良いお年を！

Happy New Year everyone! Aren't you jealous that I get to celebrate the new year 14 hours ahead of you? Mom and I were watching the TV new years ceremonies. We were expecting some sort of countdown, but there wasn't any. All of a sudden they just said, "Well, the new year has begun." So we were a little surprised. It was a little different from Western style countdowns.

But I hope that you have a wonderful new year. I miss you. And I can't wait to see you all again.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Mom is spending Christmas and New Years with me in Japan. I am very thankful.

Today we went to Kurashiki City to wander about the historical district and shopping areas. She bought me a few things for my apartment, and she bought some souvenirs and presents for friends and family. We walked through the Bikan historical district. The district is centered around a canal lined with willows. Koi and white swans feed throughout the canal. We drank $6 coffees and ate Japanese sweets.

Tonight we ate at Kura Pura. One of the ladies that I work for in Okayama city, Mrs. Fujimoto, knows the owner of the restaurant. She gave me $50 dollars worth of gift certificates, which turned out to be very useful because the 7 course meal turned out to be almost $100 for the both of us.

All around, it was a good day.

Waiting for the Train

It was rainy today. And waiting for the train on the platform, I bought myself a hot can of coffee out of a vending machine. Without opening it, I gripped the small can tightly, warming my cold hands. And as I sat waiting for the train, I thought about being a foreigner in Japan, something that I think about a lot because I don't exactly fit in.
As I thought about it, I felt a sense of peace in my solitude. There is no sense in trying to fit in, because I can't. And there is no pressure to fit in, because I won't.
Yes, I am an outsider in Japan, but wasn't I also an outsider living in Athens as a student. I was just one of 30+ thousand students who waltz into the community, thinking they own the place, and then disappear 4-6 years later taking only a diploma leaving nothing except their waste. How do the locals respond to this? How should students respond to this?
I opened the can of coffee and took a sip.