Some Background...

I always want to spell it 'backround'...

Hi,  I'm Tim!  Every word in that sentence was capitalized, but that's beside the point...  I have just over 24 hours left in America.  It has been my dream to go to Japan for the longest time.  I decided with my heart of hearts that I was going to go there when I was in the 4th grade.  I'm now preparing to enter my third year of college and it's finally happening.  I tried to go through an exchange program in high school that would let me spend some time there in the summer, but that idea was quickly veto'd by my parents for financial reasons (and since I didn't have a job at the time, I really couldn't argue...).  I tried to apply to a Japanese college (Sophia, oddly enough) to go to full time.  This idea was shot down even more quickly.  My parents didn't think it would be a good idea for me to go so far away for so long so suddenly.  They promised me that if I went to an American college I could do a study abroad in Japan.  That is what I am now doing, and I cannot explain to you the amounts of excitement, happiness, and childlike glee that are swirling around inside of me. 

This is my first real time abroad for any length of time.  The only time I've ever actually left the country was a trip to Canada a few years ago.  The trip wasn't even directly to Canada... My brother, dad, and I made a trip up to Seattle and decided to drive into Vancouver for a day.  We probably spent AT MOST 12 hours there.  Other than that, I've never been out of the US.  This is really pretty shameful for how close I live to Mexico, but... whatever. 

Prior to this year, I've been a student at USF.  That's San Francisco, not Southern Florida.  I'm a double major in Japanese Studies and International Relations.  With the exception of one semester my first year of college, I've taken a Japanese language class every semester for the last six years (having tested up to a higher level class and then getting fucked over by the available classes, I was forced to take a semester long break... I AM STILL BITTER.).  My high school Japanese teacher was (and still is) an amazing woman.  Her class is what REALLY made me love this language, culture, country, and people.  I took Japanese for fun.  Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to learn it and was interested in it, but I just thought it would be a kind of fun little class I could take on the side and not care too much about.  BOY DID THAT CHANGE LOL!!1  By the time my freshman year was over, Japanese was my favorite class.  I looked forward to it pretty much every day (AP preparations can make you hate even your most beloved classes...).  Prior to falling in love with Japanese, I had been trying to decide between veterinary school and becoming a professional musician (brass and woodwinds... nothing cool...).  Now I kinda look back on that and laugh.  Animals and music are still two things I absolutely love, but I know I've found something I'm passionate about with Japanese.

These ramblings are weird and awful, but it's 3 AM so give me a fucking break.

Don't read this blog if cursing and stories about gay sex scare you/make you angry/etc.  You will not like this blog.

So yeah, 行くよ!  I'm off to Japan finally.  I'm going to be there for about 10 months.  I intend to make the most of every single day.  I don't want to look back and say "I wish I had gone and seen.../I wish I gone and done...",  I want to look back and say "I can't wait til I go back and do/see that again..."

I'm going to drink a lot (legal drinking age + alcohol in vending machines = YEEESSSSSS!!!).  I'm going to go to a lot of arcades (I'm a total fighting game junky, and I intend to go and learn from the best.  I'm hoping to attain some sort of "regular" status in some places and get ACTUALLY good.).  I'm going to get laid (LOL, THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING. OHAI CULTURAL BOUNDARIES AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS!).  I'm going to get a job (let's see if modeling works... and when it doesn't I'll try something more realistic, like working in an English cafe~).  I'm going to take public transportation and go on adventures and get lost (but I'll travel in a group and know enough Japanese to ask for directions...).  I'm going to have fun.

I'm going to have fun.

I mean, ok, yeah, I'll go to class too, sometimes... and maybe I'll pay attention... but let's be serious...

This has quickly become pointless and lengthy (lol that's wha-) so I'm gonna cut myself off there.

The next time I update this thing, I'm going to be in Japan, you guys!
Wish me luck!
頑張ります!