The Adventure Begins (...sort of...)

After weeks upon weeks of waiting, I just received the most wonderful news: my placement for Japan. Yes folks, I will be spending the next year in beautiful Hyogo Prefecture.

...

Yes, I know. It doesn't sound like much. But you see, by train, Hyogo is:
-- An hour from Kyoto (old temples)
-- An hour from Osaka (beer and night clubs)
-- An hour from Kobe (beef)
-- Two hours from Kansai (University of Florida students)

To be honest, this is perfect. I just can't tell you how exciting this is. Perhaps the best is that I simply know now what is going on.
While waiting for this e-mail of my placement, I would sit there, tossing and turning waiting to know where I was going. Today I couldn't do anything but sleep, dreaming that I found out where I was going.

The best way to describe the awful anticipation is that it was akin to waiting for Christmas...except you know your parents didn't get anything on your list and you don't even KNOW when Christmas is. You could be sitting at dinner when suddenly your parents say "HEY LAUREN! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
"In the middle of July?"
"YES!"

Right. That sucks.

But now, I just feel so much better. The reality of going to Japan feels real again. I was slogging off on my studying (though I currently have memorized 612 of my 5,000 words) -- and yet, once I got this small sliver of information I felt my interest and my passion to kick the ass of my fluency test returning.

However, as much as I am hurrahing life and a newfound love of doing things, the simple fact remains that my to do list is, well, rather extensive.
After all, I still have three grammar patterns to study, two Japanese blogs to read, a presentation to create, and, now, two places to pack for.
Oh, as well as reading over my extensive handbook of things I cannot do (really, I can't sleep with the elementary school students? That's a new one.)

Hrm, maybe life was better when I was just sitting and waiting.

UPDATE: Oh! And now I get the letter from my internship that I've been waiting for. Hell, I'm just racking up the good luck today. Maybe I should go get some lotto tickets...