In a few short hours I’ll be heading for the airport.  In just about twenty four hours, I’ll fly from Chicago to Hong Kong to Osaka.  It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to leave; the summer has really flown by.  After packing, repacking, and shoving my clothes here and there, my belongings are finally ready to go.  I am somewhat anxious, in both the good way and the bad way.

On one hand, I have travelled internationally a few times in the past, including a long flight to China when I was very young.  I’m fairly confident in my Japanese and the staff from Kansai Gaidai will even meet us at the airport to help us get from Osaka to Hirakata, where the university is located.  On the other hand, this is the first time I’m completely responsible for my own travel and the first time I’m travelling internationally without a parent or guardian.  Most troubling for me is that my family will be more than the usual two hours away.  If I run into a problem, I’m mostly on my own to deal with it.  But that’s what being an adult is about, and while I’m worried, I’m also excited to see what I can do.  I’ve been wanting to test my Japanese language skills for some time and sometimes problems are a good (if stressful) test.

My lovely family! It's hard to believe that I won't seem them again until Christmas time!

My lovely family! It’s hard to believe that I won’t seem them again until Christmas time!

All things considered, I’m extremely excited to be studying in Japan this semester.  I have wanted to go to Japan since I was a child eating sushi and teriyaki.  I’ve studied Japan’s history and culture in class and now I will experience it firsthand.  My language partner at the university and I have been messaging for a couple of weeks now and we’ve already made plans to go places and do things together.  I absolutely can’t wait!  If only the travel time was shorter…