Not All Was Lost

I think it is reasonable to say that October was somewhat of a lost month. I went in a bit over my head with many things, and I was dragged into a lot of nonsense that haunted me for a while. I won't go into details about what happened, but I'll say that I am now a better person for pushing through everything.

Not all was lost during October. I finished my Kansai Gaidai application and submitted it to the Office of International Education at UAlbany. I also applied for a scholarship that I hope to receive before I leave for Japan. The scholarship is run through the Association of Teachers of Japanese, which is based on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colorado. If I am chosen to receive this scholarship, I will get $2500.00 for my studies in Japan. Considering the shape of the US and global economies, any sum of money would help a great deal.

It's also important to note that I reached a milestone in my life last month. I turned 20 on October 22nd, marking my leap from adolescence into more or less adulthood. At least I have come of age in Japan, which will be nice once I arrive there. There isn't much that I miss about my teenage years. They were marked by a lot of immaturity and naivety, which resulted in a lot of drama. I'm not a huge fan of drama, so it's nice to be able to take what I can out of my adolescence and leave the rest behind. Fortunately, memorable friendships and experiences held significance through those years, so not all was lost.

I look forward to hearing back from Kansai Gaidai in the not-too-distant future. I am excited and anxious to receive a letter from them. While it seems likely that I will be admitted to their program, there is always a chance that I will be reject. This uncertainty is what makes life worth living. I think I'm going to value these moments much more in the future. It is these moments that make you feel most alive.