Reprise

I’m going back to Japan!
Although I’ve spend almost one year in Japan during my high school period it still feel very odd to realize that I’m again going to the other side of the world.
Things have changed overtime.
The first time I was absolutely blank, I had not a clue about what to expect, what Japan would look like, how the people were and I couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese.
I had the thriving need to get away and experience something different, adventurous far away from home. It was kind of by coincendence that I ended up being in Japan.
Because I did not expect much, because I couldn’t imagine how everything would be, I got far more than I could ever had dreamed of.
This time everything is more complex. There’s no longer the Sturm und Drang to see and conquer the world and get away from my old, known, enviroment.
This time I'm going to Japan because I want to go to Japan and learn more of the language and experience the culture in all its facets.
But at the same time I’m much more aware of what I leave behind in the Netherlands.
But there's still the same feeling of enthusiasm and curiosity about what I will find in Japan. I’m going to a new city, going to meet all kinds of students from all over the world, experience a different kind of Japanese.
But first I’ve got to say goodbye to everybody and allthough it’s the second time I’m experiencing this, it’s still far from easy.