Hello everyone! I thought I’d write something before leaving for Japan!! I've been doing a lot of preparing recently and things are starting to feel super real, which is exciting but also a bit stressful. Turns out leaving your home for six months requires just a bit of preparation and has a lot of unknowns until you get there, who would have thought. I’ve gotten through most of the boring paperwork and forms I can whilst I’m still here but I know there's even more waiting for me when I get to Japan lol.
That aside, I wanted to talk about some things I’m excited and nervous about! The big one is living alone for the first time, doubly so being in another country. There's so much freedom that comes with living alone that I’m super excited for but also means I’ll be doing everything myself. I’ll have a tiny kitchenette which will have a fridge, microwave, stove and of course a sink. Super excited to see what I can do with it but I think I might need to buy a rice cooker because I absolutely hate microwave rice lol. My dorm is super cool, it has a cafe and op shop on the first floor and is home to not just university students but a ton of different people! I really hope I can find chances to practice my Japanese skills more naturally and make some friends where I live :).
I’m also really excited to explore Doshisha’s campus as the university cooperative seems really cool with the cafeterias all having super cheap food that changes seasonally! They have the menus for them online with each cafeteria having its own leaderboard for student’s favourite foods based on feedback which is really fun. There's also a bunch of restaurants near campus meaning there's tons of food options between classes which I’m excited to explore! When I was on my month exchange at KGU back in early 2024, one of the saddest parts was just how far away the campus was from anywhere, so Doshsiha being so close to so much is super convenient.
One of the things I’m most nervous about once I’m in Japan is actually the bureaucracy, there's a bunch of things I need to get sorted out at my local municipal hall which will be all in Japanese. The big things I’ve gotta do after arriving is registering my address on my residence card as well as signing up for national health insurance and getting a discount for it as I’m a student. I’ve been reading up on what to expect but I think I’ve just gotta go with the flow when I get there lol.
You’ll probably hear from me again sometime after I arrive on the 9th of September! Hopefully I won't have much trouble settling into life in Japan aside from it being both hot and stormy for the week after I arrive 😭.
Bye for now!