Five Years…

Time flies when you’re having fun.
It’s trite, but true. In fact, it flies even when you’re not having fun…

Five years ago today, at around this time, give or take, I arrived in Japan for the first time. I came here to satisfy my curiosity, and to see where life would take me. Although I haven’t accomplished all the goals I set for myself, I have had many experiences, and I’ve learned a lot. I suppose a lot of the things I learned were not what I would have imagined, but that is ok, too.

We live out our lives, more or less unaware of how our choices will turn out in the future. All we can do is make the best decisions possible, and go from there. I am glad I came here, but I am thinking very hard about what comes next…I’m not in a bad place, but I know there is more to life, and I must keep moving ahead. I know I can learn more, and be better than I am today.

Five years is a long time to be separated from friends and family. To all of you, you are always in my heart. I’ve had many ups and downs, but I am glad I came. Although my journey abroad is not quite over, I am looking forward to new challenges and new horizons. I’m looking beyond Japan.

This road that I am on feels right for me, but I see big changes coming. The truth is, I see the end of the tunnel, and the signs are not in hiragana or katakana…