Mount Fuji, or Fuji san. How did I get there? That is the story, my last fantasy. The dream of meeting someone beautiful, smart, fun... someone I could go somewhere with. I placed eyes on Mount Fuji while staying in Hakone, Japan during New Year 2010. To wake up to a site such as this is more breath taking the can be devised by my own mother tongue, and yet it was still there in front of me.
I began college at the University of Arkansas in the spring of 2003. I had previously done a single semester elsewhere, but disinterested with what I had studied I dropped out not to return to academia for another two years at the age of twenty. It was in the University of Arkansas that I met and befriended a handful of international students and learned of Spring International Language Center, a place I would end up volunteering at for almost 3 years.
I began my real dive into college as a history major and soon found I had no liking for the subject. I then switched to anthropology, an amazing field that opened my eyes to culture. It made me want to explore those around me, and more importantly pushed my want to help and volunteer working with those of other cultures on campus. Though the subject field would not be what I would end up getting a degree in it molded my views of learning and thought. After a short break from the University of Arkansas, during which I attended a local community college to finish some core requirements, I switch to communication and graduated with a degree in August of 2008, focusing on interpersonal communication and media.
In the last year of volunteering at Spring International I met Atsuko Akabane. A lovely young Japanese women, two years my junior. If you can guess where I am going, this is how I ended up waking to Mount Fuji. A month after meeting Atsuko we began dating. Four years later we married. Now, I have family around the world.
In the time since graduating I have done the usual run around with work, job hunting, and family. I eventually returned to the University of Arkansas after a year away to pursue a second degree. Majoring in anthropology once again, I found myself and the subject reinvigorated.
In May of 2010 I graduated with a degree in anthropolgy after a short year of extra schooling. 156 credit hours and two degrees later I'm out of Northwest Arkansas. Off to new adventures in a new place but, still reflecting on the old adventures, and the beauty I have already witnessed. I now reside in Seattle, working as an English tutor and continuing my education with an MA in TESOL.
My Plan is to keep this story updated. To share in my experiences and to present myself in a way I find favorable. If you have found this place, I hope you continue to return.
Last updated: 02/21/2011
