60 weeks ago, I was in college, it was my senior year, I made a post to Dreamwidth and had no inkling that it would be my last for so long. 

A lot has happened, it will take time to explain. 

Many of you who read this journal, perhaps, are no longer subscribed. I would not blame you in the least.

It's time to venture out again. It's time to share writing and life and activism and support. It will take time to get used to being here again. 

I look forward to connecting again.

I am in the process of packing a suitcase to send home with my dad, who is leaving Japan tomorrow.

Last night, Okaasan posted information on the shuttle bus to the airport, and put out boxes for our unwanted belongings.

There are only five days left of classes, and then exam week.

It is really beginning to sink in how very little time I have left in Japan. In just a little over two weeks, I will be leaving this country, leaving my friends, and heading back to the States. I feel a sense of lament and also relief. Living in a foreign culture is hard work. When I get home, I will once again be able to relax into a system that I fully understand. At the same time, I am only just now beginning to fit myself into the structure of Japanese society. I have reached a new level of comfort here. I have passed the biggest hurdles and reached the other side unscathed. In some ways, life back in the States will take a readjustment. I remember that last time I came back from Japan I was disgusted by the lack of cleanliness in public areas. I wonder what will take adjusting to this time.

I have, oddly enough, developed a nostaligia for buses that don't run on time.