Hey! My name is Shanelle Sahadeo-Singh and I’m a junior at Rollins College studying Business Management. This fall, well actually in like a day, I will be going to Kansai Gaidai University in Japan for one semester! I have a flood of emotions overflowing from me right now as I make my last-minute preparations for my departure tomorrow.
On one hand, I’m extremely excited for this trip, because I’ve always enjoyed Japanese-related things – music, entertainment, food – so being given the opportunity to experience everything I’ve only seen through a computer screen leaves me in eager anticipation. However, because of my strong interest in the country, part of me also feels as though this is all a dream. I’ve longed for this for so long that I can’t even believe it’s happening, you know what I mean? It’s like tomorrow will come and I’ll just wake up and go to Rollins as per usual.
More than anything though, as I only have a day left before I leave, feelings of sadness and anxiety are quickly building up within me. This will be the first time I, or anyone from my family for that matter, will be leaving home. Although it’s only for 4 months, I know that I’ll miss my family a great deal. No matter how much technology we have in order to communicate across oceans, it will not be the same as seeing them in the flesh every day. Moreover, as I anticipate my journey, I become more anxious as I come to the realization that I am going to another country that I do not know the language of. That’s right, I don’t know how to speak Japanese. Although I attempted to self-study a little during the summer, it was definitely not enough to communicate with the locals. Therefore, in this respect, my lack of knowledge has become a source of great discomfort for me.
Despite my anxieties and fears, I hope to experience many things during my time in Japan. Japan has always been an unattainable dream to me, so now that it has finally become a reality, I’ll be sure to make the most of it. It’s so close, only a day away! Wish me luck! Japan, here I come!