The start of a new semester never fails to bring me a mixed sense of excitement and anxiety. The start of a new semester in a new school in a new country certainly heightened these emotions. I was having plenty of fun exploring Tokyo everyday beneath the freedom of the summer sun, but eventually it did have to take a backseat to the reason why I came to this country in the first place: to broaden my education. Classes begun on a chilly and rainy Monday. Despite the dreary weather, I found myself quickly adujsting to life on campus at TUJ. I met plenty of students like me, found my favorite places to study, and scouted out a few tasty lunch locations.
It is in no way easy. My course load, my long commute, and the weight of my heavy backpack are quite taxing, but it’s proven so far to be worth it. I’ve made a lot of interesting connections and learned so many cool things about Japanese literature, society, and grammar in only my first couple days of classes. The idea of it all is still pretty surreal, but the consistency of structured classes has made it all feel a but more real and familiar to me. Nonetheless, I had a great start to the semester and my excitement about what is still to come has not faltered.