┌──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────┐
About Me
└──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────┘
While excited to document my adventures in Seoul and beyond, first allow me to introduce myself! My name is Jamie Hirano and I am a current third year undergraduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I am pursuing a double major in Human Resource Management and Marketing with a minor in English and certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). Having grown up in Kāneʻohe, I consider Hawaiʻi my home. This study abroad marks the first time that I will be away for an extended period (four months is a long time to me) and traveling without my family. I welcome the ups and downs that comes with this, and look forward to sharing all about it. Fortunately, I have had numerous opportunities to travel internationally before Korea. Check it out below :)
Life as a Shidler Student
My typical semester at the Shidler College of Business is not complete without extracurriculars. Outside of academics, I enjoy serving on Executive Board for the Business Executive Society of Tomorrow (BEST) and International Business Organization (IBO). Last Fall 2024, I had the honor of being accepted into the Shidler Global Leaders (SGL) program. In these organizations, we plan and participate in a variety of professional, community service, and social events.
During the semester, I like maintaining a busy schedule. It is easy to invest a lot into my business clubs. When the breaks come and everything slows down, I try to get back into my hobbies: creative writing, photography, and building out my Spotify :)
┌────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┐
PRE-KOREA TRAVELS
└────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┘
_edited.png)
┌────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┐
2019:
Australia & New Zealand
└────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┘
For my older sister Kayla's high school graduation present, my mom asked if she wanted a party or trip. Naturally, she chose a trip and this started our tradition of traveling to celebrate the milestones in our lives. We spent about two weeks total seeing the sights, with most of our time in Australia being in Sydney.
Australia Highlights:
-
Wild Life Sydney Zoo
-
The Rocks Markets
-
BridgeClimb Sydney
-
Blue Mountains
-
Manly - Walked 10km to Split Bridge
-
Sydney Fish Market
-
Sydney Opera House
-
Chinese Garden of Friendship
-
Mrs. Macquarie's Point
-
Royal Botanic Garden
I absolutely loved Australia, especially climbing the Sydney Bridge. However, I would choose to go back to New Zealand in a heartbeat. My most memorable travels had scenic views, and this rang true for New Zealand even in their winter months. Given that we were in the Southern Hemisphere, I liked experiencing the season reversal and feeling cold in July. I also got used to calling New Zealand --> Aotearoa (chose to write NZ on website for easier recognition) and enjoyed learning about Māori culture.
New Zealand Highlights:
-
Waitomo
-
Glowworm Caves
-
-
Taupo
-
Geothermal
-
Huka Falls
-
-
Rotorua
-
Redwoods Treewalk
-
Skyline Rotorua
-
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
-
-
Matamata
-
Farmstay
-
Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
-
Cathedral Cove
-
-
Paeroa
-
Hauraki Rail Trail
-
-
Waiheke Island
-
Auckland
-
Largest city in NZ!
-
Shopping, visiting markets
-
┌────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┐
2022:
England & Scotland
└────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┘
After my sister, it was finally my turn to graduate in 2022! I was beyond excited for this trip as it was my first time going to Europe. We did a little bit of everything; from seeing the Seven Sisters Cliffs to finding the telephone box One Direction used in their "Take Me Home" photoshoot, I left with many refreshing memories.
England Highlights:
-
Birling Gap
-
East Dean
-
Stonehenge
-
Bath
-
Castle Combe
-
Bourton on the Water
-
London
-
Big Ben
-
The London Eye
-
Tower Bridge
-
The British Museum
-
Sherlock Holmes Museum
-
Similarly to the NZ trip in 2019, we rented a car to take a road trip throughout Scotland. This meant a lot of windy roads, roundabouts, and iffy navigation systems. Even the process of getting the rental car was difficult because automatic cars are less common in Europe. They ended up giving us a bright red, branded car with 'Enterprise Car Club" on the side. I named her Suzie. That is how I would sum up our Scotland leg: lots of adventures and story times!
Scotland Highlights:
-
Edinburgh
-
Victoria Street
-
Edinburgh Castle
-
The Royal Mile
-
-
Inverness
-
Scone Palace
-
Blair Castle
-
Aviemore
-
-
Urquhart Castle
-
Eilean Donan Castle
-
Isle of Skye
-
Ratagan Pass
-
Fort William
-
Glen Coe
-
Dramatic landscapes, thatched
-
Saw many animals (goats, cows)
-
-
Stirling Castle
-
The Kelpies
┌────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┐
2023:
Japan
└────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────┘
Now it was Kayla's time to graduate college! With planned trips on both our mom and dad's sides, we spent just under a month exploring Japan. As a gosei, or fifth-generation Japanese American, I loved learning more about my culture. This was my second time visiting Japan, the first being in 2018. There are countless things to do. We spent most of our time in Tokyo with some day trips in other cities. Reflecting back, I had the best time in Kamakura.
Japan Highlights:
-
Hie Shrine
-
Pokemon Cafe
-
Character Street
-
Grand Sumo Tournament
-
Tsukiji Outer Market
-
Art Aquarium Museum
-
Kabukiza Theatre
-
Meiji Shrine
-
Harajuku
-
Shibuya
-
Sanrio Puroland
-
Ueno Park
-
Ikebukuro - Sunshine City
-
teamLab Planets
-
Tokyo Disney Sea
-
Tokyo Tower
-
Tokyo Dome - Baseball, Concerts, etc.
-
Setagaya
-
Shinjuku
-
Kamakura
-
Hakone
-
Mt. Fuji
-
& so much more!!!
