Help Us Achieve Our Dream Trip to Study in Japan

Alejandra Benjumea Start Date: Feb 14, 2021 - End Date: Aug 13, 2021
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad

My Travel Story

by: Alejandra Benjumea Start Date: Feb 14, 2021 - End Date: Aug 13, 2021
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
We are two Colombian girls who were born and raised in two different cities, Medellín and Bogotá, and each one followed a different path. Alejandra left to the US at the age of 12 with her family while Nathalie stayed in Colombia. Thanks to Alee's aunt we got to know each other. Our friendship even grew more as we discovered that we had the same dream and the same goal of studying in Japan. From that moment on we began to plan, to investigate, and to work to make this dream a reality.

About Alejandra:
From an early age I have been interested and inspired by art to the point that I decided to learn it on my own. At the age of eight I began to see art as a challenge to overcome myself. However, what really kept me constantly hooked and inspired in the long run was the influence of Japanese movies and shows like Spirit Away by Hayao Miyazaki. The emotions and stories told in the characters transported me to another world. I decided to expand my artistic skill and knowledge, when I realized the power of storytelling and what an artist can create and give to the community. Upon graduating from high school, I went to an art college in New York City for two years. There I refined my artistic skills and defined what I wanted to do in the long term. I want to travel in order to know more cultures and to add a unique touch to my art that inspires the people who see it. I have been posting my personal drawings on my Instagram account @aleemakesart to fulfill this purpose. However, to completly fulfill my goal of traveling and of giving more to the community, I feel the duty and the attraction of going to the land that inspired me since I was a child, which is Japan.

About Nathalie:
When I finished high school, thanks to state scholarships, I went to university where I began my studies in Languages ​​and Cultural Studies. I chose Japanese as the main language, and Asian studies as my understudy due to my love for anime, manga and Asian literature. This decision influenced my love for the country to grow and to become part of my professional project. Throughout my carreer I learned about both the language and the country's cultural representations. At that moment I understood that anime was not only a cartoon with a fantastic plot, but rather that it brought up the Japanese representations and beliefs the country had at the time. From this point on my goal was clear. I have to travel to Japan to see with my own eyes everything that I had learned about this beautiful country for four years. I have to continue my professional training in the place that made me dream for so long.

Despite so many efforts and work in the midst of a pandemic, this goal is still a bit far away. So we turn to the community for help to allows us to make our dream come true. The first step to be able to study design or art in Japan is to learn the language. Therefore, his project is focused on this step. Once we're in Japan we will fight to achieve the second step to study art.

We hope that with this campaign we can raise funds for our long-awaited trip to the country of the rising sun. Not only do we want to learn the language but we also want to inmerse ourselves in the cultural and artistic world that this wonderful country offers us.

"Make your life a dream, and a dream a reality"
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry