TMCC student blogger Maya Goto fills her life and time with study, friends, and work

How time flies! I can’t believe that three months have passed since I started at Truckee Meadows Community College. Study, friends, and work make my life rich. Don’t hesitate to discover new communities. What I do to fill in my schedule and rise up to the challenge are…

Making friends

I understand how it is challenging, especially in college or new places. Many try to figure out how to make friends and keep beautiful relationships with friends. What I found best is to work time spent with my friends into my daily routine. In my case, I study and go to the gym with one of my friends from math class. Surprisingly, we continue to go to the gym four times a week. I would not do this without her for sure. Thanks to her, I keep everything healthy physically and mentally.

Discovering new communities

Before developing good relationships, where are my friends? You can find and make new friends as long as you jump on new opportunities from your previous mates, for example. Currently I  work at the DISCO (Diversity and International Student Center and Office at Truckee Meadows Community College) where many people come and talk as well as join several events. Also, I try to join my host mother whenever she invites me to go out. One day, I went to her friend’s birthday party which was so fun and one of my sweetest memories.

Getting comfortable being uncomfortable

Although it seems like I am very sociable, I am uncomfortable talking to new people. Studying abroad, moving to unfamiliar places changed or pushed me to be open minded. I’ve developed connections through activities with my friends or going to JSAN, which is a Japanese Community at the University of Nevada, Reno. Opportunities like this don’t present themselves very often, so I’m trying to jump into a new world.

Asking for help

As an international student, I am facing challenges every day. Truckee Meadows Community College offers great resources to help students like me. The Tutoring Center, Study Rooms, as well as office hours or gym, for instance, are all for enthusiastic students. Technically, students pay for these on-campus resources as part of their college tuition, so there is no reason for hesitation!

Overall

I have a lot on my plate which makes my life juicy and bubbly. I’m grateful for the people around me. In my forthcoming posts, I want to share more of my firsthand experiences in Reno, Nevada with you.

Mai (Maya) Goto from Japan is studying business at Truckee Meadows Community College