Almost Time....

It's almost time to leave for Japan......HOLY POOP!!! All of my emotions have been up and down like a roller coaster. This must be what my fellow study abroad-ers are going through right now, too. SO CRAZZZYYYYY!!!

Anyway, in case you were wondering, my plane for the land of the rising sun takes off at 10:50 AM from O'Hare August 28th (15 days! Yikes!). Then I fly to Tokyo. When I land at around 1:00 PM, I have a 5 hour lay-over at the airport (poor Megan has to go through a 20-hour lay-over on her way to Russia). Then I board another plane to Centrair (central Japan international airport) and land at around 7:30 PM Japan-time. After that I am meeting someone from IES who will go "Hi hello" then *HOPEFULLY* direct me to the hotel where I am staying for the night. The next day I begin a 4-day pre-orientation where I will take a Japanese class and do touristy things with other confused and jet-lagged Americans. Yee-haw.

Am I excited? Yes. Am I terrified? HELL YES! I have been spending the last couple days doing some clothes-shopping (success!) and making lists for various things I will need. I have a new purse and a new tote which Greg's mom and sister bought me that I will bring with me and use as a backpack (so cute! It's fake burberry. MY FAVE!!). I bought a new wallet. 3 Pairs of shoes. An electronic Japanese dictionary for my DS which is pretty badass. My poor bank account!

The only thing that keeps breaking my heart right now is the struggle my friend Vanessa is going through. She and her boyfriend just broke up but she was so so so so in love with him. As a result, she is completely torn and feels so betrayed and let down. So I've been spending time with her almost everyday, trying to keep her spirits high and let her know I love her and she can get through this. I hate break-ups, whether they are happening to me or someone close to me. This break-up however has brought me and her really really close and, as strange as this may sound, I am kind of thankful. She has always been there for me, and I am trying my best to return to favor. I am always worried about her, though. :(

In other news, I was contacted by a man who works for Witteberg about a possible internship. He also asked me if I wanted to blog for Wittenberg while I was abroad. Should I blog, you think? I might need some advice about this one.

Alright, I am off to continue making my lists for Japan. OH WAIT! Speaking of Japan, I FOUND OUT MY HOST FAMILY INFO!!! I will be living with a mom, daughter (who is 21), grandfather, and grandmother in a city called Gifu. It is in central Japan. SO EXCITED!!! But I can't speak Japanese so this should be interesting.