To Do List

Sadly I have done very little since my last post. Shortly after that post I got really sick, and since then I have had almost zero motivation to finish organizing my room and packing for Japan. This is my was of avoiding those changes of which I am less than fond. But in the end, stress is my ultimate motivator and my impending departure (in 9 days) is really helping me to get in gear. The only thing I like less than change is having to endure that change feeling unprepared.

So far my To Do list is as follows:

1. Evaluate my Savings Bond situation and cash some of them so I am able to pay all of my initial living expenses and fees when I arrive in Japan.
2. Turn the cash from my Savings Bonds into Japanese Yen, because everything over there is cash based and I am going to need it.
   
3. Learn how to drive a manual automobile because in Japan I will be driving a stick shift van, mind you they drive on the left and my gear shift will be on left and I am a righty!
4. Finish cleaning my room.
5. Pack my suitcases for Japan and pack boxes to mail directly to my apartment in Japan.
6. Help Mom prepare for my Farewell party and get ready for the weekend.

On a completely separate note, I just want to talk about how thankful I am for the friends and family I have been blessed to have. I have gotten so much support for this decision to move across the world. Even through all my freak-outs and moments where the stress is worst I have not been left alone. If I turn to my Mom, she can give the tough love and tell me that I have most certainly made the right choice to go abroad and that being scared is just part of this change, "now go finish cleaning your room." If I talk to my friends, they tend to coddle me a little more and help me feel really good about my decision, even though they know I am worried. Ultimately everyone tells me that I am making the right decision and tells me that I am going to, "be great!"

I think that is where my biggest fears come from, because all of the wonderful friends I have made and love so dearly and my family for whom I am most grateful will not be in Japan with me. This is something that I am pretty excited to do, and once I get to Japan, I know I will make new friends and meet up with some of my old friends again. Right now I am focusing on the independence I will have. Living alone and cooking for myself and making new friends, traveling, taking adventures; those are things that are going to make this year probably one of the best in my whole life. I am going to learn things about myself and about communication across vast distances (both literally and figuratively).

I really want to share my experiences and my personal growth on here. I hope my adventures are exciting enough to keep people interested. And I'm also hoping to get better at written correspondence as well, I like receiving mail and I know in order to get mail I am going to need to send some! Once I have my new address, I will let people know what it is.

There ends another day's thoughts. Thanks for checking in on me.