Sayonara, America!

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Dear Friends in Christ,

rikkyou_img02

I’m off yet again, this time to The Land of the Rising Sun!

After but a few weeks time spent on the earth of my beloved home of Pennsylvania, I’m setting off at the time of writing to attend Rikkyo, otherwise known as St. Paul’s University, in Tokyo, Japan. It happens to be strongly affiliated with the Anglican Church of Japan, as it was founded in 1874 by an Anglican Missionary from Richmond, Virginia, and it is one of Tokyo’s six leading universities, which heightens my excitement for attending there, for doubtless it is a highly distinguished institution of Japan. This will probably be my last chance to attend school abroad, after having been blessed with the chances at St. Edmund Hall in England, and the University of Wuppertal in Germany, and many wonderful things tend to be in threes, thus I feel this semester will be the greatest yet, and I shall intend to make the most of it. This will also be my longest journey away from home, as the semester lasts longer at Rikkyo vis a vis that of Wuppertal in Germany. Studying abroad in Japan I feel shall be an ever exciting follow-up to my previous semester in Deutschland, for I intend to speak Japanese, a tongue much separated from the Germanic family of languages from which English and German originate, and the land and the culture of the people are more greatly removed from those of the Continent of Europe from which derives the culture my family of Danish, Austro-Hungarian, Polish, and Scotch-Irish lineage practices today. Japan is an archipelago of beautiful mountains, along with hundreds of active volcanoes, beautiful gardens, shrines, temples, and pagodas, and a reverence for many a disciplined virtue, and respect for the elderly, and tradition, unlike anywhere else. Rikkyo University, along with many other universities in Japan, hold autumn festivals created by the students, for other academics and the communities surrounding them, and festivals are celebrated all year round in the Land of the Rising Sun, thus more reason why my anticipation grows. Japan is ever enthusiastic about many a Western land and culture as well, including that of America, which they seem to hold in the highest regards for lands other than their own, and foreigners are warmly welcomed. There are so many pastimes, including poetry, martial arts, and photography that the Japanese take to all new heights with great passion, that I myself partake in and deeply admire, so I do believe I shall not feel out of place anymore there than I would anywhere else. It will be my honor to present to you all for this semester my findings in Japan, and the unique way of life and historical testaments to this land I hope to travel to whilst attending university at Rikkyo. Please pray unto the Lord I shall achieve great academic success whilst there, find work, make lifelong friendships with the locals, and find a church I may attend on Sundays. Thank you and God Bless you all...

For now, Sayonara…

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drawing425's avatar
I'm going to Japan too. I leave on September 4th. And I will visit the Kyoto Railway Museum (formerly, Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum) between the weekends from September 17-18. God Speed on your trip to Nihon.