10 things I wish someone had told me when I first arrived in Okinawa

So, here i am. Starting what will be my final year in Okinawa.

A time where there is a lot of reflection happening and thinking about what i would do if i was given the chance to start all over again. 

Would i change anything? 

On first thought, yes. Lots of things. 

But when i really think about it, No, of course i wouldn't. 

This has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. The good, the bad and everything in between has made me who i am now. 

I like that. 

It makes me special. ;) 

Nevertheless, here are a few things i wish someone had told me when i first arrived in Okinawa to live here and things weren't so great  perfect easy as they are now...

1- You Will Be Okay.
You feel like Nemo when he is lost in the great big ocean. Yes, there are people who are around, but this is your journey and right now you're on your own. 

It's overwhelming and stressful and scary, but also so exciting. You almost feel like you are in a surreal dream world, half expecting to wake up in your bed, back in your home country living a boring 9-5 life. 

You are a tiny tiny fish in a very big ocean, both in the Karate world and the actual world. 

This will pass and you will settle and realise its happening and it's pretty incredible. for now though, go with it because this is the time you will either sink or swim. Lean on those close to you because whether you realise it or not, you need them. 

Others have been there and done it before you and they made it. 

You will too. 

Soon you will find yourself adapting and growing and embracing it, but until then, stick with it, don't give up and know that it will all be okay.

2- Try To Eat The Food.
It is good, I promise.
I know it can be hard. I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to food, but give it a try.
New smells, new textures, new tastes. 

Along with the entire life overhaul and emotional and physical stress you will no doubt be experiencing with the karate training and language and cultural barriers, you have to find a way to sustain yourself. Living solely on melon pan and pineapple, as i learnt the hard way, is not a good idea. 

Try the new foods and explore the farmers markets. Buy a rice cooker and do it yourself. I've accidentally eaten barley instead of oats, fish that i thought was meat and so much more in between. You will discover things that no matter how much you try, will never like,  but will also find things you fall in love with and will end up eating everyday. 

The biggest thing to remember here is not to try and maintain a diet that tries to be similar to that of where you came from. It's near on impossible and while here and living and training here, you need to eat the food that the locals eat to stay healthy, so that you do too.

3- Get Some Transport.
Proper transport is a game changer. 

A big one.

The first year i was here, i used a bicycle. 

Yes it got me locally to where I needed to be, but exploring wasn't really an option. With the Okinawa terrain and the time you had made it to where you wanted to explore, you were either exhausted or had no time before you had to head back. 

A whole new world was opened up for me when I got Melvin my bike. Besides being able to train more because I can reach both the dojo's, i can spend my free time actually exploring the island and getting lost to find the coolest things. 

The downside of this is rainy season making things dangerous and slippery while giving you a lot of wet clothes to wash, and taxi drivers who keep you on your toes with their unpredictable and at times manic driving. 

It's so worth it though and it will make your time and your world here so much bigger.

4- Ask For Help.
Everyone needs it. 

From finding the milk in the supermarket to just needing a hug and someone that has been there and done it before. 

From finding a place to reading kanji and learning the karate- basically, most things that you learnt as a child in your home country and did there becomes ten times harder and more complicated here. 

At least to begin with anyway. 

People will get tired of you asking them so try and find a few people who will help you. 

It's not so hard on a island of happy friendly people who will usually always help you above and beyond what you need. 

You end up becoming very good at reading body language, copying your sensei and senpai and playing what i like to think of as one big game of charades (along with drawing lots of diagrams and stick people to make yourself understood).  

Then one day, you'll find you can do it all by yourself, that's pretty cool too. 

Remember, if you can do it here, you can do it anywhere.

5- Train As Much As You Can.
But be sure to rest too.
With the training, the exploring, and the excitement of it all, there will come a time when you have done too much, way too fast and will either get sick (in my case the flu) or exhausted and realise that you need to slow it down and become the tortoise and not the hare. 

Going from training a few times a week at home, to everyday here? Add in a few early morning work outs? Why not. Add in exploring and swimming? Why not.
It's incredible and I don't regret it at all, but to stick it out on a long term basis you will need to slow it down at some point. 

That's cool too because then you will start using what they call 'Okinawa time' the island vibe will rub off on you and you will feel have finished the honeymoon phase (if you can call it that) and realise what real everyday life on the island is like. 

That's also the dangerous point as it's around this time that you just might realise that if you could, you would stay here forever. 

6- Keep In Touch With Family And Friends.
They're important. Being in Okinawa is like being in a bubble. 

You're busy, they're busy and there are big time differences and so many things they wont understand, but make the effort because at the end of the day it will always be where you came from and always where you can go back to (in most cases).

The reason that i am here and this all happened in the first place is because my friends and family made me believe that yes, even I, the quiet shy, ordinary one that in my own head was destined to live a boring life not really doing what makes me happy, because that is what society wants us to do, can. Why can't i be the one that takes a different path and tries something incredible? 

I did, with the support and guidance of some amazing people. All of whom have pulled me through the tough times here, when honestly they are the only people that i felt really comfortable enough to be open and my real self to. 

By no means has my time, or will your time on Okinawa completely be a walk in the park. 

It's hard, you won't fit in. You won't understand, a lot of the time. You will feel like an alien. 

Everyone will change, it's a natural progression in life, but those that are meant to will be there and stay in your life, but remember you have to make an effort too. 

7- Say Yes.
Say yes to everything and everyone, if you can. 

Take the chances to help out with things. By saying yes I've found myself part of karate masters' portrait projects, doing karate demo's on Christmas day in front of 200 Singaporean tourists, seeing how they make traditional Okinawan sweets and Awamori, snorkelling in the ocean on a sunny Wednesday morning, training with the highest ranking lady sensei in Okinawa, taking part in and winning and losing competitions, Mikan picking in the mountains of Wakayama and and visiting Taiwan to practice Kung Fu. 

Some pretty incredible memories.

All from realising you might never get this time again. 

Take the chances and do it while you can.

Just say yes. 

8- Set Some Goals.
I came here with the idea of wanting to train with the best karateka in the world and wanting to become better. 

That's very vague though. 

After being here for a few months and realising I'd done that already, what next? 

Now I needed something new to set my sights on. 

Things that can only be done in Okinawa such as getting every single sensei to sign my karate masters portrait book, take part in Okinawa karate competitions, attempt (and fail) to run the Naha marathon, participate in Guinness World Records of Karate- whether successful or  not, every single opportunity here is because someone gave me a chance and i took it. 

You should too. 

9- Study The Language
It opens so many new doors. My first 8 months to a year were without a teacher, biggest mistake ever. But not so much a mistake, just how things worked out for me on my journey. 

If i could do it again, i would get help and find a teacher faster. Easier said than done when you can't speak to anyone yet, I know but go back to number 4 and ask for help. 

By no means can I say what I actually mean and want to say in Japanese, but I can function and have a basic grasp of some things. 

I know more than i did when i came here and progress is progress even when it's slow. 

Honestly though, from making friends to understanding your sensei, to reading the menus and asking for help when lost. It's an important thing to try and learn.
Once the locals see you making an effort, they do too (and you will be surprised and how much English most people here can talk when they try) and between you, you can usually work it out. 

Plus, it's a pretty cool added bonus to be able to speak another language.

10- Write It Down.
It was the whole purpose of my blog, to document my Journey. 

I did a bit, but with big gaps and not enough. 

These are days and experiences and memories made that you will never want to forget and will be able to 'relive' all over again if you document it well. 

You are learning more than you realise (probably hence the permanent tiredness you feel) but try and make just a bit of time with a notebook to write it down. 

It clears your head, and even just a few months of doing it daily down the line, have I realised how much I would have forgotten. 

Being able to go back and read it brings it all back and makes you realise what an incredible life journey this is.