19 DAYS UNTIL LIFTOFF

I feel like I have been preparing for this day for years.  I have always wanted to live in another country and though I knew it would happen, I am still nervously excited.  I have packed up our home, gotten our passports, traveled the country with Nyjai (My youngest daughter) to see and say goodbye to family and friends, and welcomed my husband back home.  He was out to sea for the entire time I was preparing for the move.

As soon as he came home, I took him on a vacation in Cancun, Mexico.  It was a surprise.  I packed his things, got his passport, and kidnapped him right away.  When we returned from Mexico, we went to see his family in Chicago.  Chicago is one of my favorite cities. My in-laws are there and I get to shop too! Who could ask for anything more.  I could not stay away from the love of my life any longer, so I rented a small apartment in Portsmouth rather than staying at my mom's in Germantown Maryland.  The hardest thing in the world for me to do is be separated from Franklin for days at a time.  So all my friends, I know I was unbearable for 6 months without him.  But they love me anyway!

Now, we are playing the waiting game.  I admit that it is worse than the preparation time. Though I am distracted by studying and packing the bits and pieces we have left, I am now feeling the emotion of it all.  I am alone with my thoughts and the uncertainty makes me want to cry sometimes.  I try with all I am not to let a tear fall and so far so good.  If I just remember not to talk to Darice too often, I'll be fine.

Some of my concerns might seem superficial.  They are real to me. I am very family oriented.   I will not be able to reach out to family and friends quickly.  Sometimes a phone call does not do what a hug does. I am very close to Quortney (my oldest daughter), my sisters, Lakisha, Darice and Michelle.  What will they do without me?  Then, there's the where will I get my hair done...I have locs?  Will my eyebrows grow together for lack of maintenance? Who will do my Mani-pedi? I know that as long as I have Franklin and Nyjai with me, things will be just fine.  But they can not begin to substitute for a "Girls Night Out".

I plan to use this blog to give you a glimpse of the things I see, people I meet and overall life in Japan. We plan to live in the economy vs. on-base. I will eventually work.  But I'm not pushing it.  I really want to see this country and all of Asia and Europe up close and personal.  When I do go to work, I will either teach English or step into the Japanese corporate environment.  I will share those experiences as deeply as I think you can handle or won't get me in trouble...

Stick with me kid... we will go places.