Welp, it's me again. And this time I am late... Eh, it was bound to happen.
So, now that I have somewhat informed you about Japan and the whole Study Abroad selection process, I have been stumped on what to write. But then, I realized how tiring a job packing is. Bleh... So guess what I am gonna write about? :3
Before I begin my post, I need to tell ya, I am NOT in Japan yet. I will be leaving this weekend. However, I am already packed for the most part. Now...onto the post. --->
So packing...it's bad enough to pack for a week-long trip or even a month-long trip, but a year-long excursion? To pack for such a long trip is difficult. One must consider many, many things, such as seasonal weather, available clothing at your destination, luggage size allowance, ect.
Tokyo tends to be cold during the winter and wet almost all year long, so having rain gear and more clothing is important to have with you. But, being that I am from good ol' Southern California....I don't have rain gear nor wintery-warm clothing. However, I do have a lot of t-shirts for the hot and humid months (which are late June and all of July) -_-; .
You may be thinking, "Yo Bikk, why not buy clothing there in Tokyo?". Good idea!...However....1) Japanese clothing tends to run smaller than American clothing and 2) I have a tremendous amount of trouble finding clothes large enough for my physique here in the US. It's not that I am "big-boned", for I am actually quite slim. My problem is that my arms and legs are long and my shoulders wide for a lady, so long pants, jackets, and long-sleeves that fit well on me are hard to find. As a result, I had to consider the difficulty of finding necessary clothing in Japan when I was packing my clothes.
While I could find a lot of appropriate clothing for Japan in the US, I also had to consider the allowed dimension and weight of my luggage. Because I didn't have a large suitcase of my own, I went ahead and bought one that was within the dimension allowance. However, since my clothes didn't fit into just one suitcase, I am being forced to bring another bag with me. I opted out of bringing a second suitcase because it is difficult to have two rolling bags when traveling around Tokyo. I should know! I almost took out an older Japanese man with my luggage while trying to catch a train when I first arrived in Tokyo in 2010. Since most train platforms are either upstairs or downstairs in Tokyo, one must drag your luggage onto either an escalator or up or down stairs. I was hauling my luggage downstairs to catch the train beneath Narita Airport (which is one of two international airports near Tokyo) when gravity tried to pull my two suitcases uncontrollably down the stairs. I was able to stop the two bags before they ran over a gentleman coming up the stairs....it was horrifying and humiliating....
With that being said, knowing your transportation options upon arrival is also very important when packing for a trip!
Lastly, packing for a trip like this difficult because of the emotional wear it has on the traveler. The act of packing is a reminder that you are leaving and will not be able to carry all of your favorites clothing, books, accessories and other goods with you. So you must carefully consider which of your favorites you just can't live without during the duration of your trip.
Packing is also a reminder of what traveling entails. You are leaving you family and friends. If you have sick or elderly loved ones or pets, you may not get to see them again. Friends may move away during you trip. In short, life at home continues on without you.
But, at the same time, you will be able to have new adventures with new friends. You will continue to grow as a person and will have the opportunity to live in an exciting new world and culture.
For me, packing this past weekend just confused me emotionally. Earlier this summer, I was extremely nervous about leaving and studying away from home. By the beginning of August, I had become really excited about my new life in Tokyo. But now, I am one sticky, messy pile of condensed and suppressed emotions. In fact, the exhaustion of buying necessary clothing, packing my bags, and realizing the sacrifices and gains in studying abroad has felt me emotionally numb. I am now just trying to prepare for my departure and say goodbye to all my friends and family. I'll probably breakdown on the plane or sometime in Tokyo, but that's ok. I will need to release my many, many emotions that are connected to this trip.
So, my last piece of advice for anyone traveling away from home for an extended period of time is to learn to recognize your emotional reactions in regards to leaving. It will help you later when you begin to miss your family and friends.
Since my weekend will be busy with last-minute goodbyes and traveling, expect my next post to be late.
'Til next time, later peeps!
