Sinking in?

It’s the one week mark today! I still can’t believe that I’m actually leaving the country soon. But now, with my luggage (mostly) packed, it’s slowly starting to actually sink in. Many of the people I’ve talked to have offered all sorts of congratulations… and some fear. It’s awesome enough that people are excited for me when I tell them, but these inevitable responses aren’t quite what I expected:

“Wow, that’s so far away!”
“Japan’s like a totally different world isn’t it?”
“Are you going to be able to adjust to their food?”
“A year’s a pretty long time! Hope you enjoy it!”
(aka, “Hope you don’t hate it a few months in!)

Honestly, I can’t be anything but grateful for the opportunity and I am pretty darn excited to live one of my dreams, but these responses are a little tricky to handle. I know that Japan isn’t nearly as “different” or crazy as a lot of people are led to believe. Obviously not everyone walks around looking like anime characters or only eating the most delicate and expensive sushi in the world. From what I’ve heard, it’s basically just like any other place with the only big difference being the language and shopping brands. Now, I’m not trying to downgrade the wonder that Japan. Their incredible history has left many amazing sightseeing opportunities after all. Not to mention many modern attractions like anime and Studio Ghibli, etc. I’m excited to experience Japan not as an “exotic” world but as a land for discovering! Like Columbus, but without all the small pox and massacres and land stealing…. Okay, maybe not like Columbus at all, but you get the idea.

For now, I’m staying calm and browsing some tourist sites in Nagoya. It’s a good way to stay my nerves for the long days of travel just a short while ahead of me.