The Beginning

Well, I did it. I'm in Japan. It's been nearly a year since I began the altogether-too-long application process required for the JET program, from filling out the extensive application, to acquiring letters of recommendation, to the nerve racking interview, to desperately waiting for the results, to being rejected (alternate status), to not knowing what would happen next, to being accepted, to hasty preparations for one of the biggest changes in my life. It certainly feels like it's been a long time.

But now I'm in Japan. And it's still hard to imagine a world map with the "You are here" arrow pointing at those islands, so far from everything that's familiar to me, to imagine that I live there now, after having grown up thinking it a fact of reality that Southern California is where I lived, live, and always will live, to imagine that I'm going to be here for a year, maybe even longer. I cannot guess what such a tremendous change will mean for me as a person, but I am excited to find out.

I hope to use this blog, mainly, as a way of staying in touch with my family and friends, to let them know about life in Japan, and to keep them updated on my own life here. It will also serve as my own personal record of my experiences, something I can look back on later in life. And finally, it will serve as an outlet for any thoughts or feelings I may have while I'm here.

To my family and friends, I miss you already. And, don't worry. I'll be home before you know it. And in the meantime, get AIM, get Skype, or just email me. I want to hear from everyone and know how you're all doing, okay?

Ja~, kore kara, gambarimasu!