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.

Leaving on a jet plane...

... eventually. But so far, I'm still stateside. The semester in Japan with Sophia University doesn't begin until early April. In fact I don't even board that ubiquitous jet plane until March 31. In the interim, I'm at home in Northern Virginia, which is kind of tough. Two reasons: 1) Most everyone I've spent an obscene amount of time with in the past three years is in Charlottesville; 2) Being at home is nice at first, but then you get cabin fever. Going to work every now and then helps with that, however. Plus work is giving me some much-needed cash that I can spend in Japan.

I did go to Charlottesville this past week. While there I was met with lots of "Aren't you supposed to be in Japan"s and "You're probably really excited"s. My responses to both the first was "Yes" and the second, "Not really." My semester abroad seems so far off to me. But even as I type that I know that the next two months will go by very quickly as I brush up on my Japanese, watch a lot of NHK (in translation: Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and trundle off to work from time to time.

I'm not sure when others began or will begin their study abroad experiences in Asia or elsewhere, but if you have a lot of time before it begins here are some tips to keep from going insane.

1. Reconnect with old friends: I don't get to see mine as much as I'd like to as I'm in Charlottesville for most of the year and when I'm not I'm working the old retail skit or have a 9-5 like internship. So I'm taking this time to catch up with my old pals and people who have graduated but live in or around Northern Virginia.

2. Buff up those language skills: Being at home, it's hard to put myself in "work" mode and pull out that Japanese language text book. But since I don't want to be completely lost in translation when I step off the plane, I've found the time to brush up on some old grammar materials and read about some new ones. If you don't already know, vocabulary and character flash cards are a must.

3. Catch up: In between working and studying and reconnecting (jeez, I seem busy), I try to catch up on the things I don't have time for during the school year. Like sleep. And the gym. And TV. True, you can't really catch up on sleep; once you've missed it, you've missed it. But sleeping 10 hours every night, sure makes me feel like I'm making up for sleep time lost.