For several years now, I have dreamed of going to Comic-Con, but it has never ended up working out for me. This last month, though, I was able to go to Anime Oasis, an anime convention in Boise, Idaho. If I had to describe it in one word, it was epic.

Spoiler alert for my life; I am a huge nerd. I came into the anime game late, but from the first night I watched "Attack on Titan" (Shingeki no Kyojin in Japanese) I was completely hooked. I have spent many a night binging entire seasons of anime. Flash forward to college-freshman, sorority-girl me, and here I still am, watching subbed Japanese shows through my headphones on my porch bed with a hidden anime poster in my closet and manga thrown all over my desk.

So, naturally, once I found out that there was a super awesome anime convention near my hometown, I was absolutely stoked. And so, as an early birthday present, my parents bought me a badge to go.

That is how I found myself walking around downtown Boise, cosplaying as a genderbent Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist on a Sunday afternoon. The next two days were absolutely amazing.

To many people, dressing up as a fictional character and running around with a bunch of weirdos does not sound like a good time. For me, it was everything I'd ever wanted and more. At the con, I was somewhere where I was not going to be judged for my usually embarrassing level of fangirling over a character or show. I had people ask to take my picture because they loved my character as much as I do. I was able to buy the most adorable little Natsu (Fairy Tail) and Ichigo (Bleach) figures, as well as a stuffed animal Kirara (InuYasha). I got to talk with other cosplayers about weapons and how to build my sword next year so that it doesn't snap in half the night before the con.

I know it is hard to understand what the appeal of an anime convention is unless you are into that kind of stuff, but to those of us who are into anime, a convention is basically paradise. As I walked out of the parking lot and saw a group of girls cosplaying the Haikyuu! boys and a dude with a freakishly accurate cosplay of Soul Evans (Soul Eater), I thought to myself, "nerds...nerds everywhere!" and I was home.

Anime is something that a lot of people get freaked out by, and I guess I can see where they are coming from. At the same time, it is really an incredible genre and culture. Just like any American TV show, anime has mature themes and characters and plots. The only real differences are A) It's in Japanese and B) It's animated. To me, though, those two points make it even more incredible. The art styles are some of the most gorgeous animations that you will ever see, and the Japanese language is beautiful as well. If you get hung up on the Japanese thing, they even redo a lot of the shows as dubs and hire English voice actors for the characters.

Getting back to my original point, Anime Oasis was incredible. It was an experience that I will never forget, and it has shown me the potential that I have for growth in cosplaying in the future. I hope to go to SakuraCon next year in Seattle with some friends, and hopefully it all works out because I cannot wait to again be surrounded by people who are so different but so like me at the same time.

Don't be afraid to be a nerd; we are the best kind of people.