a merkypie in japan

Right now half of my friends are in hotel rooms or at home preparing to leave Freedom and arrive in Pikachuland to spend a year or more catching Pokemon and fighting off evil monsters from outer space in their giant robots with the help of Godzilla.  In another six or so days, I will be awaiting my 4am wake up call departure to Japan as well.

I would be lying if I’m not freaking out.

There’s this weird uncertainty anticipating the biggest step I am about to take in my life. It’s not like finding out interview results or if I got on the shortlist or not. It’s like… Stepping out of a comfort zone and stepping into another world where it may or may not be how you envisioned it to be in your head.

There’s one thing of experiencing Japan through relatives and friends. It’s another to actually be there.

And that’s scary.

This is no vacation. This is no two week “shove as much tourist Japan in my brain as possible” adventure. This is me being shoved in the inaka for a year, or more, to teach English and experience Japan for what it really is. Beyond the neon shinning lights and Hello Kitties.

I keep looking at my boxes of stuff. All the things I have to leave behind. All the people I have to leave behind. My dog. It’s a bittersweet feeling. I am excited, yet, I am sad. Then again, all goodbyes are never happy goodbyes.

So, for this final week, I’ll simply try to enjoy as much of this state as I can and once I’m tired of looking at cowboys, cows, orange fields, and old people I’ll merely drown myself in the virtual world of SimCity.

Which, since packing up my laptop and jumping on my newly rebuilt PC that I gave to my parents, has been my addiction for the last two days. These sims are dumb as hell, jsyk.

  • Pierre

    Hahahah you made me very emotinal there. Do you have Simcity 4? We are a bunch of JET playing Simcity 4 and other Steam games and we are all leaving with group B. If you want, you can add us :)Send me an e-mail if you want my account name.
    I hope you will keep writing stuff in Japan :)

    • Merkypie

      Heeyyyy :3

      Yeah, I’m on Steam and been playing Audiosurf like crazy too. But I did not know SC4 was on Steam. I got the procured in less than legit ways deluxe version.

      As long as I have time, I will keep writing :V

      • Pierre

        Allright! Well add me if you want, my account name is Pyoterr. I’ll take a look at audiosurf, it looks very interesting.

        • Merkypie

          Will do :) And Audiosurf is really cool, especially if you love music!