by the skin of my teeth

I made it. I'm finally here. I got in last night, and it's just been a whirlwind. My body has been a lot more shaken up from my nerves and the flight rather than my mind. I didn't sleep very well, but just laying down and resting did a lot. My room is awesome. I'm staying in the international seminar house, and it's really nice. I got a desk, a bed, and our room has access to a balcony. I have one roommate from China and our rooms are separated by a folding screen. We have a kitchen and our own bathroom. I feel great! I get a little lost because my Japanese isn't up to snuff, but it makes me feel confident that I'll learn it quick. I don't even know where to begin, there's so much stuff constantly going on and I haven't even been here 24 hours. My language partner, Shiho, is on her way to my room now and we're going to go shopping. I have so much stuff to do, and I'm so excited. I feel so caught up in it that I don't think it's hit me yet. I have a lot of confidence that I'm going to have fun and find my own way here. People were popping into our room all last night saying Hi and getting us set up. Everyone's speaking Japanese to me though, and a lot of times I just have to smile and nod. There's a lot of guesswork, but maybe I'll do well. My view out the window is a soccer field and a park. There's convenience stores close by, and I feel excited and at ease. This will easily become my home away from home. It still feels surreal. I stopped by the convenience store and got a bento and the cashiere asked me if I wanted it heated up in Japanese. I have no idea how to say that, but she kind of said it slowly a couple of times and pointed and I finally got it. I feel like a toddler seeing the world. It's new, it's exciting, and I feel stupid. haha.

The flight was so long and boring. I sat next to a Japanese woman and the chair between us was empty so it wasn't too cramped. I just watched movies and anxiously waited. I got through customs fine and they didn't check my stuff at all. It went rather quickly, looking back on it.

The biggest problem I'm facing now is getting a 3-prong to 2-prong thing for my computer. I'm running on battery power now. As far as problems go, that is pretty mild. Wish me luck!