Hello everyone, long time no post..

To be perfectly forthright, the past year and the big move were much harder than I imagined and I didn’t really know how to talk about it. I have always, and still do, fancy myself an adventurous person, so the thought of moving to a new place and immersing myself in a new culture sounded so fun, romantic, and even seemed—as many of you remarked upon hearing the news last year—right up my alley. Because of this, it was jarring to not immediately feel like I was having the adventure of my life upon arriving here in Japan.

I’ve often thought, “Oh yeah, I could totally live here!”, throughout my travels, but having the thought and actually doing the thing are not the same. I was totally unprepared for the inescapable feeling of incompetence when communicating, the honest-to-god longing I felt for my community from home, and the emptiness that came with having and then abruptly not having an avenue through which I feel that I’m contributing to the betterment of society.

I felt, and sort of still feel, a little nervous sharing this because I fear it reads like the laughable content of a mocking Spongebob meme. I mean…

This fear, plus the fact that I think a lot of you probably would’ve been concerned to hear that I wasn’t doing well with no realistic outlet for that concern, made me keep to myself and experience all of this in a vacuum.

I’ve landed here now though, in a place where I feel it’s okay to admit to having a hard time, regardless of one’s situation in life. So yes, I was having a bad time and the last eight months were really tough, but also yes, I am taking steps and doing better now.

What do you mean?

So glad you asked!

1. In August, I traveled back to the states for what was supposed to be ten days to pick up Stella, but turned into seven weeks due to an error made by the military travel management office. It was initially disappointing that our plans were dashed and I had to be away from Chase/home for almost two months, but turned out to be a really nice time where I was able to see family and friends and start feeling like myself again. When I got back, I felt much more ready to get out there and meet new people.
   
   
2. I am making friends! In an attempt to adopt the same attitude I had before leaving my friends in the states which was, “If I can make it, I’m there!”, I am saying no to almost nothing when it comes to social invitations. This has helped me get out there and meet some really cool people that have made Japan start to feel like home.
   
   
3. I joined a great choir! We’re flexing the old classical music muscles again and it never felt so good. In January, I auditioned to be part of the Tokyo Embassy Choir, an expat group made up of locals and expatriates from all over the world, and I got in! It’s so fun to sing again and meet other people who have had the same experience of leaving where they’re from and making Tokyo home.
   
   
4. I’m learning Japanese! I picked up the most important, barebones survival Japanese pretty fast upon arriving here last year, but plateaued there for a while. Since November, I’ve been taking lessons with our friend Tamakisan and getting more comfortable communicating every week. My current project is learning Hiragana, one of Japan’s three alphabets, which means that soon, I’ll be able to read! Very exciting stuff.

5. I’m Committing

to being honest and sharing more with you all here on the blog, this post being the first of many, many more to come. We have been doing so many fun things, have made a bunch of DIY improvements to our house (the “Beach House Mansion“, as it were), and hosted our very first visitors and I want you all to see everything!

Love to you all! ❤
More later, I promise! xx