Reentry: My Definition of Home, [Redefined]

Upon leaving my friends and family in Japan, I had a huge knot in my stomach. Truthfully, I was rather disappointed to be returning to sunny California to spend the summer forgetting all of my Japanese. As I submitted an almost obligatory post explaining how much I was going to miss Japan to Facebook, I began receiving comments from all of my friends in Japan. These comments were about wishing me a safe flight home, immediate contact when I returned to Japan, promises of coming to the USA to visit and またおいでねor “come back to Japan again”.

As corny as it might sound, I could really feel the love. It was a feeling I did not want to let go of, but returning to California only helped to solidify that feeling. California will always be home, but my study abroad experience has revealed to me that Japan will always be home, too. Coming back has marked the closing of my study abroad chapter, but I still have so much to look forward to here in California. With my sister’s  high school graduation, a potential family move and my senior year being just around the corner, anything and everything is a possibility. I know for sure that new adventures are bound to begin. Thanks for accompanying me on this grand adventure! Until next time, またね！