3 WEEKS ✈

Well, 2 weeks and 6 days actually. Until what? JAPAN.
I've had a countdown on my phone for the past 2 or 3 months now, just counting down the days until I leave for Japan. It's so surreal that in less than a month I'll be in another country, adjusting to a new lifestyle and experiencing a different culture. I've always really wanted to return to Japan after visiting with my Japanese class on a school trip in 2012. I didn't really see student exchange as an option either, I honestly thought my next visit would be several years after once I graduated and saved up some money. Well, bless government scholarships and a wonderful thing called student loans.

I'm pretty much all set in terms of paper work, insurance, and flights, which makes it feel a whole lot more official. I've even began organising what clothes I should bring, since I only have a 20 kilo baggage limit plus a 7 kilo carry-on. For someone who's about to spend 10 months in a foreign country, that's not a lot of baggage I can bring. I've also made it a goal to not buy any more makeup before I leave, since I figured I'd have to bring most if not all of what I already have, and I can also binge on makeup shopping in Japan. I honestly think I have a problem...

I also bought a new camera not too long ago, since I really wanted an upgrade on my old worn out camera. I bought the Samsung NX3000, for those curious. I thought this might also be a good chance to use it while I'm abroad, to take some photos and possibly make some videos of my trip. I'm really keen on blogging my exchange experience, so I'm looking forward to doing that. This also means that my blog photos should be of a higher quality from now on, once I finish writing up reviews on some last few products which I have photos of from my old camera.

On a last note, my Japanese host mother finally contacted me on Facebook maybe just over a week ago. I found it strange that a random Japanese woman wanted to be friends with me, but then I saw where she was from in Japan and realised it was the same area my host university is located in. It suddenly clicked and she messaged me a cute short introduction of her family and expressed how they were all looking forward to meeting me. In Japanese, of course. I had a mini panic attack, since I really wanted to reply but I had forgotten how to Japanese. I did end up replying though, and creeped through her whole Facebook page. As you do. Apparently her and her husband have 3 small kids and a dog. I also figured that they host 2 exchange students at a time, judging by her photos and the limited amount of Japanese I was able to read on her posts. Nonetheless, they seem like really nice people and I feel more at ease now that I know who I'm staying with.