“I’m moving to Japan.” I said those words constantly.

Every time someone asked me where I would be when I graduated college, that was always my answer. There was no other option for me, but even with such resolve for so many years, even as I sit in a small town called Yosano tucked away in the mountains of Kyoto, I have to stop myself. “I moved to Japan.”

A part of me believed the day would never come when I could say that. Knowing that for the rest of my life I can proudly say “I lived in Japan” is an almost surreal feeling. Multiple times a day I will look around me and remind myself that I am in a foreign country. A goal, almost a decade in the making, was finally achieved.

The town I’m in now is small and surrounded on all sides by mountains. Being from Florida, where the majority of the land is flat as a board, this is fascinating. In the month since I’ve arrived, I’ve become well acquainted with the town, but every time I ride my bike, I am finding new things. There are small shops hidden behind normal-looking doors. There are centuries of history around every corner, if you are willing to look.

The next 11 months of my life will be a whirlwind of new experiences, many cultural faux-pas, opportunities to learn and opportunities to teach. I jumped on a plane to come to a country in which I had spent a total of nine days prior to my arrival. I don’t speak the language and the closest family member I have is a 14-hour plane ride away. At this point, I don’t think anything else can scare me.

Exploring the town of Yosano has been quite the adventure. Everywhere I have lived, the main mode of transportation has been in a car. Japan, however, drives on the left side of the road, making driving a scary experience for me. To remedy this, I decided to hold off on renting a car, and now my main mode of transportation is a bike;,which may sound like a good idea until I realize that the town I’m in is rural and the closest anything is at least a kilometer from my house.

The town, however, is beautiful. For the first time in my life, I rode my bike to do my weekly grocery shopping. For the first time, I rode a bike through rice fields surrounded on all sides by mountains and I guess that’s how I can describe the past month. It has been a month of firsts. I paid rent for the first time in my life. I’m in charge of my own house for the first time in my life. I am relying on a bike to get me anywhere I need to go. I’ve met people from South Africa, The United Kingdom, Barbados and Australia. People from all over the world came together with a similar goal – to teach English.

For the first time in my life, I am the foreigner. I’m from the odd place that is not Japan and that’s all they know about me. I walk in the grocery store and I have to stop to think that I’m the only American in that store. I’m even the only American in my part of town. I walk through halls and everyone looks at me because I’m not Japanese, but I’ve never felt unwelcomed.

Children will go out of their way to talk to me in hopes of practicing their English. I stood in line at a festival and was approached by a young girl who just wanted the chance to practice the phrase “Hello, how are you?” and “Where are you from?” These phrases may seem simple, but I left that conversation with a smile on my face and she left learning that New York was not the only city in America and America is not the only country outside of Japan.

These small moments when a connection is made through my limited Japanese and their limited English are incredible. When I’m in line at a store and I can pass off a simple “ありがとうございました” (Arigatōgozaimashita) and the cashier comes back with an equally simple “you’re welcome” and we smile at each other, a connection is made. The language barrier isn’t a problem, because it’s not just language that connects people from different cultures.

Fleming Island High graduate Michele Bureau is teaching English in Japan through Washington, D.C.-based the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. Her column will appear occasionally in the coming months during her tenure.