Getting off the plane...

July 27th (the 26th disappeared in flight)
I am no longer in America anymore.
I flew on American Airlines from Los Angeles to Tokyo today. I haven’t slept in 24 hours, there are gross bright orange droplet stains from the ramen I just ate all over my shirt (how do the Japanese avoid these??), and I really have no idea what time it is.

It feels kind of lonely, and I am not even out of Tokyo. Everyone here is so excited to be here. Except me. I mean I am, and I can’t wait to actually get to my own apartment and start to settle down in Tsu, Mie, where I will live for the next twelve months. Wow. I hadn’t even begun to realize the challenges. Buying food, mailing a letter, grabbing a cup of coffee, accomplishing anything... Suddenly, these things are all huge obstacles for me. Realizing the up escalator is on the left side, remembering to cover my mouth apologetically every time I yawn, and figuring out how to flush the toilet…these are all small obstacles, yet still obstacles. I already feel the stares and suddenly realize that I am surrounded by a different type of people, and I’ve only been out for about an hour to go get dinner. I ate at Denny’s, and there was no “pancakes with bacon and egg” on the menu. It was all Japanese food, and it even said the calories next to everything. No, I am no longer in America anymore.