Living in Japan

Being here among all of these Japanese I have come to realize a couple things. First, when I was in America I was always comparing myself to other boys my age and felt that I needed to go to the gym everyday and get huge muscles. But now that urge is gone. I no longer compare myself to anyone, because there is no one out here to compare to. It's a great thing, it lets me think about other things besides "Should I go to the gym or not?" or "If I get bigger muscles will I be more popular?'
Along that same line of thinking, no matter how much or how hard I try to become more Japanese, or just try to fit into the culture, I know I never will. So that allows me to be free. When I realized this, a huge burden was lifted of my shoulders. I don't have to conform; I can be myself and be happy. Being abroad has given me a lot of time to do some self-reflection on my life and who I am.