So, I'm about to embark on an epic journey to a land where people eat fish, soup and sometimes even salad for breakfast. Wish me luck!
Wait, no, that was too short of a post. I'll start out with a little explanation of why I'm going to Japan next week. (Oh, and I'm Natasha, though I hope you all know that by now.)
In elementary school a family friend got me into anime and manga, and luckily I was able to take Japanese in high school. My interest in Japan kept growing, partly thanks to an awesome teacher and two school trips to Japan in the summer to visit our sister school. Then I got to college, kept taking Japanese and joined the JCC (Japanese Culture Club, not Jewish Community Center, haha.... though I am in a Jewish a cappella group-- Shir Appeal). Now I'm an Asian Studies major at Tufts University--I started taking Chinese too (yes, I know I sound crazy. I probably am). This summer, I interned at the Japan-America Society of Washington DC...good times. Tomorrow is my last day (sad face!), and after that and reading all of the hilarious blog "Gaijin Smash," I feel so much better prepared for Japan. Some bizarre stuff is definitely gonna go down, let me tell you.
And that brings us to today, when I am lucky enough to go study abroad in light of the March 11th earthquake/tsunami/nuclear mess in Northern Japan. I'll be in Kyoto at Doshisha University...well, not exactly, it's just that my program KCJS (Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies) is housed there. And although it's a Columbia-run program, my good friend from Tufts is going to be there with me...hurrah!
Now to explain the title--gaijin means "foreigner." It's technically gaikokujin or "foreign country person," but it often gets shortened to gaijin, which sounds closer to "outsider." Yowch. And thus, it is under this label that I venture into a year of lessons to learn, friends to make, and sights to see.
Itte kimasu! (well, I'm off!)
