It's been so long since I have been on an international adventure…which means it's been forever since I have posted on my blog!
Post-grad, I have so many trips I'd love to take! In college, we can all relate that neither time nor money is abundant. In ultrasound school now, the facts remain the same :/
Fortunately I have been given an opportunity I couldn't resist: a trip to Japan! My college friend/sorority sister, Alex Hughey, has the AMAZING chance to live in Tōno, Japan for a year after college! She is there serving as a cultural bridge of sorts, not only introducing aspects of her home city Chattanooga to the Sister City of Tōno, but also promoting tourism to Japan! I am so incredibly proud of her for taking this leap & so excited that she was on board to have me come visit this spring during my break!
It's been so long since I have been over seas, in fact, I had to renew my passport this summer! Excited to return to Japan seven years later (What?! How has it been this long?!), to recall old memories & make new ones!
Alex has been living in Tōno since October of 2017. The city of Tōno is in North Japan & is home to approximately 27,000 people. From the reading I've done, this experience will be a very traditional one, where I can hopefully embrace & learn about the customs of traditional, historical & daily lives of the average Japanese family. In my experience traveling, this one will be one for the books!
I have to brag on Alex for a moment, as she is not only hosting me in her apartment once I arrive in Tōno, but has set up a very detailed itinerary of historical, cultural, & food places for us to go! She really has gone above & beyond anything I could have imagined for this trip! I will try to update for the week I am there, as to not forget any details of this incredible trip I'm about to embark on.
Japan's flag is a symbol of a 'rising sun'; a symbol of good fortune. I feel this is very fitting for the phase of my life right now, as I feel extremely fortunate to be able to take such a trip in the midst of school & the hectic life post-undergrad. The new passport is the cherry on top, signifying a fresh start to all the journey's I will take in my now 'adult-life', hopefully with new appreciation, anticipation & wanderlust.
じゃあね
(see you!)
Allie
