The inevitable was going to happen on August 2nd. I would be headed to the airport to begin my journey of teaching English in Japan through the JET Programme. A few months ago, I was ecstatic at the opportunity to fulfill my degree of teaching, live and experience culture in Japan, and essentially, begin a new chapter of my life as an independent adult. However, as time passed by, I began to question my decision to leave home and fear the unknown future to come.
Before I left, I wanted to enjoy the time I had with family and friends, and experience the things I've wanted to do for a while. Needless to say, I had a great time. So much so that it made it much more difficult to willingly leave home. I got to mountain bike with friends and experience new trails, ride on the road for one last time, and spend much valued time with both family and friends.
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| Dinner w/ Landon |
There were so many things that I experienced that I had never done before too. I was able to finally ride a bike with Lei'ala; go fishing with Dan, Reyn, and Mat; riding horses with Erica, Mat, and Rheo; and MTB various trails with Mat, Rheo, Zeb, and Erica. I even ended up selling my road bike frame to Mat, as shipping my Scott Foil, my dream bike, would be more costly than purchasing a new bike in Japan.
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| First ride with Lei'ala! (Yes, I made her keep the helmet on) |
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| Oama Catch |
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| Bikes atop Kalaheo |
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| Hanauma Bay |
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| Horse Riding |
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| Goodbye Bike :( |
It's possible that I had too much fun and lived in a moment of bliss. Everything seemed right, I was happy, and I didn't want anything to change. In a sense, I was living my life as though I had only a few days left to live...at least in Hawaii.
Not wanting to end the fun, I decided to have one last hurrah before I left and went MTBing at the Waimanalo Ditch Trail the afternoon before my departure. It was good fun, we ripped the trail and had a blast. However, that's where my luck turned around. A few people had cautioned me about MTBing the day before for fear of injury, since crash likeliness is quite high. I assured that I'd be safe, take the cop-out lines, and not go for anything too big. I sort of defied that by going for a few jumps here and there, but I didn't fall once this time around. At the end of the trail we spotted a friendly dog who came up to us and we began to pet her. We assumed it was a dog from a nearby house and thought nothing of it. Then, a second, much larger dog came around and didn't seem as friendly. He barked a bit and we tried to leave but then he came up to me. I tried not to move as he smelled me and then he bit me. Apparently he bit my leg quite hard and left two deep gashes.
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| Boot, Post-Checkup |
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| Bite-mark #1 |
I initially hadn't thought much of it but thanks to Mat, he suggested I visit a doctor. We went to a fellow cyclists home, the Harpsrites, and they welcomed me in and took great care of me. They noticed that one of the bite marks might have got to my tendon so he suggested I visit an Urgent Care clinic. It was already 6pm by now and I wanted to get everything done as quick as possible. The Urgent Care place was also very friendly and kind and checked on me quickly. They too found that the bit may have gotten to a tendon so they suggested I see a surgeon the following monday. That was when I revealed that the next morning I will be moving to Japan. So they left me with a few instructions and told me that I must see a doctor as soon as I can when I land in Japan.
The Dr. prescribed me to anti-biotics and Mat and I waited quite a bit at Longs for it to be ready. During this time I began to worry a bit wondering if I would be able to depart the next morning. It was 8pm by now and I couldn't get in touch with the JET Program Honolulu Consulate. I didn't get home till around 9pm and by this time I was very unsettled. My ankle was wrapped and in a boot and I had difficulty moving around. I seriously wondered that night if I would depart in the morning. I finally went to sleep at around midnight after reluctantly finishing up my packing.
I had a bad dream that I have not yet forgotten as my dream consisted of me being unable to leave for Japan. But despite this dream, I slept quite well and woke up feeling energized as well. It was a bittersweet morning that was complemented by slightly rainy weather. It was nice to see my grandparents come over to send me off as well as Lei'ala. None of it seemed real. It just seemed as though I were going on a nice trip to Japan with a group of Hawaii people that included two classmates from high school.
But it was time. I'm still not sure if I was ready to go, but having one of my best friends from school, Kikaha, there, it made it much easier to leave my mom, grandparents, and Lei'ala behind. I just had to tell myself that I'll see them soon.
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| Lei'ala |
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| Mom |
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| Kikaha and Kamu |
Then off I went, through TSA and on to my adventures ahead.
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