Who Are We & Why Should You Care?

My name is Bethany and I am pretty normal, at least, I like to think so. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life when I was younger so I'm a little older than most of the other juniors at my university. I've been married 8 years and in that time have lived in 8 apartments in 4 cities in 3 states.

My husband and I are average Americans who....do average American things...? We teach Sunday school at church; we scour our city for anything remotely close to authentic Asian cuisine; we snub our noses at non-craft beers; we refuse to learn what good wine is because that would defeat its purpose; and we binge on Netflix and play video games all weekend. I like to watercolor and (attempt) to do the nail art on Pinterest. I'm getting my bachelor's in International Relations and Asian Studies in Spring 2016. My husband, Phil, knew what he wanted to do from age 14 - cars. So he is a high-end auto mechanic and loves it.

To be honest, I have a gross distaste for social media so I'm writing this blog with one reader in mind; my fellow Japanophiles. As a Japanophile, I search the web for blogs of expats living in Japan, talking about grand festivals and mundane shopping experiences. But many are not being kept up regularly so I thought, why don't I make one.

Problem, of course, is that I don't live in Japan....not yet. I will study abroad there next fall for 5 wonderful months. My husband, in case you're wondering, will support me from our home base in North Carolina, where he will grow a full beard and play video games with his bachelor friends. He'll be just fine, is what I'm saying.

So what should I write about in the meantime? I thought I'd write about the grand festivals and mundane shopping experiences here for one thing. If there are Japanese or other foreigners thinking of moving to America, maybe they want to know these things I take for granted. Also, I'll write about the preparation to study abroad, random things I will learn in Japanese language and Asian Studies classes I'm taking in school until then, and about our vacation to Japan earlier this year. When my study abroad program starts next year I'll write all the details here (or forget for weeks or months at a time like a lot of the bloggers I follow, though I love them all <3). 

After graduation, it is our greatest wish to move to Japan to work and live there. Forever? Maybe. I'll get into the details in a later post, but we are up for anything God wants to throw at us. We'd be most excited if He wants us in South East Asia but we try to be open to anything. It's worked for us so far. 

Written by Bethany