Side Effects

The Japan-America Student Conference is a life-threatening experience. If you should try and partake in it, know that you too could be one of those claimed. In fact, this past year, I was myself a 'victim' of JASC; my life was taken from me.

The good part is, I was given another one in return. A much better one. Today as I write this, I cannot possibly imagine what I would be doing if I hadn't joined those other students on that month-long trip over the summer. It seems silly, and somewhat melodramatic of me to say, but it's true. What makes JASC 'life-threatening' and not simply 'life-altering'?

It isn't so outlandish to say that our actions and choices follow us through life. We all know that how well we do in school affects our career, and so on. But something like JASC seems, at first glance, to be too short and insignificant to pose any 'threat' to our current path. But looking back on this year, I'm pretty certain that my life has been changed significantly for the experience. The friends I made, the things I learned and the contacts I've stashed away are all gems. And I honestly have a completely different idea of what the next few years of my life will look like than I did a few months ago. And now I'm enjoying the planning of next year's conference, hoping that it'll be as much for its participants as last year was for me.

The point is that given the chance, JASC will mix things up and shed a new light on them. When you open your eyes again, you might look in the mirror and find someone else looking back, ready to go somewhere new. It's worth a shot - I've never heard of it going sour for anyone before. Care to join us?

~Colin