Two weeks ago I hung out with a friend of mine from Oberlin who spent a semester in Japan and her boyfriend, who’s been to Japan a number of times.  Most of the time we spent hanging out was spent talking about Japan and the various things that I have to do, places I have to go, etc.  Before that time I was really anxious, because I didn’t know what to expect, I hadn’t done that much studying, I was worried it would suck, etc.  After talking for most of the day about all the cool things I’ll get to do, I was super excited.

Since then, I’ve been studying, buying gifts, getting clothes, and getting ready in every way I need to before I leave, and I’m still super fucking excited.  I mean, I’m gonna be in Japan for 8 months; I’ll be living with a Japanese family, I’ll have so much time to explore Kyoto, Shiga Prefecture (where I’ll be living) and there will be scheduled trips to other parts of Japan, there will be week-long breaks where I can do anything I want, go anywhere, the possibilities are endless!

That’s where I’m at right now: excited.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before anxiety kicks in, because my conversational skill is limited to very basic interactions, so it’ll be a while before I can have a meaningful conversation in Japanese, much less a long one.

One day to say goodbye to my remaining friends in the Bay Area.  One day to pack.  Then on Monday, I’m off.

Let’s do this.

-Shimon