My Trip to Japan in High School.
Whenever I visit a new foreign destination, I have a tradition of bringing back a souvenir from that country, to place on my desk. As I write this piece, I am looking at my little orange wooden torii gate, which I was fortunate enough to acquire over a decade and a half ago in the island nation of Japan.
One day, when I was a sophomore in high school, I received a letter from an organization called the People to People Student Ambassador Program, inviting me to a presentation in Santa Barbara, California about a special two-week summer trip to Japan, only for especially precocious high school students such as myself. The event was incredibly persuasive, and shortly after it, my parents agreed to sponsor me for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
To this day, I continue to be grateful for this incredible excursion, which has most definitely changed my life for the better. I have many incredibly fond memories from Japan, and one of my ultimate goals is to return to this great destination some day.
Japan is incredibly multifaceted. For instance—one can typically find a modern skyscraper located immediately next to a traditional temple that is thousands of years old. Another way to describe Japan would be to say that it is a juxtaposition of both rural and urban. Just a few hours away from Tokyo—a bustling metropolis—is a pristine natural and medicinal hot spring.
One key feature of the trip was something known as the “homestay.” This involved a pair of American high school students spending an extended weekend with a Japanese family. Going in, I was a little nervous, but by the time the weekend was over, I was sad to leave. I am still in touch with the Watanabes today via Facebook, and a few years ago, they even flew out to Southern California to grab lunch with my parents and I.
As I continue to gaze at my souvenir torii gate, I am reminded of the fact that over my thirty-three years of life, travel has shaped me into both a better and more adventuresome person. It is incredibly true that leaving one’s comfort zone is a surefire way to promote growth. In the words of my second favorite song, Drops of Jupiter by the artist Train: “Plain ol' Jane told a story about a man/Who is too afraid to fly so he never did land.” My goal in life is to fly, so that I can land.
Me on one of the first days of the trip.