June 2nd, 2018
There’s really nothing like the feeling of being openly gawked at as you step off of a plane. To be fair, I was a pretty interesting sight. A half-black girl with long red braids, dressed in my oversized spring sweater and baggy sweatpants— followed by a butler…? I would have taken pictures too, had I seen myself in the Japanese airport.
Earlier, I had just spent 2 and a half weeks exploring South Korea, only to fly to my internship in Tokyo, Japan. I walked outside behind the butler, and the air just seemed to feel right. It was easy to feel right back home.
The first weekend ensued meeting new friends from all over the world that would be interning in different companies all across Tokyo. We ate dinner at a fancy restaurant before shopping around in Shibuya— it was nice to know I would have friends with me to adventure. We went grocery shopping on the way home, where I was able to show off my old Japanese skills. (Needless to say, I was the designated translator!)
My internship started Monday with utter hell. My boss, a busy American journalist, had me carry around his 40+ pound bags all around Tokyo for six hours… I almost passed out. (Did I mention I forgot to eat that morning?) After a hearty breakfast at 5 pm, I did two hours of filing for him before going home and… crying myself to sleep.
The day had me so exhausted, the next day I was sick and had to call out of work— which, surprisingly helped lift my spirits immensely! One of the girls in my dorm had offered to host a moonlit yoga session on the roof, and everyone joined. It helped unwind and take all of the negativity out, not to mention the cityscape on the rooftop was so beautiful!
After finishing the rest of my week at work, I managed to spend my weekend relaxing with my other intern friends, who took us out and showed me all of the blest places to shop in their area! I had a really nice time, hopefully my internship next week wont be as intense…
Wish me luck!