On the tail end of my trip to Japan, I travelled with my parents to Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, and Okinawa. It was a rather busy 2 weeks, but we certainly got to enjoy a lot of famous places. We were also treated to fantastic hospitality by our former host students, Miki and Hiroko. Plus it was quite the experience being in Japan for the New Years, because that is just like our Christmas--it's a big deal.
But now I am back in Denver, and I've been attending my classes in English again. I truly, truly miss Japan, and I wish from the bottom of my heart that I could still be there. But the fact of the matter is that I must graduate first. And not only that, Japan is rather removed from the line of work I wish to enter. It is incredibly difficult to integrate into Japanese society without having lived there for years upon years and being fluent in Japanese, and even then you are probably just teaching English (not something that particularly strikes my fancy). So, as much as I love Japan and Japanese, that will most likely always be a hobby or vacation for me. Nevertheless I am just so thankful for this opportunity to have traveled there for close to free, and all of the incredible new lessons the study abroad experience had to offer me.
Stay tuned for the next trip, but until then it's time for me to buckle up and finish my degree!
