by Brittney Mack
Nagoya, Japan

I was so excited to come to Japan, but as soon as I landed in Tokyo I had a few issues. First, in the U.S., my luggage goes directly to my final destination, which in this case was Nagoya. So I didn’t grab my check-in luggage at the Tokyo airport. I later realized that I needed to grab my luggage and recheck it in even though I wasn’t going far. I had a difficult time trying to find my bag and was worried I would miss my flight. I eventually found it and received a new ticket which was different from my original. It took me to Nagoya but, an hour later than I expected. As a result, my pick-up service was no longer available. I freaked out for a bit, but it was late and I had to be at the dorm before 10p.m. So I immediately got a taxi to the school. Luckily, I had yen on me and the address in Japanese. Once I got to the dorm, my Japanese was put to the test. The caregiver was explaining the rules and how things worked. I got the just though I barely understood. I began to think about how much I would struggle with my level of Japanese. I worried about the kinds and cost of food, transportation, and books for my classes. I was the only one in my dorm room that night, so I spent my first night in Japan alone. I felt very homesick.

However, I felt significantly better the next day. I walked around the area and found the campus stores, the supermarket, and the subway station. I also met some friends and my Japanese roommate, Yukimi. Since then, I’ve met many more people and now feel comfortable living here. Also I have been enjoying my classes and my community. Now, I almost don’t want to go home.