Well, it’s been exactly one week since I stepped off of my 11 hour flight from Portland, Oregon all the way to Narita Airport in Japan. I feel like I’ve been here a month though… in a good way! I’ve been experiencing new things every day and it feels like I have learned more about myself and the rest of the world in this past week than in my entire lifetime! As soon as I stepped foot off of that plane, the newness was overwhelming and I was immediately given many opportunities to use my skills in Japanese. Going through immigration and customs, exchanging dollars to yen, shipping some luggage to my apartment, buying a bus ticket to Mito, and checking into my hotel, etc.. all of these experiences had me using Japanese in some way. Though I will admit that everyone I spoke to had at least some handle of the English language and I did use that as a crutch. I was in a kind of shock at being in a new place that night, so I most certainly wasn’t at my best. Fortunately, everyone was extremely patient and kind to me as I fumbled with my words. Since there was a typhoon occurring as we arrived, one of the teachers at Ibaraki that lives near the bus station came to check to make sure that we arrived safely and even called a taxi for us to take us to the hotel. The next morning, two volunteer students from the university came to pick us up and take us to the International Student Housing (we call it kaikan) to move in. Then we immediately had to fill out paperwork for Internet, electricity, and gas bills with the help of volunteers and tutors that live at kaikan. I was so surprised at how helpful everyone was then. I was under the impression that we would pretty much be on our own at Ibaraki, but that is absolutely not the case. The other students living in the area have taken us to the nearby shops and restaurants so that we know where they are and can get there easily. They help us get the things we need if we don’t know how to get it. Simply put, everyone here is amazing and I have been having a blast thanks to them.

Location: Japan, Ibaraki Prefecture, Mito City