I've had none. Absolutely zero reverse culture shock. Mostly that's because my family is very wonderful and supportive. They let me babble in Japanese and tell my stories and say things like "well, in Japan..." ad nauseum. I expected to be told at least once that my stories from Japan are getting lame, but it hasn't happened yet. And now that I've ( Read more... )

Well, I'm leaving today. Trudging down to the airport by myself to get on a dreaded 20-hour journey home is not the way I'd choose to leave, but it's the only option I have ( Read more... )

Well, here I am. All moved out, my life packed away in suitcases, and living an hour east of Sakawa in Asakura. Asakura may as well be Kochi City, but it has its own little train station, so I think of it as a town all its own. Which it is ( Read more... )

God DAMN I'm tired. Wow. Just finished cleaning this apartment from top to bottom. A few of my friends came over and helped, which was so awesome of them. Now this place is the cleanest it's been in two years ( Read more... )

GAH! I've been on the move since Wednesday and never really stopped. This week is also shaping up to be a busy one. And next week too, come to think of it. Yipes.

My last few months in Japan are on fast-forward. It seriously seems like only yesterday I was freezing my butt off and dreading the long days when I would spend at work doing absolutely ( Read more... )

Not for the first time in my life, I wish that I could draw. As my JET experience comes to a close, I realize just how amazing, weird, and unique my life has been over the last two years. I've been on a frantic writing spree lately, documenting all the little things that happen to me on a daily basis and daydreaming about crazy things that may have ( Read more... )

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Just got back from a three-day conference in the city. I secretly disguise how much I love this conference from everyone so I can fit in with my moaning, groaning, complaining peers, but inside I rejoice every moment I'm there. Okay, so maybe not every moment, but most moments ( Read more... )

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Climbed a mountain, ate something without knowing what it was, experienced unrequited love, celebrated Tanabata, made a serious plea to Satan to make a wish come true, been so lonely I cried, made a snowman out of real snow, danced in a play, spent over $1,000 on a single purchase, sat under ( Read more... )

This entry's been a long time coming. The longer I live here, the more this town--and Japan--gets under my skin ( Read more... )