| | I sit in my pseudo old-English-mansion office listening to the mammoth overhead heater frantically trying to breathe hot air into the otherwise cold November surrounds. Fall has truly hit Fukuoka at long last. And I reminisce about the past 180 days I have spent across the pond in The Land of The Rising Sun.
The old adage goes, "time flies when you are having fun", but has my 6 months in Japan been all pixie-sticks and merry-go-rounds? I tend to think not. There have been ups and downs, lefts and rights, comings and goings, and questions left unanswered. As many of my friends have reminded me it seems that I often travel to escape the negative aspects of my life, only to find that those downers tag along for the ride. I can only retort by saying that changes in my living environment help to drive me in new directions, thereby fleecing over what negative feelings I had in my past locale. A prime example of this is my newfound desire to buy a decent camera and get serious about photography. Without coming to Japan I may not have gone through with such a purchase.
But all things come with a cost. The current cost of moving onwards and upwards in life is that I am teaching six days every week, and as such I am perpetually getting more exhausted. What's the point of being in an exotic foreign country only to be shackled to the daily grind of work? I'm not so sure. Maybe I will consider cutting back my hours after the camera purchase.
The past six months have brought new people into my life and have caused me to re-welcome others. As for relationships I guess I am still considered single. C'est la vie. That is life.
Minji's visit was bittersweet at best. Four days of rekindling lost feelings only to have her go back to Seoul doesn't really help me in the long run. Oh well I enjoyed it and I hope she did as well. I leave the rest of that story up to the author behind the scenes: the future.
I miss my friends back home. I miss lazy Sunday afternoons talking in Starbucks about everything and nothing at all. I miss rock climbing in Vancouver, only to be distracted by the mesmerizing cat-like movements of an Italian (French?/Geman?/Spanish?) woman scaling a v3 or v4 route. I miss bonding time over Scotch. I miss watching a few live shows a year.
Wow. Hold on. Things have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. It seems I've gone on a negative rant. Time for some positive aspects of living in Japan.
I have made a few friends here that keep me sane when I cant bear to sing the "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" song for the 12,000th time to screaming 5 year old kids. A few Friends that worry about whether or not I have enough sweaters to last the cold winter. Friends that take me out for delicious Sri Lankan curry. Friends that push me to climb harder at the gym. Friends that listen to my idle chatter whilst getting poached in a hot onsen. I am thankful for these friends.
And since that blip about food came up I should take this opportunity to say that Japanese food is amazing. Sushi, donburi, yakitori, karrage, onigiri, motsunabe, tonkotsu ramen, okonomiyaki, udon, soba, sashimi, unagi... it's all good. Actually I'm getting hungry just thinking about these things. Excuse me a moment while I take a stab at the bento box my boss brought me today.
Now, next on the list of "Japanese things that bring joy into Aaron's addled heart", is onsens. Kyushu, the southern island of Japan that I call my home, is the Grand Central Station of all things hot spring. I'm not sure of the exact number of onsens on the island but I'm sure it tops over a thousand. Beppu, for instance, has backyard hotsprings, allowing its residents the purifying and relaxing experience of natural boiling mineral water baths at any time of the day -- free of cost. That's how widespread they are in Kyushu. Personally, I wish I could strip down to my skivvies and bathe together with random old naked men in Canada. But alas, tis not God's will. OK that sounded a bit kimochi warui (disgusting) but you get the point.
And as I grow tired of writing this, I will close by saying that I am still doing fine, minus the nagging sore throat that has been pestering my mornings for the past few days. I hope you are all well too.
Keep an eye on my photo site and you will be rewarded with awesome dSLR photos once I buy the Nikon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/farang_noi
And go listen to the song Blue Ridge Mountains by the Fleet Foxes. You won't be disappointed.
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| | Posted 11/20/2008 2:53 AM - 6 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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