This weekend the hubby and I went to a birthday party at a vacation getaway home that our friends Dave and Teresa just bought in Big Canoe. We got to catch up with a number of folks we had not see since before the holidays. My hubby, being proud of me (which is a good thing, but still embarrassing sometimes), began telling everyone that I had been invited to Japan to lecture at a medical conference.

I known that I would be going for a few months, but had not really told anyone just in case it did not work out or if I got there and did something stupid. My friends were excited and began asking questions. Thus, I began sharing my trepidation about the protocol of bowing, making sure I had enough business cards, how to handle it if Dr. X offers me an odd delicacy not really made for human consumption, and not wanting to appear the ugly American while over there. My blog Mamma, Teresa, insisted that I blog about the process. She also stated that I needed to be sure to live blog from Japan. While, I sort of see the point. I’m just not sure how to start the conversation without seeming like a neurotic mess.

I’ve been overseas before, so I’m not worried about the travel aspect. However, I’ve never been in Japan. I know that there are a lot of social rules there. I also understand that physicians are revered…. so are lecturers on any topic. However, I since I am not a physician, I’m not sure quite where I fit in. It appears that Dr. Campbell’s History of Japan class as a Freshman at Agnes Scott would only teach me enough to make me dangerous…. eeeeekkkkkkk! Sorry Dr. Campbell— I probably should have listened more, huh?

Well, stay tuned. I ‘ll probably be coming back to this topic as time gets closer. The conference is at the end of January.