daijobu desu. (it's okay.)

well, i’ve obviously been neglecting the blog for a while. i don’t really have internet at home, and when i get done at work, i generally like to go home to get as much sleep as possible. and then, of course, i went into one of those spirals where it just seems like there is too much to say to ever actually sit down and write. so, for now, i write to break the ice—it will most likely be random, and in bullet form. hopefully, more to come soon.


some general learnings:
--full-time jobs (especially with little kids (who don’t speak the same language as you)) are exhausting.
--summer in japan is hot.
--there are a lot of people in tokyo. not as many of them speak english as you might assume.
--learning japanese is hard (but fun).


things i’ve unexpectedly gotten comfortable with or better at since moving to japan 3 months ago:
--bagging groceries. they give you the bags, you do the work.
--sitting in tiny chairs at tiny tables. this might be more of a preschool teacher thing than a Japanese thing.
--controlling my facial expressions when i see girls in ridiculously short skirts in public
--reading on the train. commuting over 2 hours a day will help get over any motion sickness…
--going to sleep as soon as i get home at night. i used to need some ‘wind down time.’ no more. this might be more of a “first real full time job” thing.
--packing lunches. granted, this consists of putting a small container of tofu and some frozen veggies into a little Tupperware thing, but i’m making progress.
--doing laundry by hand.


things that seemed really difficult at first but are starting to get easier:
--navigation on the trains. i get really excited any time i don’t have to look up which trains to take to get somewhere in tokyo (which doesn’t happen often.) i also can’t believe i ever complained about having to transfer ONCE in chicago. one transfer is a blessing these days.
--japanese. it’s still hard, but i’m starting to really, really enjoy it. i started lessons a couple weeks ago, and i’m starting to really enjoy it. i only wish i had more time/energy during the week to spend with it. current favorite word: daijobu—“okay” or “alright”.


things that seemed really crazy at first and…still seem really crazy:
--beer vending machines. yes. vending machines on the street that sell beer. no ID necessary. i’m pretty sure that every time i pass one, i think of a new reason why they would be unthinkable in the US.
--the short skirts. a place where fetishes are definitely born.
--how quickly and deeply people sleep on the train! it’s amazing!


japanese people (total generalization, obviously) love them some:
--scrunchies
--umbrellas (rain or shine)
--packaging. it’s great that they always separate everything and recycle like crazy, but EVERYTHING here is wrapped in some type of plastic wrap. it’s a bit paradoxical, i think.
--socks/stockings—there are a lot of stores dedicated to nothing but these.
--salons. if i tried to count the number around where i live, it would be ridiculous. i walked with a friend to one last week, and in the building where her salon was and the one next to it, of 6 store spaces, 5 were salons. how they stay afloat, i have no idea.
--dorky white guys. now, i know a lot of really, really cool white guys here, but i’ve also met/seen some really dorky ones who have japanese girlfriends/wives that are…well…out of their league. i know that sounds horribly judgmental, and it is, but i can’t tell you how many times i’ve found myself thinking, “hm…japan. the place where dorky white guys go to find beautiful japanese girlfriends/wives…”


some deeper thoughts (in short bullet-point form.) if you’d like to discuss in more depth, let’s get coffee (in japan) or set up a skype date (anywhere else)!:
--living in a rich, affluent country is hard. i’d even say harder than in poor countries. ballsy statement, i know. but, i think it is so easy to get wrapped up in artificial things and start giving importance to things that simply aren’t important. i was beginning to really feel the same back in chicago recently. i could really go on for a while about this, so i’ll try to get the thoughts out for a later post.
--it’s difficult to live in a city of 30ish million people and not want to be creative. i have made some amazing friends and seen some amazing artists that really inspire me.
--i’ve been really thinking (and creating) a lot about the idea of beauty. it’s one of the things i often come back to when i’m traveling—ie, what are we culturally trained to find beautiful versus what is “true” beauty? does such a thing even exist?
--life as an immigrant, even a well-supported, well-paid, and highly educated one, is tough. and scary at times. i went for a routine physical to a hospital, WITH a friend/coworker there to translate, and i found it a little scary. i honestly can’t imagine what it must be like for so many people around the world living in a place where they don’t speak the language, have no one, have no education, no money, and are continually exploited. anyone who has any influence on immigration policy should really try it, i think.


ok, that’s all i got for now. thanks for reading. please have a dance party now in my honor, as thanks for checking in on me.