It's been ages, apologies.

So, I got back from Australia all in one piece. The very next day (or so) I set about trying to find a job in Warrenton. I landed one at Borders (a bookstore) eventually, and it's not too shabby. I like the folks I work with and most people who come into the shop are really pleasant people, so all is well. I also enjoy being around books all day. It just makes me feel smarter. Actually I really like my job. I look forward to going to it, and I don't mind staying extra hours. The only time I get cranky at it is when people yell at me for things that aren't my fault, or when I haven't eaten in too long. I would get cranky under those circumstances in any situation, though.

I'm looking for another job in addition to my Borders bonanza, since they only let me work up to 32 hours. I applied at Outback and got as far as an interview so far, so we'll see. I'm worried I'll choke on the smoke in the restaurant because VA still lets people smoke in restaurants. Oh big tobacco, do you always have to get your way? I'm also worried I'll buckle under the weight of the mounds of cow I'll have to haul around. Hey, at least I'll have nice arms!(?)

I've been swimming a fair bit, getting back into shape (sort of). I hurt my foot sometime somehow and it won't go away, so I think I should hold off on running for a bit. It sucks, I want to go soooo badly because the weather is starting to get perfect for it. Alas...

It's cool being around Warrenton and seeing old friends and familiar faces. I feel like I'm getting to know the place a little better from talking to so many different people everyday. I kind of like it. If only one of them would hire me.

Well, I made it to Australia! Sorry for the posting lag, but I doubt anyone really cares. I'm not sure why I'm writing this, other than to fill time while I wait for someone to sign on to Skype.

So. I left Japan. It was emotional, but good. I felt like I'd done what I'd set out to do: learned a lot, seen a lot, done a lot, eaten a lot... I was lucky to have that experience, and luckier still that I had a good group of people to get to know and such a beautiful place to live. Certainly, some things weren't ideal, but I got over them, and that's probably what I'm proudest of in the end.

Right, so I left Murakami a little before my contract ended thanks to my hoarded-up nenkyuu, and visited Anna in Tokyo for 3 days. It was a blast... seeing a city by the side of someone who lives there is always loads better than floundering about alone. We went to a Yomiuri Giants baseball game, and I touched a foul ball! I couldn't feel my finger for a few minutes, but I almost caught it. That's never happened to me before, so that was way cool.
Anna's family was so nice, and it was such a pleasant note to leave Japan on. I wasn't flustered from spending all day on the Shink, nor was I overly-emotional from just leaving my apartment and students. My last day in Murakami I saw a busload of them, all waving at me and making the "so many hearts" sign I pilfered from Phi Mu... so cute! But anyway, by going to Tokyo for a few days I had time to collect myself and reflect and all that good stuff, so it was pretty much ideal.

I arrived in Sydney after a long, cat-nappy flight. It was so good to see Tom and his family! I have been cooking (and eating) a lot here, most of it involving one or more things like PB, crumpets, oats, and ovens. I've been around Sydney, up north and down south, to the beach, in the mountains, and in the city. It's been pretty good :)

The other day we were driving along through Royal Nationa Park and I had the rare and awesome privelage of seeing a male lyrebird! That's... well, awesome. These birds are incredible! The males look sort of like a cross between a peacock and a pheasant, and their tail feathers curl around like the strings of a lyre. The really impressive thing about these birds is their remarkable ability to immitate pretty much any sound they hear- from camera shutters to chainsaws to more melodious, natural sounds as well. I would really love to spend a pile of time out in the mountains and maybe see one singing... that would be one of the sweetest dreams I could fulfill.

I'm glad I came to Australia before diving straight back into US culture. I don't think I would have survived. I had some really random mood swings here, and I felt bad for Tom for having to endure me. All and all, however, re-adjusting has been pretty painless. One thing I do miss is the cleanliness and orderliness of Japanese society. I also miss the feeling of safety, and I truly can't understand why Western countries are so much more violent and scary than Japan. I'm sure the homogeneity of Japanese society helps keeps things stable, but that's a can of worms I don't want to get into right now.

I'll be back in the US next Monday, at least if all goes well. I'm nervous about the flights... I've got 3, plus a plane change. Ugh. I think all and all it will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 26 hours, not including getting to the airport in Sydney and getting home from Dulles. Oi...

Tomorrow I turn in my modem, so I won't have internet anymore. Maybe I'll update from Australia once I get there.
Today I had both my goodbye ceremonies, which was pretty intense emotionally. I'm really going to miss my students. Some of them made me cards and letters. SO CUTE!
I can't believe the time has nearly come for my Japanese adventure to end! Hmm, I wonder what's next...

WOW! Time is doing some sort of twisty, wormhole thing on me. I can't keep it straight. School is zooming by because, as I may have mentioned before, everyone realized that this was my last week and decided to pack my schedule chock-a-block. I made the mistake of playing a song on my guitar for one class, which mushroomed first into playing one or two for every class, and now I'm playing in front of the whole school at the closing ceremony. What? How do these things happen??

Well, anyway... the REAL craziness is that tonight I had an entirely VEGAN MEAL IN JAPAN. WHOA!!!! At a RESTAURANT! For an ENKAI! Those of you who have been to Japan will understand the enormity of those statements. Normally everything, yes, EVERYTHING has some sort of tentacle, eyeball, or head poking out of it. So... to have nary a smidgeon of animal derived anything in a whole multi-course meal was... amazing. It was beautiful. It took a whole year, but I could finally eat an entire meal without making either myself or somebody else uncomfortable. WOW.

Of course, it was a farewell party, so it was kind of sad. I am happy to leave it here though. I've talked about this before. See you!

Today was Marine Day. That's right, a specific holiday for Japanese people to go to the beach and be silly. And silly it was!! Jess and I ventured to the beach as well because the sun finally came out (it's been about a week) and adventure was in the air! It wasn't too big of an adventure though, just a few failed sandcastle attempts and some awwing at cute children being pummeled by massive waves. It still boggles my mind how so many things that would NEVER fly in the US are so commonplace here. For example:
- an aging lifeguard watching a packed beach with minimal parental supervision of wee ones (like really wee ones, maybe 4 years old) in 4-5' surf.
- stopping a vehicle anywhere, including the side of the road with oncoming traffic, at times perpendicular to the flow of traffic
- being SO drunk in front of your boss
- a swimming pool jam packed with children, whose parents are sitting in the onsen on the other side of the building, carousing and generally posing a hazard to themselves, with one lifeguard...
- ... who then stops to chat with his buddy who is swimming laps
- ... who then proceeds to splash the lifeguard

Those are just a few examples from the past few days, but those are only the instances that are fresh in my memory.

The past week has been crazy as I've been trying to get my stuff together in order to leave. Also, my school has realized they have a week left with me and have packed my schedule so full that it's kind of insane. I guess it's nice to be appreciated..? That's what I tell myself. I have 3 more days of classes, and one day of 3 speeches (in Japanese!). I'm nervous about that, but oh well. I'm pretty used to being a spectacle. I have stuff going on EVERY SINGLE DAY until the day I leave. Some days I have 3-4 things going on, so we'll see how that works out. I have a lot of official-type business to take care of, but once that's over I'll nearly be ready to go. WOOHOO!

How do I feel about leaving now?! AWESOME! I'm mostly really excited for the future, so it's hard to feel anything but that about leaving. I feel like I accomplished a lot, since I feel really comfortable here now. That's pretty impressive considering how awful I felt when I first got here. So... I managed, in fact, I did pretty well here, and I'm proud of that. I'm happy I came here, and happy with what I gained. Was it easy? No. Was it 100% peachy? Hell no! There was a lot that sucked, namely winter. Would I do it again? Heck yes, especially since I know how to deal now.

When I said good-bye at SGHS on Friday I definitely cried a little bit, but that's because my kids were getting all choked up and set me off. I think it will be harder at Chutou because I see those kids every day and I'm closer to them. I hope they don't do anything ridiculous the last day or I WILL lose it. Jeeze, I never knew I was such a softie.

By the way, I won't have internet after the 25th, so don't get pissy or worried if I disappear until August 2 when I land in Sydney. I'm probably okay, unless the bureaucracy finally made my head explode.

The day draws nearer and nearer when I will leave Murakami!
Sometimes when I think about this I get sad, especially when I think about saying goodbye to the people that were so kind to me here. Other times, like when I check the weather and see nothing but rain for the next TEN DAYS, I can't wait to get out of here. Also, lately every Japanese person that's pestered me on the street, on top of a mountain, during dinner, etc, has without fail called me fat. I think my favorite such instance was a portly drunken man shoveling food down his throat, reaching over, pinching my arm, and calling me fat. Almost as good as that time I had just run up a mountain (yes, RUN), and another sagging old man told me all Americans were unhealthy and fat, then asked me if I had trouble finding clothes in Japan since I was so much bigger than all the women here. Pooheads! I'm out of here!

Word to the wise: walking from one end of town to the other in nubbly Hello Kitty sandals is not advisable. Nor is eating a giant custard and blueberry crepe right before bed. STILL, that sort of ridiculousness is what makes matsuri so glorious! Of course I can't forget the 5 minute goldfish (not quite as sad as 10 minute turtles, but still...), and what would Japan be without stands boiling over with plastic toys, all of which flash asynchronously and make ridiculous noises? And of COURSE, I wouldn't call anything Japanese without tentacles, and loads of them.

Today and tomorrow are Murakami's big matsuri. Everyone comes out dressed up in yukata, getta, happi, and the like. It's pretty awesome. Tomorrow I may be pulling a float, but perhaps not... we'll see. I think there will be pictures....

Besides that, life has been good. I've been swimming a lot, wandering around, and taking small trips. Jess and I drove out to Yamagata's ZAO to see a crater! I've never seen a volcanic landscape before, so it was pretty incredible. It stunk like sulfur up there, but I suppose that's to be expected. It was neat to see all the animals and plants that had managed to scrape out a living in that environ... and apparently there's some special little beetle that's endangered that only lives up there on that crater. I know because we found 3 guys catching them and putting them in bottles to take back and breed in captivity. That reminded me of that paper I wrote on Lasiorhinus krefftii oh-so-long ago. I think beetles are a little hardier than wombats, though.

School lately has been pretty dull... if I didn't have my conbio textbook to keep me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I think I'd have some drool stains on my desk. I'm ready to get out of here and start grad school... I'm ready for something that requires all of my faculties. Not like living in Japan has been easy, and truthfully I totally could have studied Japanese harder, but it's a different sort of challenge. For example, drawing a good picture is hard for me, it's a challenge- but I'd rather challenge myself by running 42 km or solving a calculus problem or remembering chemistry or learning anything about biology... I guess it's a matter of interest.

Today I woke up early again and hit one of the local mountains (really local, the ones that I gaze at every day on my way to school). I went with 2 teachers from Sakuragaoka, and it was LOADS of fun! We took a side trail thinking it lead to another peak, then realized that the steady downward direction of the trail would eventually lead us back to Murakami. We found the car again with a little bit of pondering, but not before seeing a caterpillar that looked like it had 2 heads and a molting daddy-long-legs. WOO! A fantastic day!

But wait, there's more! We also drove out to Miomote dam and wandered around the recreational area around the man-made lake. It was pretty sweet because the river has a couple of islands in it, and those islands are accessible via a very long floating bridge. Think hundreds of kerosene jugs filled with air and strung together, and you've got about the right idea. There was one anchored bit in the middle, but walking on inflated plastic jugs was way more fun. I saw some leeches, a snake, and old Japanese people huffing and puffing up a hill. SUCCESS!

But wait, there's STILL more! After that I came home and made myself some lunch, then headed out for some adventures with Jess and Katrina. We drove up the coast, aiming for Sasagawanagare (funny how all of us have been there multiple times, but how none of us had ever seen it on a clear day!!) and made some pit stops along the way. First we stopped at the Salamander shrine, which was awesome because there were these beautiful purple flowers and a couple of tiger lilllies blooming on the bare rock next to the shrine. ALSO on the rocks were nesting seagulls who were none too happy that we were so close to their babes-to-be. Their nests were sort of sandy shallow spots where there were less rocks and more shelter from plants. It was way cool. The eggs themselves were sort of grey-sand colored and had speckles on them. They were hard to see at first, but once I saw one I started seeing them all over. Katrina got swooped.

Next we had a photo-op with some ridiculous road signage (a scared looking car getting beaten up by an angry looking wave), and also got some shutter-time with a giant wooden penis. It even had a couple of bouys hanging in nets below it to serve as balls. Oh, Japan.

After THAT we hit up Sasagawanagare. It's SO pretty in the sunlight, and it's even nicer when you can poke around without getting lashed by windy, bitter cold wetness.

Then after that we took the scenic route home and found a road that just ended in the middle of the mountains. It was pretty hilarious because all along we were hazarding guesses as to where the road might actually take us. Yamagata? The Twighlight Zone? Nowhere? As always, the best choice is always C. We managed to find our way to Asahi, then to Himalaya for some awesome curry. We got gifted an amazing coconut nan for dessert this time, perhaps because we brought along yet another new foreigner.

Finally, we came back to Katrina's house and watched Aladdin. Woo!! I need another weekend to rest up after this weekend's craziness!! I guess that's what happens when the sun is shining... we go all out!!

HAI!

So today rocked my socks. I woke up early, then drove to Yamagata with my kaiwa friend and her husband. It was AWESOME! I got to watch some shamisen playing, eat a delicious lunch, and then the fun REALLY began!

My kaiwa partner knows a cherry farmer in Yamagata. We dropped by so that I could check it out. It was so sweet! First off, Yamagata is GORGEOUS. I wouldn't want to be there in winter because that's where the snow REALLY falls, but it sure is pretty! The mountains are so steep and rugged, but somehow they're all covered in trees. Recent landslides leave big muddy gashes on the sides of the mountains, but I'm sure in a year or two it will be virtually impossible to detect anything ever happened. I love how verdant this country is!! I guess it's from all the rain... oh, trade-offs...

Anyway, at this farm I encountered several of the most bizarre, awesome things I've ever seen. But before I get into that, let me mention that I had the best apple juice I think I will ever taste. I don't even like apple juice that much, but this stuff was delicious! Ah. Too bad I'll never have it again...

So back to the ridiculous things. First, I saw a very venomous snake! I think it might have been a 'you've got 2 hours to live if it bites you' snake. It had a mean looking face!! Mr. Cherry Farmer said that it was Japan's cobra. Oh dear. What was more impressive was that this pissed off snake was somehow captured in an empty sake bottle. What? I didn't have the sense to ask how that happened. My guess is very carefully.

So, the next ridiculous thing I saw was a cat that likes to ride in cars. What? I didn't know that was possible.

Next, I saw frog eggs hung up in a tree overhanging some water. I'd heard about that in my Australian Vert Fauna class, but never seen it first hand! They looked like giant praying mantis egg cases, only frothier and whiter. I also saw a frog chillaxin' next to the broods. It was SO COOL!

NEXT I got to pick some cherries, which was pretty awesome, but not so ridiculous.

Lastly, I saw a giant goldfish of the lumpy-head variety. Mr. Cherry Farmer reached into the grubbiest tank I've ever seen and hauled up this giant, gasping, bubbly-headed monster. I took a picture. How could I resist??

Then, I was gifted 2 kg of really expensive cherries, and we were on our merry way home. Oodilahlee, oodilahlee, golly what a day!

So, I was reading my JET handbook the other day, and it had warnings about reverse-culture shock in it. Since I spent the better part of the first 2 weeks here curled up on the floor wondering what kind of insanity led me to embark on such a ridiculous journey, I figure that my reverse culture-shock might be pretty severe, too.
One of the things that the all-knowing CLAIRsters recommended to do was to write down everything/anything that I will miss about Japan, what I expect will have changed at home, and what I'm looking forward to. So... here I go. I don't think this is any particular order, just what pops into my head.

( The Lists )
This list is by no means exhaustive, but I think it's a good start. Maybe I'll add to it later.

HEY! Sorry it's been ages... I guess I've been too busy living my life to have time to write about it :)

The last time I wrote I was anxiously awaiting Tom's arrival. Well, May 16 rolled around, and I had a full day ahead of me: first a taikusai, or sports day, at my school, then catching a train to Niigata, then catching the night bus to Tokyo, then catching a train to the airport. Night buses aren't so bad, but the quality of sleep on them is definitely lackluster. But first, let me back up... the taikusai was HILARIOUS! My favorite events were the boy's giant chicken/hat stealing fight, and the girl's tire-grabbing extravaganza. Both were pretty violent, which was sort of odd since my students are mostly shy and well-behaved. The tire thing was hilarious... girls were literally dragging each other on the ground. Haha, I'm sad Americans don't do things like that.

Anyway, I got to Narita Airport on the 17th and at 9.56 Tom strolled through the gates. I felt like I could explode, I was so happy. We whisked ourselves off to the baggage shipping place, then bought some train tickets, and we were off!! Tokyo is a HUGE city and every area of it is different, so exploring it was awesome. I feel like I ony caught a glimpse of the city, even though we were there for 3 days. We stayed in Asakusa, which is a district famous for its small streets and old feeling. While we were there, there happened to be a matsuri going on in the temple-area of the district. It was way awesome, and I even got to see some Edo-style happi... ass cheeks and all. Hah...

We also hit up Akihabara, Harajuku, Ueno Park, the Imperial Palace, Ginza, Shinjuku, Shinjuku Station at rush hour (hahaha that was an adventure!), and the Tsujiki (?) Fish Market area. I saw a cat chewing on some ribs there, which reinforced my opinion that eating meat is mostly a bad idea. I really liked Tokyo... it had leafy streets and so much character that it didn't seem like the biggest city on the planet, but more like a collection of neighborhoods. I liked passing through and getting so many different tastes, if only for an hour or two.

Next, we caught a night-bus to Osaka. Having arrived and gotten some food, we then set off to see the city. My impression of Osaka was that it's more faceless and commercial, as in the only things to do there are eat and shop. However, we did see Osaka Castle, and being in old places like that always makes me wonder. We also went up in this immensely tall building, complete with the Japanese kitsch that I have grown to love. My favorite was the heart-shaped padlocks that you could engrave with you and your beau's name, then clip to a fence on top of the observation deck. How cheesy is that? I didn't do it, though part of me wanted to. Haha, I think I've been here too long...

My favorite place was DEFINITELY Kyoto!! I had a lot of tasty food, plus the feeling of a place as old as that is hard to wander around in without getting some sort of intense set of feelings. My favorite area was Gion. There's something about small alleyways festooned with paper lanterns that appeals to me. There were SO many temples and things that I started to feel a bit burnt out. I'm afraid that my interest in religion is fairly small to begin with, so before long it was completely overwhelmed. The good news is that my excitement from just looking at buildings, crafted with so much love and attention to detail, takes a lot longer to wear off.

After our big trip, we returned to Niigata, and then Murakami. The first thing we did was catch up on sleep. The following week, Tom attended school with me. My students LOVED him. I think Tom might have been a bit creeped out by how much people loved him. Even high school boys would stare at him.

That weekend we went to Haguro-san, a famous mountain in Yamagata. We also saw a mummy up there, which was pretty creepy, but REALLY interesting. I can't imagine the amount of faith and willpower someone would have to have to mummify themselves. It's sort of like... a crazy case of anorexia and poisoning yourself. I really enjoyed that day, despite the misty weather and feeling sort of cold and exhausted after 1000 stone steps through the fog. My pictures turned out really well, too.

The last bit of time that Tom was here, he explored the town while I was at work. It was nice just having him around, and now I feel really lonely. Just coming home and having no one to talk to yesterday was really sad... but I went out to dinner with Naomi and her eikaiwa class, which was a ridiculous amount of fun. I think Japanese women take longer to warm up to me, but once they do they're so full of love and kindness that it's hard not to feel completely at ease.

So... now I guess I'm in a bit of a waiting game. I'm trying to keep busy, one because I don't have much time left to waste, and two because time moves by quickly when you're spending it well. This weekend I'm going to a fighting kite festival and visiting my friend Hina. Next weekend I'm picking cherries in Yamagata with my kaiwa partner. The weekend after that, Anna from WM is coming to visit me from Tokyo. That leaves 5 more weekends to fill, the 6th being filled with a flight from Tokyo to Sydney. WOW.

Well, I should probably get going to work. I'll post pictures up on Picasa shortly, but until then, they're already up on Facebook. Ciao...

DUDE! Tom will be here in 2 days. I'm nearly peeing my pants. Good thing I've got 2 more days at work to temper my excitement. Temper isn't the right word, I think "beat into oblivion" is more appropriate. The past week I've read 2 books, studied Spanish and French and Japanese (a little), written love-letters, found a haircut, AND done all the work I was supposed to do (and then some). I'm NOT that efficient, I'm just under-utilized. I'm glad I didn't sign on for another year because I'm ready to put my mind to use!!

So I'll be incommunicado for the next week or so. Starting tomorrow night, I'll be gallyvanting across Japan! First stop, Niigata, to catch a night-bus to Ikebukuro. Then, somehow, I have to find my way to the airport, and then, somehow, I have to figure out where it will spit out Tom. Then, somehow, we'll find our way to Asakusa, and venture forth from there once we're braced by caffeine. After a few days of Tokyo, we'll blast off in the middle of the night for Osaka on another night bus, and then from there we'll train it to Kyoto. By next Sunday, if all goes well, we'll be back in Niigata, perhaps in time to catch a baseball game :)

OH MAN! It's ridiculous how excited I am! I've been waiting SO LONG for this, and now that it's here it doesn't seem real. Eee!

As per request, here's some photos..... If you like what you see, check out the link to the left that says something about Picasa.


A stream taking the meltwater off the top of 2 Prince Mountain, near Shibata.


A monkey! He was near the road on the way home from the hike.


Sakura from Salmon Park... this is from April.


This is what it's like when the weather is nice :) This photo is also from April. It was taken near Sakamachi.

Yesterday was AWESOME!!

Jess and I had an itch to go explore some more mountains, so we just drove towards some in the hopes we'd find a trail. It was an adventure! We headed towards Tainai, a local ski spot, which adjoins a National Forest type area. We discovered two things: one, WILD MONKEYS! I'd never seen wild monkeys before, so that was really cool! We also saw snakes and lizards later on, so that was cool too. Not so cool was the fact that the road into the National Forest was closed for some mysterious reason! Despite this we trooped on south to try and find another likely hiking spot. Remembering the massive snow-veined hunks of topography that are visible from Shibata station, we had high hopes. With that mountain looming in the windscreen, well, sometimes looming, as the road was a bit twisty and narrow, we ganbare'd on until we discovered we'd taken quite a few wrong turns and were headed to who-knows-where. A kindly family drew us a map and sent us on our way, and then we were off!!

We found the trail head poking out of the cryptomerium forest right next to a giant shrine. Inside the shrine I could see taiko drums, big paper lanterns, and an attendant reading a book, sipping hot tea, and listening to J-Pop. Into the forest we went! At first the trail was just my speed- mildly uphill, following a mountain stream, full of looming old trees covered in moss and lichen, gullies of ferns, and all sorts of interesting bugs to stop and peer at. I love mountain streams! I love hiking in spring too because there are endless shades of green. It's so hard to describe how at peace being in a forest makes me feel.

My peaceful feelings didn't last too long, though. Soon the trail headed seemingly straight up the mountain with no switchbacks and no efforts to skirt especially steep parts. Maybe the trail DID skirt the steep parts, but the mountain was just that steep. It wasn't quite scrambling, but I was beat after about 30 minutes. We asked someone how much longer to the top and they shrugged and said 2 or 3 hours. Oh dear.

So up we went, unprepared for how intense this mountain was. I had enough water, maybe, though I wasn't dressed well enough. We eventually had to stop when we ran into piles of snow that my running shoes wouldn't have handled too well. I guess we could have kept going, but I didn't think it was a good idea. Going back down the mountain was all kinds of fun, and took maybe 1/6 as long as it did to go up. I think I was just bouncing down the mountain like a loud, cloddish deer.

Eventually we came back down, reeking and happy, and then got some kaiten-zushi to reward our efforts. After that we went back to Jess's and watched "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", which made me realize how many movies pull references from it! It was awesome. Sadly, we're all out of Clint Eastwood films now.

After that I came home and passed out. It was a good day :)

Today is Saturday, and in one week I'll be working at my school's Taikusai, or sports day. It should prove hilarious. I hope I don't get sunburnt.

Today I'm going hiking w/ Jess somewhere near Tainai, maybe, which will probably be good. The weather is AWESOME... cool, not too hot, and sunny, with a slight breeze. Oh Murakami, if I didn't know better I'd almost regret leaving you! Why couldn't the weather be nice all the time?! Or at least more than 5% of the time?

I had a point, I swear... OH! Right! I was looking at recipes and I found one for this ridiculously delicious looking mango salsa stuff. It looked SO GOOD!! But, like most things that appeal to my Western sensibilities, the ingredients would be nigh impossible to find in Japan, and if I could find them, would be ridiculously expensive. This is another reason why I can't wait to skedaddle! One of these days I'm going to post a list of things I'll miss about Japan and things I can't wait to experience once I get out of here. Not yet though, not yet.

I feel like I've changed a lot since I've been here, more so even than when I went to Australia for a year. I guess I had to rely on myself A LOT, and pretty much live continuously outside my comfort zone. There's been superficial things that have changed about me too... like I tried (and liked) coffee, I read The Fellowship of the Ring without giving up in boredom after the first 100 pages, I'm way more conscious of how I present myself (often to my despair because there's not much I can do about clothes, shoes, hair, or makeup here!). I feel like my core has been tested and enriched as well, and that's what really matters.

Off to wander in the hills....

This past half-week was what the Japanese call Golden Week. It's a string of National Holidays, 3 in a row, that pretty much everybody has off. Because of this, it seems that nearly everyone in Japan gets in their car, hops a plane, or hops a train to go somewhere during this period. I had a few adventures myself, none too far from home, but still pretty good!

Saturday Jess needed to change his tires down in Sanjo, so I agreed to ride with him. It was a whole lot of sitting in the car and commenting on the usual notable things you see while sitting in a car: horrible drivers, outlandish Pachinko parlour designs, hilarious Engrish signs, and sudden awesome mountain scenery. We got down to Sanjo, changed the tires, looked for something to do but couldn't find it, and headed back north along the coast. We stopped here and there to check things out, nearly got sidetracked into Maki, and climbed a 40m Buddha statue. Upon returning to our neck of the woods and still having half a day to kill, I took Jess up Oshiroyama since he had never been. After approximately 600 pictures of various ferns and irises, we climbed back down and took note of some temples and things on the way home that seemed interesting. Jess is a religion major, so he's way more into the temple things than I am. I always feel a bit like I'm trespassing or shouldn't be nosing about places like that.

The following day, I pretty much sat on my bum and read all day. I was feeling the urge for a lazy day, so there you go. I did manage to get out for a short run, and I think something else happened too, but it wasn't too remarkable.

Monday I borrowed Naomi's car and drove out to Asahi to go for a swim. On the way back I made a wrong turn and found myself driving through the old samurai-house part of town, the part of the town that would purposefully built to be as confusing as possible, so that was fun. Also, the roads are often ridiculously narrow and twisty, so driving a car down them is a test of courage. I was thankful I didn't meet anyone coming the other direction! I also cleaned my house on Monday, like REALLY cleaned my house, but that's not interesting.

Tuesday the weather was gorgeous! I just walked around. That's what I do. When I came back, I read some Lord of the Rings, then headed to Toyosaka to meet a couple other ALT's... we were heading out for a road trip early the next morning!

Yesterday, the last day of Golden Week, I spent road tripping down to Fukushima Prefecture on the hunt for Bandai-Asahi National Park. I THINK we found it, though I'm not sure. The whole thing was sort of ill-planned, which always gums up the works, and I guess I shouldn't have trusted the driver or the person who thought of the trip to do all the planning... anyhow, we were roughly in the right area, and we found the right mountain, but I don't think we drove far enough into the park. We did climb the mountain, but there wasn't always a good trail, and it didn't seem quite right to me. Anyhow, it was still an adventure, and it was still gorgeous scenery all the way down and all they way back, so there's no complaining. Well, it was sort of spitting rain, hazy, and cloudy, so I guess I could have asked for clearer weather so I could have taken some pictures of the gorgeous scenery.

That's been my life for the past little while. I feel a bit lame because other people went to Hokkaido or Hiroshima or Tokyo for Golden Week, but I keep reminding myself that I'm going on a big hot-spot tour in just over 10 days with Mr. T, so that makes me feel a bit less lame. Traveling in Japan is ridiculously expensive, so I didn't feel like I could justify two big trips in one month. I also feel a bit lame because people of a similar situation as mine managed to pull off way cooler adventures than me, but they had a car at their disposal so that probably gave them a leg-up. Well, I had a good Golden Week, even if it was slow-paced and somewhat befuddled, and that's all that matters.

The leaves have all come out! I wish I could hear them. I imagine they'd sound like popcorn. A billion tiny popcorn pops happen every minute during springtime, but we make too much racket to hear them. ...I guess if it wasn't us, it'd be the songbirds.

Yesterday I served my time at school. It was frustrating and dumb and I don't want to talk about it. I don't think I work well with people I don't like. I wish I could get over that. It's not that I'm not civil, but I just don't have as much patience wholly predictable and preventable nonsense. I guess nobody does, but I think it might be a key life skill to pick up.

After work I cleaned my apartment (yaaay!), took a nap, went for a run, and then met Naomi and Jess at Himalaya. We hadn't been there in a while, and I think the hostess missed us, because she gave us heaps of free food. My favorite by far was the salad :)

The run was pretty good! I had to stop once cos my hair fell out of my pony tail, but other than that it was hitch-free and pain-free. YES! I'm not in the clear yet though, now I have to go about the process of building back up slowly and respectfully. That means not running too much, which is hard... especially when there's so many new leaves around.

Today was lame, then awesome, then normal.

First, I got to work and had a great 1st period... but then NO CLASSES FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. I was SO bored!! I read an entire book today. Thank goodness I had a book to read! I didn't even start reading it until about 10 or 11 am, and I finished it at 3... so I STILL had 2 hours to waste after I finished my book! Jeeeeeze this job kills me sometimes!

After work though, I went swimming with Naomi. She critiqued my sloppy technique (it's gotten sloppy because I'm so pathetically out of shape at the moment, I guess), and I totally felt a difference! I'm really pleased! She is going to let me borrow her car next week while she's in Hokkaido, and I think I'll go swimming and running and hiking and bouldering and ahhhh! The possibilities are endless! I almost don't want to hang out with anyone else because those prospects sound so good to me, but I know I'd get lonely. When did I become so needy for social interaction!? Guess I'm not a loner after all.

I was THINKING.... that I miiiight see if I can rent a car for the last little bit of May thru the rainy season... cos I think having a car while Tom is here would be a bonus, and also the last little bit of truly free time I have... but then again I think having a car is almost completely unnecessary for my living situation, and it's dreadfully expensive as well. Hmm.... but it would be nice to be able to explore more........... dilemmas!!

Today I went on a bit of a hike with Jess and Naomi! We started out at Jess's, walked to the foot of a mountain, and then hoofed it! It was fantastic! We ran into some youngun baseball games, got sidetracked many a-time, but not in a literal way, and drank in the sunshine. It was glorious!! :) I really needed that. It was rough going, pretty steep and relentless, or maybe I'm just incredibly out of shape. I think it was a bit of both, to be fair.

So often I feel torn, like I want to be in 1513 places at once, or at least 3. I want to be here, I want to be there, and I want to be where everyone else wants me to be. I think that last one I need to get over, because I can't make everyone happy!! That's a sure way to leave yourself out to dry.

Tomorrow is my last day at Chutou until next Thursday. YES! Not like I hate my job, but I thought it had gotten better, only to find myself reading 'The Hobbit' in 2.5 days because of a lack of things to do at work. I find Tolkein really hard to wade through sometimes, too. We'll know I'm in trouble when I turn to Dostoevsky or Hawthorne...

So... the rain and cold are bad, but not as bad as sitting around in my apartment is, so I ventured out today. I actually hopped on a train to go watch 'Hang 'em High', starring none other than Clint Eastwood, with Jess. OH MAN! It was awesome!! Haha I have a soft spot for Westerns because they're ridiculous and good at the same time. I dug it. Next time it's rainy and disgusting out, we're going to watch 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'. I'm never sure whether to capitalize articles or not... but anyway. At least now I won't want to die next time it's 3 days straight of crappy weather. Clint will save me! Yay!

After that I came home and went swimming with Naomi! We did a bit of a challenging workout and I totally felt like I was dragging ass. I wish there was an interval clock at the pool, cos intervals are a good way to get fast again. I just slack off too much :( I guess I'm still pretty wiped after that workout, though, so... maybe I'm just being too hard on myself.

Tomorrow we have school, then I have an enkai. We have Wednesday off, and weather allowing, I'm going hiking w/ Naomi and Jess. Thursday and Friday round out the week, next week is Golden Week (still donno what I'm doing), and the week after that I'll be less than 6 days away from seeing Tom. WOOT! I'm diggin' the pace of my life right now!!