And Then There Were 10

 

 

10 days that is.  It’s still hard to believe that in 10 days I’ll be on a plane heading towards Tokyo.  Adam, another Obie who’s studying in Japan this year, has already left and even facebooked me from Kyoto.  That’s probably been the biggest jolt for me since I’ve been at home.  Hearing about his experiences so far (not surprisingly most have dealt with food) made me realize that pretty soon that’s going to be me.  For some reason or other lately I’ve been feeling a little apprehensive about Japan, which really scared me.  It was the first time that I felt I might be making a mistake, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I’ve really been missing my friends lately.  Not to mention I really am missing Oberlin and hearing all about everyone’s first days made me wish I was there freaking out about my schedule alongside everyone else. 

Although hearing from Adam filled me with such anticipation and excitement that all the apprehension from before just melted away.  Which I am more than thankful for, I can’t imagine going into this without 100% enthusiasm. 

I have to say though the blessing behind all this anxiety is that it’s made me realize how much I really do love Oberlin.  My 2nd year there really confirmed the fact that I was an Oberlin student and that I belonged on that campus as much as anyone else did.  I knew the ins and outs, those secret shortcuts that made the difference between being late to class or just barely making it.  Not to mention I’d met a professor at Oberlin, the first so far, that I feel has not only made a profound change in my life but also truly helped me to grow as a writer.  Despite all this I was still surprised to find that when I heard my friends talking about their classes I wanted to be right there alongside them.

Do I really miss huffing and puffing up the stairs in King?  Do I really miss the nightly pilgrimages to Mudd?  The sad answer is, I do.  Perhaps this makes me a nerd or maybe I’ve begun to turn into my Tia Maria’s worst nightmare; the Oberlin student who can’t seem to shut up about Oberlin (true story).  Either way this is the first time I’ve been proud of the school I attend and is definitely the first time I’ve ever been excited about going back to school.  I’ve decided to embrace this, even if I’m not returning to the middle of Ohio this year. 

As for Japan I think I’m really ready this time.  In fact I’ve become nearly obsessive in checking my mail waiting for the program director to FINALLY e-mail us about the supposed facebook page he said he would set up.  Not to mention the packing information he promised. 

I’ve even set my computer to notify me of the weather in Tokyo, which is a refreshing 70 degrees and partly cloudy.  In fact I’m so ready now that even though this summer seemed to fly by these last 10 days are going by maddeningly slow.  I guess it’s gotten to the point where it’s so close that I just want it to be here by now. 

Well I suppose that’s all there is to say for now.  The next post will no doubt be coming in straight from Tokyo.  But before I go I want to give a small shoutout to my brand new computer on which I am typing up this new post, Benicio (a.k.a. Beni).  As some of you may already know my old computer Guillermo (a.k.a. Memo) has been acting up lately.  I decided, grudgingly, that Memo wasn’t going to be able to make the long journey to Japan.  Memo has officially retired to stay here in Texas with my mom who will no doubt put him to good use while his brother Benicio will accompany me to Japan.  You may or may not be wondering how I came up with the name but I’m going to tell you anyways. 

After sitting with Beni for a while and taking a good long look at him I realized that this new computer deserved a cool, sleek name to match it’s equally cool, sleek appearance.  Then my mom mentioned Benicio and I realized that name was perfect for two reasons!  One, Benicio sounds like the kind of guy who’s very calm, cool, and collected which this computer definitely is.  And two, Guillermo was partly named after the director Guillermo Del Toro and wouldn’t you know it there’s an actor named Benicio who shares the same last name.  Benicio Del Toro!  How perfect!  Guillermo is be the goofy younger brother who never had his shit together, and Benicio is be the older brother who never loses his cool.  And so my family of Del Toro computers was born.

I hope this post finds everyone in good spirits and to those of you at Oberlin, kick ass this year!