Reflecting before Golden Week

BAAAAAAAHHH!!! Ok. That feels better. Sometimes I try too hard to be composed and need to let a little crazy out.

So I have to leave Japan in a few months and I am realizing that both logistically and emotionally that is going to be no easy task. So much to do! In addition, when my contract finishes at the end of July, I have a wedding to go to, a possible trip to China to still carry out, a long overdue visit to my home country of Croatia as well as trips to the UK and Austria to take care of. I have to figure out where I will live when I finally get back to Toronto sometime in October and what I will do with, well, everything. I have to get letters of recommendation and apply to graduate programs. I have to choose a program first – but even a location would help coz both Vancouver and Vienna are in the running at the moment. Relations or development? Business or diplomacy? Travel or career? Money or meaning? And on and on and on and on. Ok. I have to breathe. I know it will be fine….right? RIGHT??

The truth is though, I am not so worried about all this today. Why? Because it’s Friday. And not just any Friday, but the start of Golden Week – the big holiday week in Japan. I have most of next week off so I am leaving tonight for Miyazaki down in the south to go surfing for a few days. For the latter part of the week I am going to a big outdoor music fest at the foot of a volcano with the boys. Basically I will be living in a tent for the next couple of days, and that is fine by me!

I am always confronted by the abundance of good things in life, despite the minor setbacks that occur. Why then, as an excitement and novelty seeker did the fates curse me with sentimentality, romanticism, attachment and worst of all overthinking? Something I will never know….but what I do know is that I must keep moving. I must keep living, exploring, and learning. Boredom, stagnation, understimulation – those are my enemies. I am determined that when I look back on my life it may be with longing, but it will never, ever be with regret.

So when I come back from surfing, I may be battered and bruised, but you bet your ass I`ll pass out with a smile on my face! (um...wish me luck all the same....)

Megaphones make me murderous....

So it’s election time over here in Japan. Now, for a country that prides itself on its demure politeness and whose culture places emphasis on not upsetting others, election time here is surprisingly one of the most annoying things I have ever experienced. Each party, and there seem to be whole lot of them, sends its people throughout the country (even to normally sleepy towns) in large vans and trucks to promote themselves. These trucks are filled to the brim with enthusiastic party members who use megaphones to shout complete nonsense (basically a continual stream of `please`s and `thank you`s) out the windows in the loudest, and most annoying tone of voice ever. And it goes on all day, everyday. It kept me from sleeping-in this weekend, and somewhat ruined the lovely park day that would have otherwise been spent in peace and quiet. It forces me to keep turning up and turning down the volume on my TV at home as the trucks pass. It makes my head hurt and basically makes me want to get psychotically violent – it also makes me wonder where the megaphone factories are located so that I could perhaps go and commit arson on them.

Well election van ranting aside the perfect weekends continued. The highlight of this weekend was actually doing a naked wheelbarrow race around my apartment block thanks to the deadly drinking game `circle of death` on Friday night. I am sure my neighbours have a very low opinion of me already, seeing as how I once forgot to separate my plastic from my paper trash, and this probably did nothing to elevate me in their eyes.

On Saturday the boys, as well as Kara’s band `Siren`, performed at the Crazy Horse in Nag. It was a great show, but I have a pet peeve against the Crazy Horse since these events always get waaaay too packed for such a small place and I start to feel hot, sticky and somewhat vulnerable, especially if I am wearing a skirt. After the show we headed to a DJ event also put on by friends and thankfully that was less packed. I was in a strange mood though, and kept trying to engage people in serious, deep conversation while everyone else was clearly just trying to have a good time. I think it’s just my brain crying out for intellectual stimulation, perhaps I should buy some brain puzzles or something to make sure what brain cells I have left don’t atrophy.

Sunday was curry and park day. It was nice and relaxing but involved mild injury via zip line, which was totally worth it. I also watched `Blood Diamond` finally. I am really interested in Africa these days because I don’t know enough about the continent and it seems to be a very fascinating place. I also miss my friend Jen`s lectures on the subject, though she still sends me an article about conflicts and politics in Africa here and there. I feel strangely drawn to go to the place. Maybe because it is the cradle of humanity and all, or maybe just coz I haven’t been there yet. In any case, I am sure I will spend some time in Africa at some point in the near future.

come dolphin, let`s look out the window of this moving car....

I have been staring at a blank word page for so long that I am starting to consider the little dolphin helper (which I think might be unique to the Japanese version of word) in the top corner as a friend. It honestly warms my heart a little when he flaps his pixilated fins and pretends to shake water off his back. Clearly, lesson planning is not going so well today. Compared to high school lesson planning, I find it much harder to think of good activities for elementary school classes, yet I am supposed to have a book of effective lessons compiled, printed and collated by the time that I leave the center at the end of July. At least I am finally busy again.

The past weekend was, surprise, yet again a good one. They are starting to run together a bit at this point but there really is nothing like waking up with large piles of people around you who don’t judge you no matter how cracked out or rough you look, and going for a nice Sunday curry at Nagasaki’s best Indian restaurant.

New thing I learned this weekend: trampolines are hilariously fun! Why did I wait so long to try one out? Probably because I don’t often run into random trampolines….

More highlights of the weekend include: `dancing for dick` atop a cliff overlooking the sea; watching one of my friends being dry humped by a really old man, then humped by another friend, and eventually….humped by me; using a paper clip in new and inventive ways; fashioning hats out of random objects; writing bad poetry on a napkin in a deserted bar that some random person will find sometime in the future; trying and repeatedly failing not to bitch about men with the girls; illegally (but unknowingly) pulling up into a no-drive zone in front of a museum and making a friend dance reggae until being chased off by security; and wondering why all roads lead to Nagayo and yet we still got lost following a straight line trying to find a BBQ party there….

The Sakura are on their way out, and so summer is on the way in. Soon the parties will move to the beach, and I will hopefully tan myself into a colour that can wear the mistakenly dark make up powder that I purchased this weekend....more good times await! As the time of departure comes nearer though, I feel a bit as if my life is the landscape outside a moving car -- a colourful, but fast moving blur of objects and events.

Sexy Sakura!

My favourite Japanese season is here – Sakura! The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the weather is warm enough for laying in the park under the blossoms in just a t-shirt. A bunch of us took yesterday (Monday) off for just that purpose. As we walked through a Japanese garden in the shadow of an ancient castle, the scene was made even more magical by the falling pink-white cherry blossoms – it was a view almost too beautiful to be real. Hayden played the guitar for some kids as Sandy braided my hair. Shawna and Aaron tried to figure out how to use a Japanese toy with the help of some old Japanese guy. Nearby a group of seniors played the shamisen and danced around doing a coordinated dance. Everything around us screamed `Japan!` -- well maybe not screamed, more like politely whispered while complementing us on our chopstick skills.

The rest of the weekend was rainy but it was still an amazing time. I stayed at a friend’s place in Nagasaki city and there was much fun and randomness though my liver is currently hanging on for dear life. There was dancing, handcuffing to prison bars, snack clubbing, drinking in the park, playing dirty card games, and even going to a classical concert where a friend sang opera. I also met two more Croatian Navy guys, which meant I drank a lot for free and got to practice my native language – they were really surprised to find another Croatian in a place like Nagasaki, as was I! Some parts of the weekend are a blur, but luckily there is photo evidence to refresh my memory (most of which will only be seen by a very select few, who will later be sworn to secrecy upon penalty of death). Today I have an office party to go to and tomorrow I am going wall-climbing with the girls followed by some healthy cooking. In fact, I would say life was pretty perfect right now – if only all the booze wasn’t making me fatter than a whale with binge eating disorder. I shall just have to jog more to compensate….or else heavily photoshop future pictures of me in a bikini.