Going to Japan. To my friends.

Warning - this is an exceptionally long entry. If you can really read through it, you're great. I promise, next ones won't be that bad.

This is probably the best time to reactivate this long dead blog of mine (it's been more than a year from the last entry, very embarrassing). I hope to use this space once again, to capture my every-day life with words and pictures to preserve memories of it for both myself and my friends.
But this time the aim is not simply to narrate to you my repetitive Harvard life (and overflow you with boredom of my studies). This part of my life is actually worth taking note of, as I will be studying at Tokyo University the next academic year. Which means I will live in Japan starting this summer all the way to June of 2010. The Harvard Yenching Scholarship has generously granted me this amazing opportunity.

Did you raise your eyebrows yet? Surprised? Most of you probably not anymore. But if you are, don't worry. So am I.
I had myself a lot of reservations and skepticism for this whole idea of going so far away, delaying my graduation for one year and doing something so out of the ordinary, standard college life-path. One of my friend, in Nottingham, said "LeVan! what got into you this time?!".

I have always been among those who encouraged others to get international experience, get out of their little world and venture the new. And that is because I am myself an international almost anywhere I go. And such is the general attitude at Harvard -- everybody here is aware of the benefits of studying abroad, no doubt about it. Yet, even if they all know, only a small fraction of them ever go for actual long-term study abroad. I was surprised to know so few of them did indeed go abroad and most of the time I would just say "What a shame!".
And here comes the most ironic part of all this. Exactly now, when it is my turn to go abroad,I couldn't be more hesitant and doubt ridden about leaving Harvard for such a long period of time! Now I know exactly why some people never really go abroad.

• One, it is a terrible bureaucratic pain. And I bet you know what it means, knowing Harvard and generally the meaning of bureaucratism.
• Two, just the way it was with Harvard, even if I will be hyper-super-uber-excited, I will still need to go through all the pain of getting used to the system, the campus, to navigate around in that gigantic metropolis of Tokyo, all by myself. And I barely speak the language! Oh and I will have to make new friends, somehow, somewhere, and my choice is limited to those who speak English.
• Three, and probably the hardest one, the loss of one year with some of my Harvard friends. Especially for me, as a junior right now, I will be missing the whole graduation fun with majority of you who are juniors as well. Not being able to walk the Commencement walk, share the hugs and throw the hats is actually quite heartbreaking. It is painful even to think of it. Come June 2010, when you all will be uploading your graduation pictures on Facebook, I will be for sure crying, thinking "Damn, I could have been there". And I won't be tagged either!

And you probably wonder, why , why on earth I still want to go? Some of you would probably not sacrifice these precious memories. Fair enough. So let me tell you why.

• One, because that is the only way I can learn Japanese. I want this to be my 4th spoken language, and 8th learnt language.
• Two, once I graduate, I want to go to work or start my career, as some of you may call it. And to me it translates to roughly: I will never ever have 3-month-long vacations again. Once I enter this labour market I am done for the rest of your life -- no more carefree long and far journeys. Unless I become unemployed or a freelance writer, neither being statistically probable.
• Three, for obvious reasons, my future living and working spot is more targeted to Europe or America than Asia, which means I might actually never be able to go to Japan again.
• Four, I craved for Japan ever since I first read Doreamon and watched Sailor Moon (very embarrassed right now). Of course my understanding of Japan has grown a bit more sophisticated than that over the past 17 years of my life, but the essence hasn't change. It is the culture which has produced so many uniqueness and phenomena in it that makes me want to see and try them all. To name just a few: wearing the kimono, the yukata, enjoying the onsen, watching the sakuras blossoming, enjoying the natsuri, visiting Kyoto and taking pics with Geisha.... And never forget the food.
• Five, even if I boast of being an international, I have been more like a tourist than a traveler. I go to places for 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months at most. One year? Not yet, but high time!
• Six, how often do you get to live in the Metropolitan City of Tokyo for free? And study at another world's premiere University for free?

But I think the main reason I actually chose to leave is because I know, I will still keep in touch with my dear ones (ok, no credibility in that though), even if I am one year behind them or one ocean away from you; that's because I have the encouragement of so many of you to go, that I actually felt compelled to go ;). So to minimize this horrible loss you all will be obviously feeling of spending this time away from me, I will maintain this blog to capture the exciting memories I will make and to narrate to you all how I am receiving and exploring Japan.
Please accompany me in this wonderful journey to the Country of the Rising Sun. Write to me, comment on the blog, tell me you are with me. Or just to tell me how I suck at emailing you. That is always welcome as well.

Always yours,

LeVan.

どうぞ　よろしく　お願いします。(Doozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu)