Just two days ago, I booked my one-way ticket to Japan.

It was terrifying! But also really enlightening. Not to mention I am glad to have that out of the way. I still haven’t heard where I will be living, but at least I know I am going. When I consider possible outcomes (late placement, no placement), I at least know that a family friend in Yokohama, has offered me an indefinite place to say. Worst case scenario? I stay for three weeks, and buy another one-way ticket back. Of course, I hope it doesn’t come to that. In celebration, I am currently watching Lost in Translation and just finished reading a “Sailor Moon” manga (which makes me feel 10 again, but who cares). “Lip my stocking, Mr. Harris.”

It looks like I will be leaving for San Francisco around February 24th. I’ll be spending two weeks there before my flight on the 13th of March to Tokyo. I love San Francisco, mostly for the weather and my cousin who lives there. I didn’t budget a whole lot for five days in Tokyo, luckily I have been before. I think I will just explore a bit and hang out with Yoko, who (coincidentally) is also a Japanese language teacher for foreigners. How lucky! Oh, I almost forgot to mention! I will be flying on an Airbus 380A (pictured above). They are monsters! It had three floors, with room for cabins, staterooms, a lounge, a giftshop and even a bar. Now I just need to figure out how to snag a cabin when no one is looking. I’ll be flying with Singapore Airlines, which I am also very excited for. It was slightly more expensive to get a flight with Singapore, but seeing as they are the number-one airline in the world, I think I can manage.

I realized that the items I want to take are somewhat bulky. I also can’t decide whether I should take my TV with me, or buy one there. It’s kind of a 26″ flatscreen. I’m pretty attached to it. Not to mention I’m a bookworm, which makes matters worse. There is a small library sitting next to my carry-on bag, most of the books are for Japanese practice and travel guides. Of course, being a tech-head, I’m also packing an Xbox 360, and two external hard drives. It’s a problem.

Scarlett looks out on Tokyo

I’m starting to have those moments, where I just take a second to breathe in and remind myself that I won’t be here this time next month. Often when I’m outside and it gets real quiet or still, I look around and drink in view. No matter where I am, I try to take a mental snapshot and stow it away to take out on days when I miss home. Some of my favorite films are very quiet films. I’m not sure why I like these films, as most people hate them. It’s probably because life is often very quiet. We don’t have soundtracks playing at all hours (as much as we wish we did). There isn’t always interesting dialogue. Sometimes it’s just a bunch of ambient noise. I like those moments. They make me feel, I don’t know, human.