Before going on exchange I thought I was living my life. It turns out I was wrong. Though I may have been living, I was not living it in the way that made me feel fulfilled. Yes I did things that made me happy, and yes I tried to do things outside my comfort zone, but this did not make me a fulfilled person. I was doing all the thing I thought I wanted to do; aiming for a good college, volunteering, studying. But what I have realized is that I need more than that. Yes those things are good, and yes I still want to complete them, but they can not complete me as a person. I needed adventure, love, and a wider perspective.
I felt homesick for a place I didn't even knew existed. Coming to Japan I have found what I feel like is my second home. I have never felt such comfort and happiness as I have living here. We often hear the phrase "home is where the heart is," and I believe it. This is why I don't view home as just a physical place. I know I will always feel at home in Nagoya, but more importantly I will always feel at home with the people I have meet there. My family and friends here will always have a piece of my heart.
Even though I have found a new place to call home I can not say I feel fulfilled. If anything I am more conscious of the fact that I am unfulfilled! Because I have been able to get a taste of the life I long for, now more than ever, I want to live life. I want to be able to see, hear, explore new places. I want to travel the world. I want to see where my heart will call home next. I know I can't go back to how I was living before. I have grown as a person. So now I look to lead a fulfilled life and I cannot wait to see what lies beyond the horizon.
Photo taken in Okinawa, Japan at the Okinawa Peace memorial museum.
