So i’ve been back in Australia for almost 3 months now…  And i guess its important to inform any prospective Kansai Gaidai/Japan (or other) study abroaders about MY experience post-exchange.  Not only that, but it seems as though this blog, that you all know and love, is going to come back to life! Read on =)

I was looking forward to going back to Australia and seeing my friends again.  The other thing i was looking forward to was actually studying games and IT again, as i felt completely out of my element at Kansai Gaidai – ive never studied history or politics! lol

But i’m back now, my friends are awesome as ever, even made a few new ones.  I’m lovin University.  I see Australia the same way as i saw it before – even after being away from it for so long.  It still doesn’t make me want to be here.  It IS a great country – i have nothing bad to say about it.  My wanting to leave Australia has nothing to do with Australia, instead it has everything to do with how amazing Japan was.  I want the wacky way of life Japan gave me.  Riding bikes, not being able to read signs, constant politeness everywhere i went, the tiny cramped houses, beer vending machines… I also loved just stumbling across new cultural things that would just wow me.  I’ve lost so much of my Japanese language ability too because i have no one to talk to (in japanese) and i dont have 8 Japanese classes a week. I miss Hirakata…

There isnt a day that goes by that i don’t think of Japan and how much i want to be back there. It hurts, almost literally, whenever i think back and re-live almost any memory i have of Japan.  Especially the winter road trip that i went on with Annie and Paul – my two best friends in the entire world.  Also the great times i had at Jin’s bar with Andrew and Phillip… the times i had to sit and listen to Phillip talk for hours – which was frustrating sometimes, but seriously i’d do anything to do it again.  I miss riding home at 2am with a small convoy of people from Ring (Karaoke joint) in Hirakata – a wee bit drunk, but not before grabbing something dodgy from McDonald’s.  I miss Japan McDonald’s.  I miss Big Wave (another karaoke joint).  I miss the Nabe Parties we had at Chris’s place.  I miss Shizen Ramen and their crazy discount coupons you get everytime you eat there – even if you use a discount coupon.  I miss Genevieve missing her boyfriend David lol I miss the trains, and the buses.  Especially the bus drivers who just mumble into the microphone the whole time – pretty sure NO ONE knows what they’re talking about.  I miss Logan’s crazy antics.  I miss my roomie Tristan and our Lost nights, where we’d watch the new episode of Lost Season 6 as it came out – but all we did is criticize how craptacular the last season really was. I miss Tyler’s crazy antics and our talk of Portal, btw that guys photo’s rock.  Speaking of Photo’s! I miss working with Photographer Mike at night time on crazy photo’s of people with 3 heads and stuff… OH MAN i miss Obaachan’s!! Which was an awesome little hole in the wall restaurant, delish and cheap.  I would do anything to experience any of these things again, even if only for a second.

I really miss my best friend Annie.  I miss cooking with her, studying with her, watching movies, travelling, eating at restaurants… even grocery shopping with her (but she’d never believe it =P).  I miss working on my Flash game with her.  I miss waking up at ungodly hours (9am … ok not so ungodly) to grab a coffee with her before she left for class.  I miss her blabbing to me about politics and/or philosophy and i would blab to her the basic concepts of programming – and both of us pretending to understand each other. I could go on for hours about all the things we did together… And now that we’re in our own countries its a struggle to even stay friends.  Which eats away at me… its just so hard to believe that i could meet someone so amazing, and have such an amazing friendship with her, but then have a couple thousand kilometres come between us – both literally and metaphorically – and now we barely communicate.  We still catch up every now and then online… But the friendship is not the same, as much as i want it to be.  It could be. As i dont believe the distance has to destroy our friendship, but it is.  Or something is.  Fingers crossed i guess.

All these things i’ve mentioned may not be very important to you, Mr./Mrs./Ms. Reader, but i guarantee that if you go on an exchange overseas, you’ll have your own list of things you miss, and that list will be important to you.

Japan is absolutely the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  But because of that, its also the worst. Japan has changed me for the better, for sure.  But IF, before I left for Japan, i knew what it would feel like to return back to my home country with the only traces of the greatest experiences in my life being memories, and nothing tangible as it all would be lost, i would have thought twice about going on this exchange – but then probably decided to do it anyway.  And i would suggest that anyone contemplating going on an exchange think about this too.  I’m not saying that leaving your exchange experiences and friends behind will be hard – but im living proof that it absolutely can be.  The hardest experience i’ve had since returning to Australia is writing this blog post. Oh well, the up side is i won’t have to write it again.

Anyway, moving on, blogs coming back to life waaaaht? Keep a-readin’!

So plans from here on out?  Well i have a trip to New York planned for my birthday in November, gonna catch up with some Kansai Gaidai people too!  It’s gonna be great, everythings all booked!  I’m goin to be staying across the road from Central Park and catching up with any friends i have that live in NY, but also got a few friends coming for the Thanksgiving break too!

Also, in December/January, me and 3 friends are travelling to New Zealand.  We’re flying into Auckland, which is on the northern part of the north island, then making our way to Wellington (southern part of the north island).  Then we’re taking a ferry across to the southern island, hiring a car, then doing a lap of the south island, before making our way back to Auckland.  It’ll take about 3-4 weeks, its gonna be amazing.  Gonna have to try and refrain from making too many Lord of the Rings references, im sure they’ve heard it all before.

You: “Ok so you gonna ACTUALLY tell me why this blog is gonna continue?”
Me: “No… I mean yes”

I finish university mid way through next year, and so after Uni i’m going to head back to Japan and teach whilst developing some games in flash and/or for phones AND becoming awesome at the language.  And so, a whole new Road to Japan has opened up (“Road to Japan 2.0″ – Coming soon).  There are a bunch of options i can take… such as applying for JET, or other organizations.  But another method, which i can take advantage of since im an Australian, is getting a working holiday visa for up to 3 (or 6 months… forgot, but its renewable) which will allow me to work overseas without the need of being sponsored by an employer.  So i can just head over there, find some teaching jobs etc. and work.  It’s a bit risky, but i like that about it.  Also, it puts me in control of where i work, which is absolutely gonna be in Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto.

So… if you will… join me for the ride, one more time!

Ciao for Now!