6 Months and One Lifetime Away
Last night, after getting home from dinner and karaoke with a friend, I began looking through old pictures on my computer. For the first time since getting to Japan, I allowed myself to finally flip through a folder entitled "Goodbye, Chicago," which chronicles my last two weeks in the Windy City. (You can check out some of the pictures in my "Oops I forgot" set on flickr.) Though these pictures were taken a mere 6 months ago, it feels like a different lifetime already. My apartment here is definitely *my* refuge, and sitting on my tatami-matted floor on a hot summer's evening makes the icy streets and chilly memories of Chicago in January feel that much further away.
The last few weeks spent in Chicago were a pretty intense blur of planning and, when things blew up in my face, replanning. There were so many goodbyes said that I can hardly remember any of them. Looking through the lost memories of recent past--seeing the smiling faces of my friends and coworkers at parties held in my honor--made me very nostalgic. The last karaoke, the last cupcakes and cookies, the last drinks and laughs.
I'll admit that I haven't been quite fair to Chicago. I am often rather critical of its violent and condescending tendencies. It hit me a few weeks ago that Chicago and I are going through a bad break-up. I go through periods of denial, periods of hate, and periods where all I want is for us to get back together. It's hard parting ways with such a well-established partner. You see, Chicago has a lot more friends than I do and has a pretty short memory. The day after I left I was no more than another check mark on the long list of people who have come and gone from its chilly shores. The nerve!
I'm not sure what will happen between Chicago and me in the future. But I'm glad that I will always have memories that bring a smile to my face, and the pictures to remind me of the good times I forgot.
The last few weeks spent in Chicago were a pretty intense blur of planning and, when things blew up in my face, replanning. There were so many goodbyes said that I can hardly remember any of them. Looking through the lost memories of recent past--seeing the smiling faces of my friends and coworkers at parties held in my honor--made me very nostalgic. The last karaoke, the last cupcakes and cookies, the last drinks and laughs.
I'll admit that I haven't been quite fair to Chicago. I am often rather critical of its violent and condescending tendencies. It hit me a few weeks ago that Chicago and I are going through a bad break-up. I go through periods of denial, periods of hate, and periods where all I want is for us to get back together. It's hard parting ways with such a well-established partner. You see, Chicago has a lot more friends than I do and has a pretty short memory. The day after I left I was no more than another check mark on the long list of people who have come and gone from its chilly shores. The nerve!
I'm not sure what will happen between Chicago and me in the future. But I'm glad that I will always have memories that bring a smile to my face, and the pictures to remind me of the good times I forgot.