Hello! My name is Franky. I am a junior and a biology major at Williams. I am very excited to be going to Kyoto. For the duration of this winter study I will be researching Zen and Zen Priests with Breelyn. I look forward to working on this topic because I have had a brief exposure to Zen both through the Japanese Art and Culture course offered at Williams and the Zen Buddhism Intensive winter study course. However, I anticipate that my understanding of Zen will deepen as a result of our on-campus research and our journey through Kyoto.
I’m excited. I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I think a lack of expectations will be what makes this experience fun. All that I know for sure is that this journey will open my eyes and push me out of my comfort zone. It will be nice to learn, observe, and feel the culture of Kyoto, even if only for ten days. I intend to do what I can to get the most out of this exploration.
Cheers to a new year and a new adventure!
