The race to the finish...

Hey everyone (who still reads this blog T-T),

Thank you for wishing I would update this thing more frequently. >_<  It's been a fun school year away from home. There were challenges with living alone with language barriers in place, but there have been so many fun times that they will forever outweigh the hard times. Both the good and the difficult I would never, ever want to trade in for something else. That's partially because I learned so much about myself here. And partially because one must have the difficult times to fully live and appreciate the lives we've been given.

As I write this blog, I am staring at my main Japanese class's semester schedule. It lists all the quizzes and class activities that were planned for this semester, one day at a time, one week at a time. This multi-page schedule is now pinned open to the last page. It tells me that I have this week and 4 other weeks let of the semester. Man, the last week isn't even a full week. What bitter-sweetness that is!

Last week, I received both my Moving-out paper work and my health insurance paper work. I get to go down to my local government health insurance office to turn in the paper so I am covered still, while declaring that I am returning home soon.

Next week, I have a "Returning Orientation" through my school.

I have friends who have flown in or are flying in from the States, with whom I am arranging plans to meet-up here in Tokyo. One such friend I have plans with to go on a trip with to Kyoto after school is over.

Then I have plans with my family of friends whom I met this year. Plans to go climb Mt. Fuji, CSU Dinners, and just some basic outings.

I have my room to straighten, take a photo of for memory sake, then start packing away and sending home.

All the while, I struggle to stay somewhat focus in school (I only say 'somewhat' because my focus is too splintered to ask for anything more). And to top that off, I'm trying to work hard on that manga of mine for the three-language International Manga competition.

With each passing day and week, the days getting harder. I want to inch closer to the end so I can cherish my time here more, but life won't let me. I'm one day closer to leaving, one day closer to see my family and friends at home, one day closer to the manga competition's deadline.

The heartbreak of leaving and the joy of return tend to cancel each other out, leaving me feeling void of emotions or irritated or even angry. Is that not grieving? We do not just grieve for the passing of a friend or family, but we also grieve for the passage of time. That's why leaving can be so painful. We must go through the grieving process for this kind of situation, as well. But most importantly, we must first recognize that we need to grieve...that~ would be something I am terrible at doing...It took me a few weeks to realize that I was grieving the end of my time here.

In time, I will blog about my experiences here. Maybe after I return, maybe before...I do plan on keeping this blog running after I return, because I would like to share more cultural facts about Japan. And I know that some poor exchange student will stumble upon this and hopefully can find it useful.

Until then, later peeps!