April 9, 2003

Let me recollect my past 32 hours… my journey began in the wee hours of the morning, with a 3:30 AM departure from my Centre College stomping grounds. The thought of leaving what I call “home” was unsettling, with all my friends being there and the memories that were made there. But at the same time, an experience of a lifetime awaited me. I’ll be studying in Japan for the next four months and unlike most other study abroad trips at Centre, I’m the only person on this trip, giving me the opportunity to truly make this my abroad experience. Anyway, I said my final goodbyes, dropped my goodbye notes in the mail, and then two of my fraternity brothers escorted me to the airport.

Upon arrival at the airport I met my mother who had brought along some last minute items, including snacks. I knew that

these “American snacks” could be the last familiar foods I would eat before facing an array of exotic Japanese cuisine, so I cherished them dearly. After a few minutes with mom, I was off to face the very thorough security screening. I passed with flying colors and headed to my gate. En route I had one thing on my mind – SARS. A severe and mysterious form of pneumonia, SARS had swept across China like the plague and was now in several Asian countries, including Japan. Going to Japan was obviously a risk, but I went with my gut and decided to go.

In what seemed like no time at all I arrived in Atlanta, and from here I would catch a connecting flight that would take me all the way to Tokyo. This was to be my first international flight and I was excited; however, the thought of 14 hours on airplane still did not have me jumping for joy. At the recommendation of a good friend, I brought along Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha to read along the way. He told me that the journey described in the book might provide some insight for my journey for the next several months. Reading helped the time pass by and I did find my friend’s sentiments to be true.