300 Writing Prompts: Going International

I am so lucky I have had the privilege to live abroad twice in my life. I always wanted to go overseas to expand my worldview, experience other cultures, and become a better, more tolerant person.

Wales

The first time I lived overseas was in Wales. I was an undergraduate at Capital University and I took a term abroad--six months. I should've taken the full year (there was the opportunity to do so) but I was worried about being away from my family for so long.

I chose Wales partially because I was obsessed with the actor Ioan Gruffudd and wanted to learn more about his home country, but also because it's the land of castles, harps, King Arthur, and Celtic culture.

It is one of the most gorgeous places on this earth. The beautiful mountains and valleys, the sea, the quaint, ancient towns, and the lovely ruins...I adored seeing all of it. I took a challenging course--Outdoor Pursuits--to experience the nature of Wales and I got in the best shape of my life thanks to mountaineering.

I even took Welsh language courses (Dwi'n caru Cymru!), even though I wasn't very good at it. Welsh is pretty challenging. Pronunciation is easy but remembering the mutations in Welsh is difficult.

Living in Wales afforded me the chances to visit other countries. I didn't travel as much as other students did because I didn't have the money to, but I made it to Ireland, England, and France.

I was 20 years old when I had this adventure and it was my first time experiencing how huge the world can be.

Japan

Ever since I got back into anime and reading manga, I always wanted to go to Japan. I was also working a job in the US that hardly paid anything, so I was also looking for work. I applied to the JET program and was accepted, and at the end of July, was shipped off to Kumamoto prefecture to the small town of Kikuchi to teach Japanese high school students English.

Living in Japan was comfortable, affordable, and easy. If you are an introvert and like to do things solo, it's a great place for travelling. Of course going in groups is ok too, but people are accepting of those who like to be alone. And while I did travel with people, I did a lot of solo travel, too. I felt safe, and people are friendly.

I spent a lot of times at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and every time I would go, the priests would be so eager to chat! The problem was, Nihongo ga hanasemasen, and I only knew some vocabulary words. Somehow I made myself understood, and could guess enough of what people were saying to get by. Not that I didn't make a lot of mistakes!

Probably one of the most impressive things I experienced in Japan was doing the 88 Temple Shikoku Pilgrimage. My friend Ara and I made several trips to Shikoku to do this, and then ended the pilgrimage on Mt. Koya in Wakayama. Some of the most beautiful temples are in Shikoku, and the nature was incredible.

In fact, overall, nature is incredible in Japan. I absolutely loved the forests there with ginormous cedar trees, and the mountains and rock formations. There were also several waterfalls I visited, too. Nature in Japan feels magical.

I lived in Japan for six years. I returned home because I was out of contract renewals, but mostly because my Japanese wasn't good enough to search for a new home or a new job. Otherwise I would've been happy to make it a long-term home, I loved Japan so much.

I would love to go back there, but I don't think I'll have the money to. So I'll just keep the memories there in my heart and look at my pictures whenever I miss it.