An Update

Aren't all blog entries updates? (Shaking of head and jowls with a pfffppfew)

Wow. I don't know what to write. I don't know why I came on here. I guess I felt I needed to write something about being in Japan. My camera was stolen. Stolen at a nice onsen, Hana no Yu in Fujinomiya. I have to call the place back to see if it turned up. I was pretty pissed for about an hour and a half. I lost all the pictures I've taken over the past 3 weeks. Which actually wasn't a lot of pictures, since I haven't been taking much, but it was the ones I took with Will and Mike when they were here for the first day of their 68 hours. And I couldn't take any after that. Mike will have to tag me on facebook for you to see pictures with them. It was really awesome to see them. I can't believe it's been almost 8 months since I saw Will - that it's been 8 months since Steve's wedding. That is crazy. I was in Japan not even 5 months before I came home for a visit last time, and now I've been out of the country 8 months in a row. Crazy crazy crazy. What am I doing here?

It's really warm outside. Tomorrow it will be September. I'm sitting inside my apartment in shorts and a t-shirt with all my windows open and 2 fans on. I'm a bit shiny as well.

I'm seeing an increase in my Japanese abilities. It must come in waves. In levels. I went a long time without seeing any improvement. (Maybe it had something to do with not studying or speaking Japanese for 2 months.) I'm not scared of speaking Japanese anymore. Even if I fail to communicate, I'm not afraid to try. My confidence was greatly boosted with Will and Mike here because I was able to get them around - order food, ask for directions, call a taxi company and get a ride...have some short conversations with people asking about us, etc. I called and talked with the bus company that was picking people up for the Mt. Fuji Climb to find out exactly where the bus would be waiting. Furuyasan's advice from the beginning of our lessons together was to talk to people in Japanese - at the grocery store, at the conbini, waiting for a train. I never felt confident doing that before, but now I feel comfortable saying anything just for the practice or just because I'm a human being and they're a human being and I've got something to say or ask. I'm able to hear Japanese a lot better now, and I'm actually starting to remember vocabulary that I pick up in various places. The Japanese I hear is starting to register more quickly in my brain. Before I would have to listen to something spoken very slowly, then take that sound and run it through my data bank of recorded vocabulary found in the deep reaches of my brain, translate it into English, and then I would understand. Now I can hear something and either it makes the switch into English very quickly, or maybe I'm even understanding in Japanese. I'm excited about studying again (even with a sopping wet lesson book - story to come later, maybe if I have the time to type it all out).

I'm really trying to put on a good attitude. I had to argue with myself in the shower this morning. I was wanting to feel sorry for myself because I missed out on the AJET Fuji Climb since I was too sore from climbing it on Wednesday night. I wanted to feel down, and then I said, "no, I will be happy" and then I said "but I don't have anything to be happy about, so it would be wrong to be cheerful today" and then I said "life is a good enough reason to be happy" and then I said, "I can't argue with that." So I stopped arguing with myself and I won.

I bought new glasses. They are cool, clear, plastic, Japanesey ones. I had gone last weekend to look and couldn't decide between the cool plastic ones and a pair of frameless glasses that were much lighter and more comfortable and more professional looking. I wanted to pick the frameless ones, but my desire to look cool won out. I really don't like glasses in general because of that professional look they give me. I've been going the past year without any glasses at all, so it's not like I'll be wearing them much anyway. Plus I'm getting lasik surgery when I get back from Japan so I won't need glasses after that at all.

Oh yeah, I took an eye exam and bought glasses all in Japanese this past week too. If you think it's a harrowing time at the eye doctor's in English, think about trying to do those tests all in Japanese. Brian Regan's sketch on glasses comes to mind...

Ok. I got lost on youtube while I was searching for that Brian Regan link. whoops. Time got away. Tomorrow is my first day of school for the new term. I'm not ready for school to start. I have to start making lesson plans again. It's late (12:25am as I'm typing this now - hey it's September!) but I'm not tired because I'm excited with life and life's possibilities. I need to start each morning with time - time to talk to myself (not the creepy schizophrenic kind, just the morning pep talk time) and time to talk with God, to relax and start the day. And I need to get sleep before that. Ok, I'll start that tomorrow night. But seriously, there are so many things to be happy about and if I just take the time to see things that way.

I have many stories to tell you. So many stories about the everyday extraordinary that I find here in Japan, stories about the beach and the mountains and friends and people and the things they tell me and the things I see. So many of these stories will fall down on me as I'm sitting in the States years from now. Maybe it will be a plate of noodles or a misunderstood word or a trip to the mountains, but something will set it off and I will suddenly be rushed back to these moments of life here on this island, so many miles from home.

Now I'm going for a walk along the ocean. I have too much energy to take to bed with me, I don't think I could keep my head on the pillow.

For now, goodnight.

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