Thank you for sticking with me through my summer abroad journey in Japan!  The PII program finished after 8 weeks on 7/28, and week 9 was spent traveling/exploring Kanazawa, Osaka, and Kyoto.  The biggest challenge of week 8 was mentally preparing myself to leave the life and relationships that I had worked hard to build.  The hours and hours of talking with my host mother, friends that I got to know through classes and cultural events, the morning and afternoon train commutes…I had become a new person—a changed person.

Before I get into the last part of the post, I feel it necessary to mention that my host family was absolutely amazing.  I send a big heart full of gratitude for always taking me to interesting and unique places, showing me what life is truly like in Japan, and letting me stay a little longer because of the typhoon.

The end was an ethereal time blur…so here is a short picture summary of the last two weeks:

Above is a picture of some tasty Osaka sashimi; the cuts with the paper on them are actually aged…quite the opposite of “fresh” but, surprisingly, even more tasty!

Some new Kanazawa University friends took me to a see Kyudo (Japanese archery) and a Buddhist temple (lower picture).  While meditating at the temple, I felt as if I were in a sauna, which made it even more difficult to “clear the mind,” but that may have been the point of the meditation…

During my last week, I stayed in Osaka.  The picture above captures the lively and packed streets.  For blocks, flashing lights, food vendors, and small shops were all mingled and squeezed into an area called Dotonbori.

Perhaps the highlight of my last week was the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium! You may be wondering why I chose a picture of jellyfish, and you may think that there is a special meaning to this picture.  Well, I could create meaning for it, but I don’t necessarily want to…they just exist.  Make your own meaning from what you are given—that’s what I did.

I would like to especially thank my host family, Princeton in Ishikawa, and the Light Fellowship for providing me the opportunity to study abroad and ultimately change my life for the better!