Counting Down the Days

I get to catsit this week, which is great, because the cat in question (pictured above) is this adorable black and white feline that goes by the name of Luke. He's very friendly, and highly cuddly—and the best thing about him is that he's the only thing keeping me relaxed because... That's right. Japan is coming up much faster than I had anticipated, and much like a tree does when one starts to learn biking, Japan 'jumped out at me.'

To make things more stressful, I'm moving houses this week. Some of you might be used to moving, so it might not seem like all that much, but when parts of your house looks like a hurricane aftermath, moving takes some time. Luckily, that means I can probably just sort out what I want to bring to Japan as well, and just set that aside.

My mother told me that I've been to Tokyo before, when I was really young, but I don't remember any of it; so this is basically my first time going to Japan. It's a bit scary, more for the how-am-I-going-to-speak-and-understand-others-speaking-twice-my-speed factor, rather than the oh-I'm-going-so-far-away-from-home-and-I'll-have-to-be-independent factor. I think I'll be fine with the latter.

Nevertheless, the most overwhelming feeling is the feeling of excitement. I want to go so badly. My glee is busting out hard. This is the culmination of many events in my past, and gosh darn it, it's worth it! Working hard all those years, self-pursuing Japanese culture and language, etc. It was all for a very good cause, and I have to say, now that it's here, I have no regrets. None. Just... wow. o.o

I'm going to Japan! Can you believe it? Because I barely can, and I probably won't until I've been there for a few weeks and have finally let it sink in that Japanese is the dominant language of where I am (albeit Tokyo probably is the most dense region in Japan for English speaking people). Yatta! Iku yo!

I want to thank all the people who have helped me get to this point: my parents, of course, who not only have footed the majority of the bill until I can pay them back, but also have pushed me to continue doing what I love and pursuing it to its limit (if that even exists); my godparents, whom I've known all my life and whom I trust and love as I do my own parents; my teachers, who have shown great interest and support in my interests, even if my interests aren't within the realm of their teachings; my boyfriend, who helped me through many tough times and is always supportive of my dreams, even if they aren't his own (I love you! <3); and my "family," and by that, I mean those of you who mean as much as family should to anyone with a "normal" family. You guys have picked me up when I have crashed down, and pushed me to go on even when I wanted to back down, and urged me to take those leaps of faith, even though my greatest fear is heights and falling. Thanks, everyone. =]

Since many of you have urged me to keep you updated, this shall be the home of my blog about my Japanese gap year. However, be warned: when I give details, I mean details. There will be long paragraphs, lots of info, and hopefully lots of posts. Next post will probably happen a few days before I depart for Japan.

Cheers and chocolate! <3