then all their time, energy, and sacrifices would be for nothing. Interestingly, they usually explain in conversations that they made the big leap from one country to another with nothing to give us everything. In their exact words, “We made the effort to give you a raise here to provide these opportunities that we did not have given our circumstances in our lives. It is up to you if you decide to pursue and take advantage of those opportunities to ultimately do well in life.
As for the group picture, I am the person on the very right. The two girls to my left are very close friends of mine. We took this picture on Halloween while in Nagoya City. I took a picture of my puppy sleeping on my chest around three days before I left the US. You can see that I am wearing a cultural shirt, as I had just returned from visiting family abroad, with my suitcase peeking out in the corner. I was mainly thinking about how it would be to transition from living in one culture for a month to another in such a short period of time and how that might impact me. I believe this was when it started to register that I would leave, and many fears I had begun to manifest.
