こんにちは! I'm in Japan!

I was in elementary school in a music program called H.A.M.S (Highly Abled Musical Students) when my love of Japan first began. We sang a song about Kyoto. It was my favorite.

At the same time, in another class, we were reading the story of Sadako and the 1,000 paper cranes she tried to make in order to make a wish. I began to research more about Japan by myself. The balance that Japan had between spirituality and modernity was what pulled me in. I fell in love.

Since that time I devoted myself to learning Japanese. I lived and breathed the culture. Hours on end, I taught myself how to think, speak, read, and write in Japanese. I watched Japanese movies and dramas. I labeled items around the house in Japanese. I soon discovered Japanese cartoons and began watching those as well. Everything to bring myself closer to the culture that I had learned about as a little girl.

When I felt I had hit a wall in learning Japanese, I found a Japanese language weekend school to help me with my learning. I had a multitude of pictures of Japan everywhere around me. One picture I especially liked, I posted as my background on my first Dell laptop. It was a picture of the Starbucks in Shibuya, Tokyo-Japan.

I can not describe how humble and grateful I am for everything that I've experienced since I left the United States. When I share my experiences with you all, it's never to brag, but to show you that I am making my dreams come true and that I am absolutely no different from you. I had low self-esteem growing up. I didn't think I was good enough for many things in my life. I always felt inferior. I always settled. It wasn't until I changed how I thought and how I spoke to myself that I realized, I can do anything. I am powerful. Best of all, everyone can accomplish all of their dreams. First, you just have to monitor how you think to yourself and stop internally putting yourself down. You are worthy! You are able! Everything is possible! Just know WHAT you want! Do your homework! Know and research as much as you can about what you want. Don't think about "how" you will get it, because I promise that will present itself to you later. 

Living abroad, becoming fluent in multiple languages, and owning my own business, were all my dreams since I was very little. Last year, I made these things my goals, and from my goals I made them my plans. At the end of last year and even now, somehow all of my goals have been happening one after the other.

Here I am in Tokyo, Japan. One of my oldest dreams has finally come true. I am truly grateful for this experience.

Follow your Dreams!


The picture I had of Shibuya was almost exactly similar to this one (but I took this pic this time).