Standing near the ocean, relaxing as the wind blows silently across the land I think to myself how wonderful the last three years of my life has been. The years of stagnation ended in 2008, and my life began to accelerate in a direction I could not control. I made many good friends, I lost many good friends, and have somehow made a few enemies along the way. This was something I have always needed to realize on my own. I was anxious and curious about the world at large, and my ambitions could take my anywhere. The world was literally my oyster and the limit lied beyond the skies themselves. I wanted to know how the world felt, tasted, good or bad I wanted to see it all. I was quite excited, and I was hoping for a new future to come about from this journey. I didn’t realize that the journey had started long before, but I knew things would never be the same once I left for Japan. I jumped straight into the unknown, without fear my heart stayed true. This year I will never be the same person I was before, and to many this might have scared them, but for me I had bravery on my side. Though it may have seemed like arrogance to expect to go to a new land without knowing the language, but somehow I felt in my heart that I would make it work, and that in the end I will survive.
I made my first step off the plane and into Japan. I was trying to comprehend that I am finally fulfilling something I have dreamed of doing since I was 8. I am in Japan, and I couldn’t believe it, I don’t I was dreaming, and I remember being distinctly told by certain teachers in middle school that I will never travel the world. Of course the previous year before leaving for Japan I was in Turkey, but never mind that having now been to Turkey, Germany, Holland it was time to explore Japan! I don’t know what steps I took in my life for things to turn out the way they did, but I was glad those steps were made. After going through immigration control and officially entering Japan I just remember making my way to my connecting flight to Fukuoka. I met one of the other exchange students that would be in my program this semester. We both waited for the plane, and chatted for awhile. He was from Austria, and was very energetic despite the long flight that we had both endured. Once arriving to Fukuoka I got on the bus to Beppu which there I met a graduate student by the name of Patrick who is from Indiana. This person would be one of my floor mates for most of my time in Japan this year. I was shocked to see that I wasn’t the only American going to this University, also shocked to see that once we arrived to the school the University was on a mountain. We arrived to Beppu late at night to be specific Beppu-wan the very top of the mountain there were stairs leading down to the campus the only thing visible was the city below the mountains. I was quite tired when a girl by the name of Ayumi introduced herself to us. She was extremely kind, and to make sure we could pronounce her name properly it was to be said as “I, you, me” which for the most part made it easier for others to pronounce her name and allowed her to break the ice between us. She was one of the RAs assigned to help us get settled into our dorms.
In my dorm, and getting settled, I set up my laptop and get on Skype to inform my mother, sister, and grandfather that I am in Japan safe and sound. This is the start of a new journey, and I am excited as to what will result from it.
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