Coming home early from my study abroad in Japan was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to do. In the short time I was there I met really amazing people that I was looking forward to becoming friends with. While some of those friendships will stay, there are so many I could’ve had, so many experiences I will never have the opportunity to have again.
I said that my study abroad in Japan would change me, and maybe it has. I learned a lot about Japan while I was in Hirakata, but I feel I only scratched the surface.
I miss Kansai Gaidai and living in Yui with my friends. I miss going to the market every saturday and eating the best convenience store egg salad sandwiches I have ever had. I miss being a train ride away from Kyoto and Osaka. I miss seeing the preschoolers in their uniforms playing on my way to class every day. I miss being able to talk face to face with my teachers and classmates. And above all, I miss the heated toilet seats everywhere you go. I hope one day I will be able to return to Hirakata again. I will never forget the time I spent there, as short lived as it may have been, it was one of the best times of my life.