Six Months

February 1 marked six months that I’ve lived in Japan. Funny, I didn’t feel homesick until that thought suddenly clicked. Then it hit me suddenly and powerfully in the face. I’ve never been in a foreign country this long. And now I haven’t been home in half a year! I haven’t seen my parents! Or my friends! I haven’t snuggled with my cat, or bought groceries at Best Way or Harris Teeter, or had a beer at Natty Greene’s, or walked around the dry autumn fields in Littleton, for six months. Six months isn’t all that long, but suddenly it seems like it.

But on the other hand, my first year in Japan is already halfway over. I’ll be going home in August, like a lot of the friends I’ve met here. But, they won’t be coming back, and I will. Yes, I’ve decided to extend my stay in Japan for one more year; if, that is, they’ll have me again!

There are a lot of reasons why I want to stay. Two of the biggest ones are because I really like my job (the students and the teachers are great, and I actually feel useful) and I really want to learn Japanese. Also, there’s so much left to see and do and explore! I’ve really only seen the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan (although I’m about to fly to Hokkaido in two weeks) and there are more places I want to go: the rest of Japan (I’ve got to get to Kagoshima sometime!), Taiwan, Korea. . .maybe run down to New Zealand while I’m on this half of the world. The possibilities are endless, even if the money it takes to travel everywhere isn’t!

I’ve accomplished a good deal in my six months here. My Japanese is getting better, even if it does take me 30 minutes to write a 10-sentence email. I’ve settled into a good routine at home and at school. I feel like I’m connecting well with the students and I’ve made a lot of friends. I’ve also met a lot of cool people—nihonjin and otherwise--and been on a few dates (both with cool and not-so-cool people). And I’m living alone for the first time in five years, which gives me a wonderful feeling of adventure and freedom.

What will the next six months bring, I wonder? Better Japanese? Better lesson plans? A Japanese driver’s license? Warmer weather, for sure. Where will I go? What will I see? Who will be with me? What wisdom will I attain? What will I write at the end of 12 months? 18? 24?