Waiting may be boring...

...but taking a break to visit your friends is definitely not.

Happy Easter Monday to those of you who celebrate it. In one week I'll depart the U.S. but right now I find myself not at home but in Charlottesville, visiting friends, finding housing for next year and interviewing for an internship. Being back has been really great and I don't feel, bad I guess is the right word, or regretful that I'm not here with my friends. I definitely don't feel any regret about not having classes at this time, but that pesky coursework will come soon enough. At the end of last semester, I really thought I wouldn't be able to bear this interminable wait before my time abroad began. This faux "summer" break in the middle of winter has really been relaxing and now I'm ready for the term to begin.

Just a quick work about getting things together for next year. For those studying abroad for a year or a semester, one concern is getting everything in order for your return to your host institution, i.e. housing and course enrollment. Juggling both studying abroad and planning for your return may seem difficult, but here are a few tricks to keep everything under control.

1. Know your deadlines: If there are papers or other technicalities that need your approval or are time sensitive, the worst that can happen is to forget about them because of a time change or simply by living life. Always keep a tally of your deadlines and know which ones are coming up in the immediate future.

2. Don't wait to the last minute: It almost goes without saying, but as a procrastinator who always manages to squeak by at the last second (and who just reformulated a resume last night for an interview this morning), I know it needs to be stated. If you have a question about anything about your return and your courses at your home institution, do not hesitate to ask. There may be deadlines you're unaware of that you might miss. And (for the most part) university administrators really want to help you, that's what they're here for.

3. Try not to stress: This might completely discredit the previous two points, but if you miss a deadline or run a little late, it's not the end of the world. Try not to stress about it too much. The great thing about college is a good deal of responsibility is coupled with a good number of people who want to help you when that responsibility becomes too great.

Counting down is tedious...

...And it's making me anxious. My nerves are completely out of control as the 31st draws nearer. I admit, I haven't posted as much as I wanted to. It's kind of complicated. I've really wanted to travel abroad, especially for an extended period of time, but I've gotten so used to being at home and all of the unknowns are making me very nervous, wishing for some sort of temporal freeze. I guess that's the catch-22 about the unknown: it's both exciting and terrifying. Change and the promised adventure of making my way through a foreign country are drawing me into their spheres but repelling me at the same time.

It's left me in a funny place, a place where I definitely have not studied as much as I should have (cracking a textbook when's one's posted at the home front takes an infinite amount of strength); I still don't have everything I need; I'm a little bit unsure of how to get from the airport to my lodging, make that a lot unsure, and with all of my baggage.

But even as I'm worrying about all of these things, I know that they'll just sort themselves out. Somehow I will get to my housing, with all of my luggage and some excellent experiences on the way.

Even though I haven't figured out the ins and outs of my initial time there, I've already started some research on what I want to do with my four months in Japan. I'm really interested in the art and music scene in Tokyo and via a google search I stumbled upon these two great blogs: Tokyo Art Beat, PingMag and Le Baron. The first two have already given me some ideas of how to explore the city especially this article. I also want to check out the contemporary art fair in Tokyo, April 3-6.

I'm not an art major but I think art says a lot about a country's culture, values and what its people are thinking about today. Plus it might be a good way to meet other like-minded Japanese and international students and people. I may not have all of the important bits sorted out yet but I definitely think I'm getting there.

Two weeks from... yesterday...

Yup, two weeks from yesterday (and 13 days from today to make things easier) I'm leaving for Japan. Thankfully, I got my suitcase, my purse and the rest of my essentials, i.e. toiletries, socks and some more jeans. I'm trying to take most things with me instead of buying them abroad becuase a) I'm not sure how much they'll cost there and b) I'm not sure if they'll have what i need especially hair product. (I have very, very, very curly hair and it needs special attention.)

As far as the important stuff is concerned (visa, passport, money), it's all been taken care of.

T-18 Days

The date draws nearer and in about 18 days I will head to the airport with all of my luggage (i.e. one large suitcase, a carry-on and a purse/computer). Except that I don't have a large suitcase. And I'm not sure what I'm going to pack yet. And I don't have a purse large enough to carry my computer. Or a computer case. Or an adaptor. And do I even need a converter!?

Clearly, I still have to figure some things out.

All in good time I suppose. The suitcase issue must be dealt with before the end of this week, though. I can't take another nightmare about packing my things blindly and then turning around and realizing they're all just sitting on the floor because I have no suitcase. So that's the first thing on my list. Second: At some point I should start drafting a temporary list of things that I plan on taking with me. What can I get in Tokyo? (With all of this rampant globalization, the better question might be what can't I get?) What should I take with me and what might I have to learn to live without? Third on my list: I need to get a purse and a computer case. The latter of the two can be solved easily so I'll probably take care of that this weekend, too. The former, however, is proving to be more difficult. I want a purse, a bag really, large enough to carry my textbooks and computer in when classes begin. I'm not a backpack person, so this is really important. I need a bag that combines both form and function in an aesthetically pleasing way. Oh yeah, and one that doesn't split my wallet wide open.

Speaking of money (I know, an uncomfortable subject), let's talk about the USD. Bush is adamant that we're not in a recession, but I beg to differ. I have a few friends abroad in Europe and they started feeling the pinch in the last months of 2007. Admittedly, the situation is worse for them but this past summer the dollar to yen ratio was 1 to 118 or somewhere abouts. When I last checked it was 1 to 1. Ouch. At least I'm not going to London.

We'll have to wait to see how this affects my experience in Tokyo. But for now it's back to working, studying and searching for that elusive bag. Wish me luck.