Attic

Reflections

I took the previous photo during my time on exchange in Fukuoka, Japan which is on the Southern island of Kyushu. It’s a gateway to one of the many shrines and temples that I visited during my stay there.

Since early childhood I have been intrinsically linked to the land of the rising sun and it seems that it is leading up to my one year abroad of study that will take me there again in 2010. (Obviously providing that I don’t fail previous course requirements which is within a considerable margin of doubt.)

I think life is a series of gateways through which we must all pass to move onto the next stage in our lives. (Brace yourself, I am seeming to attempt philosophy… but don’t worry I will steer clear of the phallic.) For me life at the moment feels almost as though it is on hold or standby until I get to see more of the world and explore beyond the Sydney suburban jungle. That is not to say that I don’t love my life, and I have so many things to be grateful for… I really do!

However, everyone has something to come through in their life and sometimes it is easy to lose focus of what or which part of life we should be focusing our enjoyment on. Sometimes I think it is easier to have goals and focus on those such as ‘the list’ which I mentioned earlier to give yourself worth in your day-to-day regime. Yes, ‘the list’ is vitally important, however, it is a cliche to say but the journey counts perhaps even more.

My experiences as an exchange student in Japan brought on some of the greatest challenges I had ever encountered. It is hard to overcome the cultural misinterpretations, language barrier and general differences that separate so much of the world as we know it. However, if anything, my experiences taught me to make everything in life an opportunity to learn and grow not just on a knowledgeable basis but simply as a human being.