Erica Hersey is a third-year Bachelor of International Business (BIB) student in the Japanese language stream. Erica is studying at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata-shi Osaka, Japan. (All students in the BIB program are required to study abroad for their third year at one of our partner institutions.)Tell us about yourself!I am a third-year BIB student going to school in Osaka, Japan for the first time. My goals on this trip are to be open minded for new experiences, people, and opportunities.How did you choose your language of study?I have family in Japan and have always struggled when it came to communicating with them. My grandmother had started practicing some English, so when it came time for me to chose my language for my program, Japanese was the clear choice. I wanted to be able to forge stronger connections with my family. On the business side of things I feel like there is a huge variety of opportunities when it comes to Japan. With some of my favourite companies being Japanese, I felt that already having an interest in businesses within the country was another strong factor to why it should be my language of choice.Have you travelled before?I have traveled overseas for various vacations. I've been to the Dominican Republic and Japan a few times. I've never been to Japan for a year though so it's going to be very different.What three things must you pack?I would have to have my laptop, a camera and my closet (that counts as one item right?)What are you most looking forward to?I am looking forward to really immersing myself in Japanese culture, being able to grow closer to my family and just enjoy the experience of being abroad for a year. I'm going to get to visit places like temples and shrines, get to have a Japanese New Years, shop and of course be going to school.