It's the Final Countdown! / お世話になりました！

Well, I'm outta here in less than 48 hours. When he left, Jamie said leaving Aizu felt more like going on a trip than it felt like going home. I think I would feel the same way if I hadn't cleaned out the apartment and packed everything away earlier today. Tomorrow, I'm helping Kawaguchi-sensei move everything to his apartment to store for the Rose-Hulman students next year. Spending that final night in an empty, lonely apartment is gonna be weird.

Beyond all that material stuff, I'm slowly piecing together how I've changed as a person over the past 6 months. There's no easy way to gauge something like that, though, when I've been looking through my own eyes the whole time. I'm hoping that as my plane leaves Narita aiport and I watch Japan fade into a tiny speck, some epiphone will hit me like a freight train, I'll monologue the whole thing, and then realize I've become a better person despite it all. Soon after, as the lights fade and a mellow-toned indie song that's popular with the young crowd picks up, my problems will be solved and my fears abated. Psshaw, that sort of stuff only happens in sitcoms...besides, I have to sit next the bathrooms, so I won't be able to look out the window.

Looking at it all in retrospect, I wish I'd gone more places and met more people. Don't get me wrong, though. I've met some great friends and seen some amazing sights. Things were just so different this time around compared to Kanazawa. I thought I knew exactly what to expect since I'd already done it all last summer. Instead, the Aizu program made me realize how structured and confined the KIT IJST program was. The intense language courses I took at Kanazawa lasted a mere eight weeks and barraged us with enough homework that the stay seemed to fly by in a few, fleeting days. Apartments, beds, utilities, and laundry machines were all provided for us as a part of the tuition fee. From the first day, we were introduced to a club of Japanese students at KIT University whose sole purpose was to show us around town and hang out. Despite having our hands held most of the time, I learned about Japan and made friends I can never forget.

Aizu, on the other hand, lacked some of that structure. The other Rose-Hulman students and I had to purchase many of the everyday household items that I took for granted. Within the first week, we bought beds, sheets, curtains, heaters, pots, pans, and carpets. Apartment rent, gas, water, sewage, and electricity bills were entirely our responsibility. We were able to stay in Aizu for as long as six months. Making friends and finding things to do with our time were entirely on us this time around as well. Much like moving to a new neighborhood, it meant starting over from scratch. Meeting new people, fostering relationships, exploring Aizu, and becoming familiar with the city were goals left to be completed at our discretion.

And one of these days after I'm done with school, I gotta find somewhere to live, move there, and get used to a new city all over again. Thanks to the past 6 months, I'd like to think that next the process is going to be a little bit more familiar.

Something Iwase-san, one of the coordinators of the Aizu-Rose exchange program, said got me thinking as well. He said that these sorts of international study programs enstill "competency" in their participants, something considered priceless to most employers. It's something he looks for in prospective employees as well. Perhaps my resume's lack of internship or co-op bullet points isn't such a big deal when I've got 8 months' worth of study abroad under my belt. I still realize that any reasonable amount of study is hardly comparable to actual field experience. All the same, I was pretty relieved to hear what Iwase-san had to say.

Next time I log on, I guess it's gonna be state-side. I'm not looking forward to the 30+ hours of travel, but shouganai yo ne! I just hope I can fit all those stupid souvenirs in my luggage...

色々お世話になりました、会津大！さようなら！
Iro iro osewa ni narimashita, Aizu-dai! Sayounara!
Thanks for taking care of me, Aizu University! Farewell!

暇人 / What a bum

I've got nothing to do.

As a result, I've spent several of my waking hours doing the following activities:

• Cleaning the apartment
  
  -Finally got rid of all those booze bottles that I had no idea what to do with. I think I might've gotten a little attached though, 'cause the apartment looks funny without the Absolut pile next to the trash can. And how the heck did two frogs get into my place?
  
  
• Sitting around in my underwear
  
  -It's totally as liberating as you think it'd be, and it cuts down on laundry costs. I understand why Dad did it so much now.
  
  
• Reading One Piece in Japanese
  
  -Now I know a bunch of worthless vocabulary words like pirate (海賊, kaizoku), cannon (大砲, taihou), and straw hat (麦わら帽子, mugiwara boushi). A few more volumes, and I can finally become a English/Japanese Translating Pirate just like I've always dreamed.
  
  
• Trying to flatten my passport
  
  -Why is this country so humid?
  
  
• Learning to cook
  
  -I'm making some progress! I wish I had a real oven instead of a fish cooker, though...
  
  
• Looking forward to getting home
  
  -I'm excited to see my family again, and I'm going out to Kooriyama this weekend to do some shopping for them! Other than that, the new living setup at school's going to be interesting. Can't wait to start working at Java Haute again, either. T minus 13 days!