Time is Flying Fast

Only one month left before I depart back to California. It feels surreal like I have so much more I want to do but so little time left. This whole month is going to be pretty hectic for me as I have a lot of presentations and reports due as well as finals. I want to spend my remaining time making precious memories with my friends and seeing more of Japan. Did I miss home while I was away? Not really. I get frequent calls from my parents almost every day so it doesn't really feel like I have been apart from them. As my time is coming to a close, I know I will miss the people, the food, hearing the language, and most of all the friends I have made here. I am so gratefult to take part in this program because I have made some precious friends that I wouldn't have been able to meet anywhere else. I am sure we will remain connected throughout the years, and we will meet again in the future hopefully also making a trip back to Japan.

Thinking back, I did feel confused with myself when I first came to Japan. I could not read the language or understand what the people were saying. I felt useless and lost. But, as time flew and my language skills increased, I felt myself improving as a person being able to make basic conversation with the people and getting around Japan by myself. As I am reminiscing the time I have spent in Japan, I feel like I have grown individually as a person. I see things in a more positive perspective and the places I have travelled to showed me that there is so much more to see in the world. I am glad I took this opportunity to go abroad, away from my home, and away from my comfort zone. Getting lost is becoming an everyday thing but I take it as part of a journey and I enjoy getting lost. I get to see things that I wouldn't have been able to if I were to follow a set plan of places to go to. And the best part about getting lost is doing it with your friend. It makes the adventure more fun and memorable. My entire experience wouldn't have been possible without the people I have met in this program and the IES Abroad Tokyo staff so thank you for an incredible experience so far. I hope this month will pass by slowly as I continue to make more memories.