So, I have to say that the stress is starting to mount about going abroad. At least going back to college is a known quantity: I have friends, I know where everything is, and I have a general idea what to expect about the coursework. In going to Japan, I have no friends and Tokyo is totally foreign to me, as is Waseda. Since I'm not confident at all as to where I'll be placed in the Japanese language classes, I could be put into a beginning Japanese course (despite having taken two years of Japanese already) or I'll be placed higher, where it is likely to be horrendously difficult. Super. I know what everyone says: you won't really learn Japanese in the classroom, you'll learn it on the street. But I'm also hoping that I'll be proficient enough to get into the next level of Japanese when I get back to St. Olaf - and I won't be able to do that if all I know is conversational Japanese and not some of the more complex grammar. Trying to study by myself is
so hard, especially when I have a job and an internship this summer. Gah!
I'm also a girl, which means that I am very worried about what clothes to bring. I'm a jeans and t-shirts kind of girl, which I've heard is way to casual for Tokyo. Also, you're not supposed to wear clothes that are too tight. I'm not entirely sure if this means I have to get rid of everything, because I like my tops to be fitted. It would be great if study abroad programs could actually provide pictures of staple outfits built from American clothes that would be passable in Japan. I can't just wait to get there to find out the trends and buy all my clothes, not that I'll be buying that much anyway, exchange rate being what it is.
It's very hard for a worry-wort like myself to just try to be excited and enjoy the anticipation of an adventure in Japan. I got a guide on sushi and the specialties that will be available during autumn and winter. That made me a little excited. I just have to take it one day at a time.
