I realized that I get really excited about talking about my experiences in foreign countries. The other night we were at dinner with Danny's great aunt. She mentioned that she had gone to Tokyo to visit her son's family. I immediately got interested, and asked her where she stayed. And she in turn asked me where I stayed. All of a sudden, memories of Shibuya and Shinjuku and Ikebukuro came flooding back to me. And I just got really excited at that point. Maybe it was the wine, but I had a ridiculous grin on my face as I recounted the story of my near-death experience as a poor student travelling alone in the streets of Tokyo. Though it was hard, my experience there was so valuable, in hindsight. The desire to go back remains very strong, and is triggered when people talk about their own experiences in Japan.
I guess it's not just Japan that I want to visit again. I also want to travel to Korea, China, all over Europe, Australia, Mexico, Egypt, and much much more. Will I get to in my lifetime? Will my passport have all those stamps from various countries? This is the kind of thing that excites me. The thought of visiting different countries, speaking their language, forming friendships, becoming one of them.
I guess what I would like to do in the meantime is to prepare myself to go. Right after I finish my credential work in March, I plan to sign up for Chinese classes. Maybe take three languages simultaneously. I think I can handle that. I should never have doubted my ability to do that. I had so many opportunities to take several languages at once in high school and college. But I was chicken. Or I didn't know that it was even possible. But now I do. That's my dream. That's what makes me smile. That's what gets me excited. That's what gets me talking in a conversation.
Next time you talk to me, address me in a different language, and you'll surely receive a brilliant smile.