Warning: This Post Contains Girly Discussion of Feelings

I'm feeling a little nostalgic and homesick for my old friends now, after reading my friend Arika's latest post on her Mega Geeks Inc blog. Before I came to Japan, my life revolved around school and making costumes. Arika is a fellow cosplayer- we have traveled together, been on stage together, and costumed together. If you're not a cosplayer, it might be hard to grasp that kind of bond. Let me put it this way:

Making a costume for a competition can be a huge project. It takes months of time, lots of money, and leads to many sleepless nights. Then there's Con Week, the week before the convention when all the unfinished projects have to get finished, when the unorganized cosplayer finds herself hunched over a hot glue gun, adding those last painstaking details at 4 AM the night before the con. Needless to say, this experience doesn't bring out the best in anyone's personality; Con Week can be a time of stress, mental breakdowns and frustration. Then there's the travel, the con, the competition itself- the disappointment of losing or the joy of coming in Best in Show.

The state of my apartment during Con Week. Luckily I had a very understanding roommate. :)

Ah, the sweet taste of victory!!

This is the kind of experience that me and my friends, Arika, Teal, and Rose, bonded over. Not to mention all the non-cosplaying experiences we shared: Christmas parties, food carts, road trips, college clubs, quoting favorite movies and growing up together. I miss them all a lot, and I'm counting down till we can all get dressed up and go out together again.

I really love living here in Sendai, and I've been blessed with meeting so many great friends here as well. As much as I miss my old friends and Portland, I wouldn't give up this experience in Japan for anything. 

Reading Arika's post really brought home to me one of the things that I love and hate the most about an international lifestyle. As wonderful as it is to travel and make new friends, there always comes a time to move on- and saying goodbye doesn't get easier. It's not just my old cosplay group that I miss, I miss my other friends and my family especially. There are many close friends I know I'll see again, and the ones that I won't will always be remembered fondly. As I travel, I fill the world with people I love and friends that I'll remember forever- I feel very, very lucky.

Love you guys! :)