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So now I'm going to Japan. For a year.
Quemaqua:
Hey guys! I could have sworn that I posted about this somewhere but nothing came up in a search, so at the risk of repeating myself, here's the scoop.
I haven't been around the boards much lately just because I've been unbelievably busy. In addition to tutoring all four semesters of Japanese at my university over the last semester, I also got accepted to the university study abroad program and to my host university in Matsumoto, Japan. 7 or 8 scholarships later, I managed to get it funded as well. I leave in 11 days. I'll be living there until next August.
It's ... I don't know what it is. I'm obviously incredibly excited, as this is an opportunity I've wanted for years now, and one I thought I would only get while having to divide my time between study and teaching English to stay afloat. I'll just be studying Japanese and basically nothing else, which means I'll get what I really need more than anything: practice on all fronts. So that's all super awesome. The weird part is that I've been dating someone since not all that long after I got back from China. We met last September, went on a few dates, and since she lived like an hour and 40 away from me, she started staying over a lot. Then she started staying with me more than at home, and after a while even though it was fairly quick, we decided to move in together. I was very up front about the fact that I was leaving, and even though I'd actually promised myself that I wouldn't be in a relationship when I left, and even though she said she'd never do another long-distance relationship, everything has just worked so well. We get along, daily life has been great, and though she's not my usual type in some ways, it's probably been the best and most functional relationship I've ever been in. And the two of us feel really okay with me leaving. Not happy about having to be apart for so long, but confident that we're going to be fine through it. Time will tell if we're right, but I'm already toying with the idea of proposing.
ANYWAY. All that said, she's now living with me, so will be taking care of the house and my dog while I'm gone. It's been a really lovely time, and it's going to be emotionally difficult to leave her, in addition to my family, who I live about 5 minutes away from now. I'm going through periods of reality versus denial about all this. Some days it feels real and it's emotionally unsettling, and other times it feels like it's still a dream and it couldn't possibly be happening.
But the reality is there's not much time left. Not even two weeks anymore. I've got a billion and a half things left to do, and it's crazy. On the one hand the fact that I'm going seems like a no-brainer, like a completely obvious thing, an inevitability. Of course I'm going. On the other hand, I kind of can't believe it. And I'm 100% unprepared for the whole venture, because I was expecting to have the whole summer to hardcore study and do basically nothing else, and instead I got a girlfriend, moved my girlfriend in, sanded down a ton of wood paneling and repainted our bedroom (which turned out amazing but took a week), helped her parents move out of their cabin, and ran a training for other language tutors at the Student Learning Center where I tutor Japanese. That and a billion other things. I also bought a Pixel 2 and got on Google's Project Fi service, and bought a Macbook Air (I know, what?) which I've been enjoying. Hopefully those should get me through all my international phone and computing needs.
Oh, and I also managed to get accepted to the Gilman blog program. It's one of the scholarships I got, and they pick a couple of people to blog on their site through their semester or year abroad. So hooray, more things to write!
Anyway, it's all bonkers and I don't even know how to talk about it without being all over the place. Either way, I'll still be around, but I'll be around from Japan. Wish me luck! I'll definitely throw some updates and pictures and stuff on here. Google is going to seriously regret allowing me to have a Google Photos account.
Cobra951:
That sounds incredibly stupendously amazing. Man, congratulations. Make the best of it. And yeah, make Google real sorry! Pics, please. I'm jealous.
Quemaqua:
Thanks man! I once spent two weeks in Ireland and took 1600 pictures, so no worries there. I may break the internet. ;D
ender:
Awesome! I just got back from my second trip a couple of days ago. I was there for 2 weeks, in Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo. You're going to have the greatest time ever!
ender:
Damn I just realized that you were probably there the last few days I was. Could've met up!
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