This is Becoming a Pattern...

So, it's been a few weeks...sorry!

You know when you have a lot going on, but you don't know how much to tell or who wants to hear what? And then it all keeps piling up until there's just too much to explain? That's me and this blog.

I also got the impression that not many people were actually reading this blog, but lately I've been getting big, long, awesome messages from some friends on Facebook who have noticed my "silence" and have been wondering what's up!

So here's a few quick answers to questions I'm being asked (not meant to be mean!):

• No, I don't have a boyfriend yet and I haven't been on any "hot dates" yet.
• Classes are challenging, but professors are really accommodating and I've been working just hard enough to keep up with everything.
• No, I'm not fluent in Japanese yet. I haven't been putting as much effort in as I could be.
• I have made a ton of friends, though!

Right now, I'm at a point where I'm accustomed enough to life here in order to start focusing on internal things. I didn't come here to have an easy, fun year. I came here to improve my Japanese, broaden my horizons, and start working towards being who I want to be (yeah, yeah, this is super cheesy, but this is what has been going on in my head). I'm learning how to take risks, and even if I'm afraid of trying new things sometimes, I'm learning how to act in spite of it...because it's almost always not as scary as you think it will be.

On my mind a lot lately is the realization of how sheltered I am. This is meant in NO WAY AT ALL to be a statement against my parents or my upbringing or anything, because they have given me all of the support I need and more. This is more the fact that I personally - maybe even unconsciously - made myself this sheltered. There are a ton of things I haven't experienced and it's getting harder to think of myself as someone who is able to understand different points of view, because there's just so much I don't understand yet.

I know this is more of a rant than an update again. Sorry. I also don't know how specific I want to be in this blog, because I'm still kind of a private person, despite it all. :P I can safely say I'm learning how to be more comfortable with myself by myself and around other people, though. That's what happens when you get out of your comfort zone, haha. 

I'm going to make more specific posts over the next few days. I'll start digging up some stuff that has happened over the past few weeks. Also, if you have any requests or anything (things you've heard about and want to know the truth about, for example), just message me whenever!