Bro… I’m going to go to Japan. That’s a little bit crazy, this has been a dream of mine since I was little. Though I never thought it would ever become a reality for me, let alone while I’m still in high school!
Why hello, my name is Ace Austin! I am one of the very fortunate people who are going to Japan with Paul, Juana, and my fellow students in mid March. It is truly insane to me that this is a real thing that is happening. I am a Senior and for my senior project I’m trying different types of Printmaking. I have been at MNCS since 1st grade, so basically my whole life 🙂 Something interesting about me is that I LOVE stickers, in fact I collect them and pay for a monthly sticker subscription from an artist I really love!
Within my childhood Japanese culture was somewhat relevant, my dad made a lot of Japanese foods and introduced me to anime at a very young age. Studio Ghibli and Dragon Ball Z were some of the things we watched the most when my siblings and I were little. Studio Ghibli still being a franchise I partake in on a regular basis. Though there was a point in my life ( my edgy teen years/covid times ) where anime was actually the only type of media I would consume. I was genuinely obsessed with it and obsessed over the idea of Japanese culture in general.
To this day I am not as into anime as I once was but don’t get me wrong some of the most beautiful, sad, and thought provoking things I’ve watched/read have come from Japan.
I am very nervous, this trip is a big deal. Being in a place that I can’t speak the language, with new etiquette, lots of people, a 15 hour time difference, just an overestimating part of the world. That sounds like a lot and I thought New York was a lot. Do not get me wrong I’ve never been so excited for something in my life before but it’s gonna be a lot. Something I’m most excited about is going to be the quiet nights and the calm mornings. It’s going to be so many new things, which is exciting and terrifying. I’m not ready for it and that’s okay, I don’t think any of us are ready. Traveling in a group with have its pluses and flaws within this trip, I just hope we don’t make each other go insane. If any of my fellow travelers read this, let’s try to keep each other sane.
This is going to be an amazing trip and this very well might change my life, I hope this changes my life.