March 28, 2013

A Year +++? She lives!

Well, readers and Future JETs, A Year(?) in Japan has turned into, quite definitively and without question marks, three years in Japan, and against all odds I am actually still here. I'm sorry it's been so long! Come and give me a hug.

Since my last entry, a lot has happened. I wrecked my back, got better again, lived through a fire and a small bout of resulting homelessness, got better again, made and lost some friends, inherited a cat, lost 50 pounds, and came out of the closet to the small handful of people I hadn't already come out to. In retrospect, I really should have written some of this down before now. While it was happening, my friends exhorted me time and again to return to blogging -- especially during the homeless chapter. "Homeless in Japan?" they cried. "You'll be a hipster icon!"

I mean, that's the dream, right?

Unfortunately, and this is a really bad habit of mine if I ever want to do anything legitimate with writing, I have a really hard time writing about Real Things when they're Really Happening. I have a terribly bad habit of being glib. My father says I should write about my mother; my best friend says I should write about the pitfalls of my job (and I'm afraid in my case they have been many, although as the JET Program constantly tells us, Every Situation is Different). In my situation, I look at reality and rebel. Then I watch like fifty hours of Battlestar Galactica in a row and make stupid jokes to my friends about trying to pass the scars on my body and my heart both off as the products of a bar fight.

But things have settled down a little bit, and while I'm sure writing that down is only asking for trouble, I feel it is time to return to the fold.

So what else has happened? Well, my time in Japan is officially winding to a close. In July, I'll be coming back to the States to pursue my Master's degree -- not in translation like I thought but in Special Education, and the explanation for that will definitely be the subject of an upcoming entry. In my free time, I'm studying ASL and working on some new writing projects and when things actually warm up (this winter has lasted F O R E V E R, you guys), I'm determined to finally learn how to ride a bike. No, I really can't. Yes, I know how weird that is. Shh.

It's almost two years since my last entry and it's amazing, when I look back over it, how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. I'll tell you this, friends: there's no doubt that I'm older now. But so are you, aren't you? I hope you don't mind if I fill in the gaps while we keep moving forward. It will be fun! Like flashbacks.

More navel-gazing next time. For now, a picture to round things out:

My cat, Nezumi, which means "Mouse." I can't take credit for the name, but boy do my kids love it.

Goodbye, but not for long (again)!

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