As I set out on this journey I hope to put my mind at ease. The past two school years have been a bit difficult for me in reference to many things that would cause anyone a bit of uneasiness. But this year is going to be completely different for me. I will not really know anyone, therefore I will not feel obligated to spend as much time with others like I did in Beloit; and, I will not have an on campus job, which will give me free time at college that I have never held before. These two things gives me the opportunity to actually have the proper time for my classwork and to have small daily adventures around a place that is completely new to me. I love exploring and am always sad when I can’t see more of the places I visit, but a whole year will give me so much time to explore.
The biggest challenge that I will face is the lack of confidence in my Japanese language abilities. I tend to beat myself up a lot about not being at the right level for my classes, but the other half of me understands that I have never properly had the chance to learn. There is only so much that sitting in a classroom can do for you and your target language.
Time is what I hope to get out of this experience the most. Time to really engage with the hobbies and things that I have lost over the past couple years, time to explore Japan, and time to let the language sink in. I believe that at the end of this year, I will definitely be able to see a difference in myself.
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| Last shots before I go--reenacting my first day of kindergarten. |
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