After you complete the interview in the middle of February, the waiting begins. If you started in September like I did, you’ve already had your fingers crossed for six months. At the end of the interview, they said that I would hear something by the end of April. Another two and a half months of waiting! This is a tough time – you’ve got a real good shot at going to Japan this year, but it’s not guaranteed so you have to live your life and try to forget about it. The closer I got to April, the more I had to consider two paths. Bracing yourself for disappointment, hoping for some good news, all the mental games that you have to play to keep yourself sane. There is so much at stake, but the more you dwell on that, the more disappointed you are likely to be. In March and April I visited the mailbox every day. It was like torture.
Finally after reading on an online bulletin board that some folks from Los Angeles had received word, I drove to the post office, and inside was a regular business sized envelope from the Consulate of Japan. It seemed heavier than normal, so that’s a good sign, right? I took the envelope, threw it in my backpack and drove out to the desert, where I hiked deep into Horsethief Canyon. I finally opened the letter in front of a waterfall at the basin of the canyon. And I was in!
The sense of relief is amazing! Now you know what you are going to do with your life for the next year. You can start planning so many things. Ah, sweet relief. I’m going to Japan!
