Week 0: Final Goodbyes and Anxious Excitement
Howdy Umich IPE Blog, I am Connor Gilfillan, a rising junior Mechanical Engineering student about to spend the summer at Nagoya University in Japan. I will be taking both an introduction to Japanese course and an Automotive Engineering course. The automotive Engineering course is the one I am expecting the most out of, as it includes trips to numerous automotive factories such as Toyota, which, fun fact, was founded in Toyota City, which is within the boundaries of the Nagoya Area. I am super excited to share my wacky and zany adventures with the world, so make sure to keep up with my blog.
(This is a photo of me on my way out the door, I was listening to Movin' Out by Billy Joel)
To begin, I am a PROUD New Jerseyian. I love my state and how ridiculous it is. So I wanted to say goodbye to it and all my friends and family before I left for new adventures abroad. Some highlights include going to a multitude of diners and having a BBQ with my friends. But after all that fun, I had to say goodbye.
I began packing about three days before I left, which mostly involved me and my mother running a bajillion errands because I forgot to bring a lot of stuff home from Michigan. Luckily, she is the best, and kept me on track as I was a bit frantic towards my departure date. She even let me get three pairs of new shoes.
(My fully packed suitcase, The moment I finished packing and realized I was in fact leaving for another country. And yes that is a fanny pack)
I got into Tokyo quite late after two long and sluggish flights. Having to go through Japanese customs wasn’t too bad, but I had to go in and out to catch another flight which left me quite stressed (I accidentally ended up at the wrong terminal). After my flight to Nagoya, I was able to make use of my totally super complete Japanese skills, (thank you 3 weeks of Duolingo) to read the subway map and get to my hotel.
(Boarding the plane before my flight to Nagoya from Tokyo)
After spending a night here, my nerves have calmed down quite a bit and the excitement is kicking in. Breakfast here was quite good, I had one of everything at the buffet, and I was one of the first people there (jet lag made me wake up at 5 am). My favorite part of breakfast was this really fancy rice dispenser they had where you were able to press a button and it dispensed a small, medium or large amount of rice, it was super cute. But now I have a full day of fun ahead of me and I will make sure to keep all of you guys updated with photos and my experience. I really hope I make lots of new friends here.
(This is the view from my hotel room)
(My breakfast which included chicken, eggs, rice, orange juice, and three kinds of fish)
Connor Gilfillan
Mechanical Engineering
NUSIP - Automotive Engineering in Nagoya, Japan













