boston nights
Don't know where on earth to begin. It's been a crazy several days in Tokyo, like I expected, only better than I expected. This is the first chance I've had to use the Internet in a few days--which is my own fault, because we've had plenty of free time here, augmented by the meetings I've been skipping. But I've been busy catching up with friends, and spending time with new ones. So far I've seen Andy, Waka-chan, Maki, and Tomomi, and tonight, we're all of us going out tonight on a big nomikai for old time's sake. Most of my old Tokyo friends, plus a handful of new ones, it should be amazing! We're supposed to be meeting in five minutes already...
So I guess this will have to be brief.
The conference is going well. I'm still learning a lot. The Chinese delegates arrived two days ago, we spent two serious days in meetings and stuff, and they left this afternoon. They're really great people and I'm glad they had the chance to join us :) But unfortunately I didn't have the chance to get to know any of them, more than casually...
Elections for next year's leaders for JASC are coming up in a few days and I have to decide whether or not to run. Several people have asked me to do it, and I'm fairly sure that, if I run, I will be elected. I may even be chair next year. But I don't know if it's worth my time. In any case I have to decide soon... this will be a big deal for the next year if I decide to do it...
Catching up with old friends has been absolutely amazing, much better than I ever expected. We haven't had enough time together, of course, but something about this trip to Japan--maybe because of the conference--makes everything different.. in a good way... a much more realistic way...
There was a gigantic earthquake yesterday in Sendai, which "got lucky" and escaped major damage. It was really scary down here in Tokyo--we were on the fourth floor in a meeting and the building was swaying around for a full minute, the longest earthquake I've ever felt--so I can hardly imagine what it was like up in Sendai, almost 350 miles north of here. I was worried about friends all day... I sat glued to the TV news reports during lunch... everyone's okay but they said it was crazy, things falling over everywhere, that sort of thing. It's the same size as the earthquake that killed 5000+ in Kobe ten years ago. I miss Sendai... and seeing it in the news, watching it on TV, is a strange feeling. I almost cried yesterday when I found out where the earthquake had happened.
I had the best spicy, cold tan-tan-men Chinese noodles for dinner today. They were amazing!!! I love the food here, it makes me so happy... I never want to leave... :(
We visited Yasukuni Shrine, the really controversial place which honors, among millions of war dead, several war criminals from WWII, in the morning for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war two days ago. It was strange, and educational, and fascinating... seeing both sides of things. People were there from all over Japan, and tensions were really high. We missed the Emperor, unfortunately!
We're in the final few days here, and things are changing, the group dynamic is changing, and the way I feel around everyone here is changing too. There's just so much I want to do, so many places to go and people to talk to... this is Tokyo, I'm 22 years old, I'm surrounded by people who can show me new things and teach me things... and yet, amidst all the chaos, I feel more and more like I just want to relax... I don't really know when or how I can though... I have some real choices to make...
Time to run to the meeting. I feel a little better, at least, getting this much out, but there's so much more...
So I guess this will have to be brief.
The conference is going well. I'm still learning a lot. The Chinese delegates arrived two days ago, we spent two serious days in meetings and stuff, and they left this afternoon. They're really great people and I'm glad they had the chance to join us :) But unfortunately I didn't have the chance to get to know any of them, more than casually...
Elections for next year's leaders for JASC are coming up in a few days and I have to decide whether or not to run. Several people have asked me to do it, and I'm fairly sure that, if I run, I will be elected. I may even be chair next year. But I don't know if it's worth my time. In any case I have to decide soon... this will be a big deal for the next year if I decide to do it...
Catching up with old friends has been absolutely amazing, much better than I ever expected. We haven't had enough time together, of course, but something about this trip to Japan--maybe because of the conference--makes everything different.. in a good way... a much more realistic way...
There was a gigantic earthquake yesterday in Sendai, which "got lucky" and escaped major damage. It was really scary down here in Tokyo--we were on the fourth floor in a meeting and the building was swaying around for a full minute, the longest earthquake I've ever felt--so I can hardly imagine what it was like up in Sendai, almost 350 miles north of here. I was worried about friends all day... I sat glued to the TV news reports during lunch... everyone's okay but they said it was crazy, things falling over everywhere, that sort of thing. It's the same size as the earthquake that killed 5000+ in Kobe ten years ago. I miss Sendai... and seeing it in the news, watching it on TV, is a strange feeling. I almost cried yesterday when I found out where the earthquake had happened.
I had the best spicy, cold tan-tan-men Chinese noodles for dinner today. They were amazing!!! I love the food here, it makes me so happy... I never want to leave... :(
We visited Yasukuni Shrine, the really controversial place which honors, among millions of war dead, several war criminals from WWII, in the morning for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war two days ago. It was strange, and educational, and fascinating... seeing both sides of things. People were there from all over Japan, and tensions were really high. We missed the Emperor, unfortunately!
We're in the final few days here, and things are changing, the group dynamic is changing, and the way I feel around everyone here is changing too. There's just so much I want to do, so many places to go and people to talk to... this is Tokyo, I'm 22 years old, I'm surrounded by people who can show me new things and teach me things... and yet, amidst all the chaos, I feel more and more like I just want to relax... I don't really know when or how I can though... I have some real choices to make...
Time to run to the meeting. I feel a little better, at least, getting this much out, but there's so much more...