A Year Forward

August 29, 2013.

One year has passed

A year ago, I embarked on the biggest adventure of my life. A year ago, on this same day, I left for Japan. A new place. A new experience.  Ever since, a lot of things happened. Good or bad, memorable or not, it was all worth experiencing.

On the month of June, on my last few weeks in my stay in Japan, I tried to make a summary, reflection, and somewhat my message of thanks to important people in my stay there. I never realized that it was impossible to reflect and give thanks when youre still on that experience. So I decided to just finish giving a summary and write the later two while I think about it after I go home.

“525,600 minutes. 525 thousand moments so dear. 525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?”

These are the first few lyrics of Rent’s Seasons Of Love. One of my favorite songs. But moving on, how do you measure a year? How do I measure the life I spent in Japan?

Going to Japan was my lifelong and my initial dream for a higher dream. When I entered college, since I loved Japan culture and the language, I decided that this would be the first country I should visit before others. I had this dream aimed after graduation, on my masters degree. But for some lucky and God-given miracle, I got the opportunity 3 years earlier than I expected.

Before I even came to Japan, I looked like this: a young, thin, innocent-looking kid who hasnt reached puberty yet.

After approximately 10 months, I realized i've changed a lot. My hair is long, thick, color, and permed, I gained around 10 kilos, and I got the puberty that every teenager went through.

In my stay in Japan, i've had my share of all experiences: best, good, bad, worst. Ive had unproductive times, and some were so busy I cant even imagine how I was able to do those things. But most importantly, I was able to carve great memories into my mind.

Since it was nearly 5 months from the last time I posted something on my blog, I wanted to just give my whole trip a quick summary and hopefully write each experience on separate blog posts.

September and October– Adjusting process. I had to cry because the food in Japan was too expensive. Trying to adjust to the dorm life in 2^nd Men's Dormitory, living far from my family, and exploring Tokyo and making friends and Joining clubs. In this time I was busy practicing my archery and at the same time singing at the a capella club that I joined. First time at the Pokemon Center!

November – somehow got used to the life in Tokyo (you cant generalize Japan life from Tokyo life; Tokyo is a country in itself with a totally different lifestyle). Got my first part time job at a phone factory, Travelled to Nikko. Somehow adjusting again from the change of seasons (it was the peak of autumn). By this time I gained 3 kilos.

December- My 18^th birthday, alone. That was really sad. Met with my fellow Filipino Foreign exchange students and spent a good Christmas Break around Tokyo.

January and February – Basically this was mostly on improving my Japanese skills. Somehow unproductive because of winter. My first time to experience snow! Went to Disneysea with my best friend. Also did Mochitsuki and alumni homecoming of the dorm. And I don't know if its because of winter, or I just ate too much, because I gained a total of 10 kilos on that time!

March – Met with my fellow Filipino foreign exchange students again and travelled around Kansai (Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Kobe) and Fukuoka. A lot of first times (including coloring my hair). I guess the most rare experience I had was when I travelled from Fukuoka to Tokyo by local train on two days! (Refer to previous blog post: )

April – The most beautiful time of the year! The Cherry blossoms were a great sight! The dorm had new members (they call it by the year of graduation, to its 17s). I was not able to participate in the first few initiation days (since it was still vacation, and I was in my uncle's house in Saitama). Basically I was ready to go home (with my flight booked and all). But boy was I wrong. I guess my feelings of wanting to go home got disrupted when I became friends with the 17s in our dorm. I still remember it on how I got invited on a dinner together with them. I guess we got close since we were all 18 year olds (and I'm second youngest :D). Ever since, we then did a lot of things together. Got to eat Okonomiyaki for the first time, and lost at a rock-paper-scissor game for the first time (because you have to treat everyone for ice cream if you lose T.T).I was also able to enhance my Japanese skills (not to mention learn some nasty and slang words >:D). I got to know other people too from other dorms. And I lost 3 kilos in this time, probably because I started jogging since the weather was warm enough. Got in ICU Hub because I got to hang out with them often before our Korean class.

May – Probably the most unforgettable time of my stay in here. Did a LOT of first times. I don't even know where to start. The best was the Golden Week Holiday. With the 17s, I was able to go eat my first raw meal at Tsukiji Fish Market, attended at a Japanese Christian Church with my dorm mate's family, and did a homestay (technically it was that way) at Tochigi. And at that time, I also wore a Japanese high school uniform, and got to experience a kotatsu for the first time! That time, the most memorable was probably lying down in the middle of the rice fields and just staring at the sky full of stars, something you don't experience in Tokyo. Then went up Tokyo Tower on the next day. The following weekend I was with my best friends on lunch at a themed restaurant. It was great! On the last week of May, me, my previous roomate, his girlfriend, and his new room mate went and travelled together at Mt. Fuji and around it. Went to the 5^th station of the mountain, went around caves, and the famous Aokigahara Forest (Suicide forest). On a day we were able to do a lot of things. Plus, I was able to eat probably the MOST interesting meal. It was called Motsu. Guess what its made of? Cow's womb. O.o

June- I already sound like a bipolar by this time, telling people on how i'm excited to go home, and on how I still don't want to go home at times. I'm all set for home: my stuff are sent back, i'm around 20% from packing, my papers and requirements are now finished, and i'm enrolled back at my home university. Now i'm just waiting for my final exams, and then gonna meet people for the last time to say my goodbyes and thank you's.

And now I am back to my home, it’s already the third month since I came home from Japan. I have adjusted back to the climate, the school pressures, and the usual things I do here. After everything that’s happened, it was just like a dream, as if I was just sleeping the whole time thinking of these wonderful stuff that I experienced. Sometimes out of nowhere the best memories of my stay in Japan often come back randomly, when im asleep or when im doing homeworks. I guess my heart hasn’t fully adjusted yet. And I guess what they say is true, once you get out of your shell, there’s no going back in.

This experience wouldn't be the best one weren’t it for everyone. I can’t enumerate all of you here, but yes, I really mean everyone. Last year was a big stepping-stone into going forward to my future, and to the realization of my dreams.