Japan III

Well, today is the day. I seriously can't believe it. At 6:25pm today, I will be flying out of an airport in Columbus to go to Seattle for a few days and then depart for Japan. egahd


For anyone curious, I did not update in the last few weeks because there really wasn't anything to write about that you didn't already know and I was also spending about a week and a half with my boyfriend's family in L'Anse, Michigan. As for my time in Michigan, it was much needed. I am very grateful for having a time where I was able to escape, as they say, from my list of things to do.


Here are a few favorite photos from the trip:

[Lake Superior]

 [Galen]

 [Kayaking on Lake Superior]

 [Galen and I]

 [Copper Harbor]

 [Some hiking]

 [Yooper Tourist Trap]

 [Lake Michigan]

 [A really neat boat in Mackinac City]

 [The arch on Mackinac Island]

After my trip to Michigan and prior experience in Washington State, I think I defiantly prefer the North over the South.

So after I got back, I had about 4 days to get a few quick things done which included picking up my Visa, passport and emergency SOS card, exchanging some money for Yen and also packing. After completely packing, my one large suitcase weighs a little over 60 lbs. so I'll have to pay the fee for overweight baggage ($175 total) but I guess it's worth it considering I want to have everything I'll need to live abroad for 4 months. A few comfort items I packed were pictures of family and home, one of my favorite blankets I bought from BrookStone and one of Galen's hooded jackets. I keep reminding myself that I really won't be gone for that long, it's just one semester but still, it's my first time going overseas nonetheless, interning...For as long as I've had this trip planned, I never thought I'd be this nervous. Yet, it is not the long trip that makes me nervous. Airplanes don't scare me, neither does trying to find my way around a foreign country and especially other places in the United States (I like to pride myself that I am very skilled at finding my way around new places). What shakes my stomach is being around 9,000 miles away from my friends, family and of course Galen. I imagine that the first few weeks will be rough but after that I will get used to the skyping, emailing and writing in order to communicate. This morning (and also yesterday morning) I decided to have an early breakfast at one of my favorite places, Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe in Yellow Springs. The Emporium quickly became my 'place' to do homework, study or just read after discovering it a few years ago. I always humored myself by thinking the cafe was an extension of my home since the walls inside The Emporium were the same color as the walls in my apartment. Inside those aged walls I completed many papers, Japanese worksheets, wrote many carefully worded journal entries and read many books...

Anyway. I feel as ready as I'll ever be. I think by this point I've checked my bags about 3 times as well as reviewed my flight information over and over again. Tonight I will arrive in Seattle at about 3:30am, EST. I will be in Japan on August 28th around 4:30am, EST where my life will suddenly turn into something similar to Lost in Translation. Best wishes to each and everyone of you.