I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve officially lived in Japan for a week. I know this, because I own a calendar. And a watch. Without both of these, I would have thought I’ve lived here for about, mmm… 10 years. Because, man, things have flown by fast.

And what a week it’s been. In fact, you can pretty much insert any adjective to accurately describe it. Exciting? Of course! Scary? You bet. Fun? Duh! Stressful? Understatement. Enlightening? Totes. Emotional? All of them. Humbling? You have no idea. Worthwhile? 100%.

See, I went into this experience knowing it was going to be a roller coaster ride (hey, I love those!) with lots of ups (higher, go higher!) and, of course, some downs (oh, crap!). But every moment of this first week (both good and bad) has made me smile. Yes, I was even smiling (laughing, honestly) last night when I discovered my US bank account doesn’t allow outbound international transfers, meaning there was no way for me to transfer my US money to my new Japanese bank account (I’ll talk more about this later).

But my point is this: I’m just so happy I made the decision to let life guide me for once, even if it means I have no goddamn clue where it’s taking me. Having said that, I hope life has Google Maps something. ‘Cause if not, I’m scrrrrrrewwwed.

Now to make sure I remember everything that happens during these crazy first few months, starting today, I’ll be writing a weekly blog post recapping my highlights and lowlights of the week, along with some goals for the following week. Hopefully it’ll give y’all an insight on what I’m going through and show you exactly what it’s like to completely start over in a foreign country. Wait… I did that? Man, I’m crazy… OK, let’s get to it!:

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