Night(s) Before the Rising Sun

Every blog needs it's Preface entry, so here is mine (partially for legal reasons):

I'm starting this blog so that I can keep everyone up to date with my travels. I'll be spending 7 weeks in Kyoto and the surrounding areas, so this should help ease everyone into me annoying you with stories from Japan upon my return in August. And don't you start saying that my stories wont annoy you. As much as I'd like to think they wont, I'm going to catch you on that day when things aren't exactly going your way, causing you to be a touch crotchety. As soon as I utter the phrase, "When I was in Kyoto [insert vaguely relevant memory here]," you're mental state may just collapse... but I am getting ahead of myself. So please enjoy my international musings. I hope to make this as entertaining as possible.

The time for me to travel to Japan is nearing. So these days consist of me getting ready before time's excited reach grabs me and whisks me away. Of course since I am at home, where it is impossible for me to stay continuously motivated, things are going slowly but surely. I'm mostly trying to soak in all the American iconography that I can.

If I could eat Apple Pie, I would have included it. Also, that Americone Dream is from the days when I was capable of eating ice cream... memories. Any-who, I also made sure to review my U.S. History, not forgetting the vital role our Native American friends played in it (I hope I do you proud, Harvard).

Then onto learning from the most influential and important figures in America - Sara Vowell and David Sedaris from the most American of American institution that I know... NPR's This American Life.

I'll always remember how back in 2007 David Sedaris gave me advice before my first trip to Japan. I'll forever be grateful for these words of wisdom that he wrote in my copy of his book Me Talk Pretty One Day.


His roman-ji is horrible, though, but I am grateful for his advice. He told me to expect to have that phrase said (ocassionally yelled) at me every time I walked into a Japanese store. He was correct. Irasshaimase!

On a final note, here's a little legal stuff I have to clear up so the U.S. government does not get angry with me. I'm quite fond of them for paying for all of my trip, so I'll give them this courtesy: I, Caroline Noel, "acknowledge that my blog and posts are not official Department of State Web sites and the views and information presented are my own, not those of the CLS Program, the Department of State, or American Councils." There you have it.