It has been so long since I have wrote in this blog, and a lot has happened. I guess the main reason for not writing has been I’m not sure what I want and don’t want to publish and what not. So I’ll take some time to try to update and recap what has been going on.
Yesterday marked the 4-week mark, and it’s unbelievable to really think about. I know there are some moments I have where I stop and think… “I live in Japan” and then there are other moments where I think,” Man I just want to go to my home (apartment) and just sit in my chair.” Those latter moments happen, but not as often as they used to, I love being here, and in honesty it would be so easy to live here forever. My Japanese may, or may not be getting better, it is way too hard to tell, mainly due to the fact that it is still not where I’d like it to be. By the end of this trip I am hoping that my Japanese is noticeably better, so I suppose we will just have to find out.
My Japanese classes and other classes for that matter, are really working out, and although it’s 5 days a week its still okay. The language classes are fairly intense; we have done over half a semester, maybe 3/4 ‘s worth of Eastern Michigan University Japanese in 3 weeks of class. I think it is almost manageable, and I know I am learning things, so hopefully I can keep up with everything. Other than my Japanese courses I am taking an International Economics class, which has so far been strictly review of Macro, so I’m a bit bored. On top of the economics course, I am also taking this amazingly interesting intro to Criminal Law/justice course. My teacher is extremely experienced and a bit theatrical, so it’s almost an always-interesting lesson. The side focus of this entire trip is that I need to stay in the 3.7 GPA range, otherwise I will get home with a bitter taste in my mouth I think.
In other news, I’m still meeting great people, and it is extremely easy to do so, I’m just able to be whoever I want to be, even if it is slightly different than I am at home, I enjoy it. I go out quite regularly, and thus the lack of posts, due to lack of interesting adventures and vacation like trips. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of Karaoke, bars, izakaya, trips to Kyoto, and repeat! I have some pictures I’ll be uploading from the last week or so, but in reality it has just been like hanging out with people in the states…But in Japanese. I’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out in Kyoto this past week, and I’ve loved every minute of it! It’s so cool to think about, I’ve always wanted to go to Kyoto every since I was a kid, and now…It’s not even a big deal to be there! I’ve gone three times in the past week, which leads me to my next point: I need a commuter pass. Although it is not expensive for a one time trip necessarily, but three times in one week has landed me a 3,000 Yen bill. That’s somewhere in the ballpark of 35 dollars for transportation alone, so maybe Friday I will by a pass. I’ve heard the passes are maybe 4000 a month, but that is way cheaper than what I will end up paying if I don’t buy it. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Ayaka, who is showing me all sorts of fun places to hang out at, and helping me find a less touristy Japan.
I’ve been losing weight like crazy, and I suppose that’s okay, although I think I’d rather be bulking up. For now though I’m okay, I’ve dropped to 66kg, and in pounds I am at 145, down 15 pounds. I’ve been running a whole lot, sometimes I run 8 miles, I walk at least 5 miles everyday if I do almost nothing at all, and I go to the gym regularly. I’ve been messing around with boxing and I’m actually really enjoying it. Maybe if I get big enough, or good enough, I’ll find a gym back at home to continue working with it.
So that’s the roundabout recap of what has been going on, and now to the fun adventure of which was last night.
Last night I headed out to Kyoto to meet Ayaka around 8:30 to go chat and head to a bar, like we usually do. It was a great night, she had to go job hunting, so she was in a Business suit and asked me to dress up so she wasn’t over dressed. So I headed out in shirt and tie, and we had a great conversation. It’s so fun to talk to her, our language barrier is very thin, and honestly I know it is mostly English, but I sometimes wonder if other people can understand what we say. I know that it is mixed, but I don’t know if it is so little that someone could work around the little Japanese spoken. Sometimes I actually speak Japanese, but usually it takes a drink or two for me to feel comfortable enough.
So after we left the bar we went for a walk down to the Kamogawa River, and just talked. I think if the language barrier is correct, we could see Venus, I’m not quite sure if that is right. She told me you cannot see Mars from Japan, but you can see Venus, so who knows. Overall the night was nice, and I was supposed to catch the last train out at 12:40. TURNS out the last train was at 12:24, and so I missed the train, and I had already said goodnight. Well the night before Ayaka had to pull an all nighter, and so when she got home, which coincidentally was around the same time I realized I missed the train, she had passed out. I never got a hold of her, and so stuck in Kyoto alone I was.
When it first happened I was…perhaps a bit defeated? I’m not sure what the right word is, but I suppose that’s not that important. Nevertheless, it turned around, and in retrospect it may be one of the best things that has happened to me. It’s hard to try to find reality while you’re here, it’s so surreal, and EVERYTHING is different. Yet, four hours, in a big famous city, all alone, in the middle of night, next to a beautiful river, and famous bridge will eventually slow you down. I realized that I love it here, and I love everything that got me here, which has been slowly starting for a very long time. Even if you look at the most basic start of why and how I got here, it goes back to at least 2006/2008. I don’t believe things happen for a reason, unless the reason is myself, or what I want. Everything you do, whether, it is the smallest decision or major decisions that most people think are the life changing ones. Everything you do will change the experiences you have which effect how you decide to move on from there, and what you do with those major choices. I was thinking last night, that at this current moment, life has given me some many different paths that I chose to live with. I can go home, I can study my ass off, I can go to law school, maybe I’ll make it into a big firm, maybe I’ll make a lot of money, and I think…I will be happy. I could also go home, study Japanese more seriously and live here. It would be easy, it would be fun, and it is completely possible, but I’m not sure, and I never had the intention that this is what I wanted. I suppose that’s not really the point though.
The point is that I’ve realized how easy it is to change everything, to make a change, to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Nothing stops you from what you want. Of course there will be things that affect that decision like family, and friends, previous plans, but the truth is, anyone can do anything. It is unbelievable what the feeling of such power is like, and maybe it took a beautiful river or a quite night, or just the slow pace of Japan. Nevertheless, I am happy to have found some reality.
Now obviously I’m not intending to live here, but I know I could. I do love it here, but it’s just a notion.
All this being said hopefully I’ve recapped enough for me to look back on and for those I haven’t talked to know what is going on.