Humble Beginnings Dipped in Shoyu

Good Evening, me hearties! Or "konbanwa", to those with whom I am sharing the soil of the mighty Nippon with.

Wide-eyed and new in this magical and mountainous world of blog land, I'm not quite sure how to start this off with a sha-bang, to be frank*, but maybe I should begin with introducing myself? Land ho!

*My desired desire is that someone, in real life conversation, appropriately tells me "I'm going to be frank..." to which I will reply, "Okay, but can I still be Brittany?", like in Wayne's World. ANYONE?

I'm an exchange student at Surugadai University (駿河台大学). Technically, I'm a junior at HPU in Honolulu, Oahu, where I am an international studies major. It is an exciting and diverse fruit bowl of a place to go to school, mo def.

I was born and spent most of childhood in Tokyo. At some point la famille moved to the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which is where we've been ever since. I've learned to love and appreciate Sylvania of Penn for its charms and goodies, however, my heart lies with Tokyo I think.

Which is why it is AWESOME that I have the chance to study abroad at least close to Tokyo, really in Saitama (the boondocks about 40 minutes away from the city), but thanks to the Japanese train gods, getting into the familiar, delightfully over stimulating, and neon mecca of insanity is a snap. Of a carrot stick. It's where I spent my days as a young sprout, so it's very nostalgic, and now that I'm a tad older I can enjoy even more of what the city has to offer. *COlegaldrinkingageis20UGH*.

I still feel that I am adjusting to life at my university here. I went to international schools here before, so this is my first time at a completely Japanese institute. It's a very nice school, and so are the people, but it's a very different atmosphere and I often feel lonely. On a positive note,
I've been getting a butt-load of Japanese practice and that is why I'm here, so I'm grateful.

Another thing that's been a little bit of a hum drum on occasion is trying to be a healthy vegetarian when I am not cooking on my own. The prentals are also vegetarians, and while we lived here before, I was lucky to have them be able to provide nourishing cruelty-free vittles. I love Japanese food and could eat it every meal, miso-serious, but I like to eat a hearty, Paul Bunyan sized amount of fresh fruits and veggies of all different colors, shapes, and creeds. I am feeling a bit deprived these days of our leafy/crunchy/chewy friends, feral or otherwise. But not to complain too much--the kabocha is in season, the konbu is slippery and awesome and I am lucky to be here.

Hark, 'ramblings', indeed! In much needed conclusion: I am starting this blog as an outlet to organize my thoughts on the trials and tribulations of being an exchange student, exploring sexy yummy veggie offerings, living in Japan on my own, and hunting for fellow wild carrot beasts. Fangs for reading, my feathered friends.