The Disclaimer

I don't mean to repeat myself, but I want to elaborate on my first post for the sake of clarity and detail (also I was in a rush the other day, so, this should tell you more about where I'm at right now).

Something I've realized about blogging, for me, is that it has to encompass everything. I debated referencing scripture in the title of this blog because I created it with the intent of documenting my experience in Japan (primarily), but "Rising Sun Ruminations" was too long and "The Rumination Room" was too vague (although I still think it's a pretty good title for a blog) and then I remembered my last blog was called Operation R...

So enough with the r's. Enough with the expectations. I'm not going to limit myself, because I'm not that kind of person. My relationship with God is a huge—the biggest, you could say—part of my life. But I'm a writer and a thinker and a lover and a daughter and a sister, and hopefully a world-traveler for the days to come, so my heart and my mind are going to come out on this page. Just so we're clear on the objectives.

But on to Japan. I'm psyched. I've got all the major preparations done—passport and visa, check; round-trip ticket, check—so all I have to do now is figure out a phone situation and what to do for money in the airport and how to find/pay for the shuttle to the university. And pack. All which will be handled later, accordingly. Studying would be a good plan too, but I've found I'm a lot better about making and organizing 500+ flashcards of kanji (the really complicated characters borrowed from the Chinese) than actually memorizing them, and since I got assigned a speaking partner I've been less motivated. My partner's name is Seiji and we've been emailing back and forth for the past week now. He writes in English and I write back in Japanese, and it seems that we're evenly matched, which makes me feel a whole lot better about the whole coming semester. But he is a 19-year-old boy, and I've heard that more Japanese guys than girls sign up for the speaking program because they're all looking to "meet someone" if you catch my drift...so look for updates on that, haha.

Unfortunately, this reminds me that there will be struggles, and I have to keep that in mind. My boyfriend, for example, is going back to school out of state in 6 days, so of course I expect to face challenges in our relationship over the next few months. I expect to face challenges in my faith in trying to find a Christian community in Japan, and I try not to think about getting sick in a foreign place, but these are all obstacles I've had to overcome in the past; not without help, but I guess it's still a comfort.

So I hope what I write here will not only be stimulating for you, but also healthy for me, as a de-stresser at the very least (and just because I'm an English major doesn't mean I won't make up words and occasionally use poor grammar). I intend to post one more time before I leave (probably the day before I leave or in the airport somewhere), but until then I'll be submitting to poetry contests, going to work, and trying to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go run.

See you on the flipside :)