A shot taken nearby my friend’s house in Sibayama.
I’m gonna miss Sibayama’s lush green fields. I’m gonna miss the frantic chirping of summer cicadas. I’m gonna miss seeing the occasional flattened corpse of a snake, the seductively pointed legs of the spiders that invaded my room and the occasional rumblings of an airplane reminding me how far away I am from home.
Tomorrow, I’ll be saying sayonara to the countryside and moving a bit closer to Tokyo to a place called Ichikawa. It’s the thought of “moving” again that’s bringing back that crippling homesickness. I’ve skyped my family a couple of times, but it’s not the same. It’s a bit heartbreaking too when your dog can’t recognize your voice or your face through a screen (or maybe he did and he’s just foolin’). But, school hasn’t started yet nor has this exchange experience, really. I heard from a friend of mine who just completed her Go Global program in Hong Kong that the beginning and the end were the times where she was most homesick. I just gotta get to the middle of that delicious exchange sandwich after struggling with those dry, crusted slabs of whole grain. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bread on sandwiches, but seriously, no one eats a sandwich for the bread.
With the idea of heading into an apartment, the worries start to pile on. Money. Food. Space. Money. Laundry. Commuting. Transit. Money. Money. Money. Japan’s an expensive place to live in, but there’s ways to cut corners, to make sure you pay the bills and to be cheap-cheap-cheap. I for one, plan on heading to a Supermarket late at night where they markdown everything in an attempt to sell the last of their stock. 19yen udon noodles. Cheap frozen vegetables. I’m already salivating over savings.
While school hasn’t started yet (and it won’t until September 22nd), I hope I get used to the hustle and bustle of things before it does. My friends back home are already getting ready. Seeing people leading Jumpstart and or posting pictures of their return to UBC’s campus have bitten me with the vengeful venom (perhaps from a run-over snake) of homesickness. Though, I guess, you always carry a little bit of home around with you where ever you go. I just need to build my foundation. Build my house.
Don’t get sick on the discount food items!!! I need you to stay alive to tell the tale. More importantly, I want to hear about all the ways you’re going to “build your house”. Did it take going away to feel like you needed to carry a bit of home with you?