Mhm!

Helll yeah, I can cancel my own phone and electricity services over the phone in Japanese!

Oh man!!

Oh man!! I haven't listened to Rage in soo long!!

The sounds of my childhood...

Time Sense

At 7:00
ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) who took over for me after I left JET: Hey man, ready to go?
Me: Hey, sorry I just got a call from a friend who wants me to go over and pick something up from their place. It should probably take about 15 minutes or so...could we maybe push dinner back to 7...:25?
ALT: Haha, why not just 7:30? 7:25's such a specific time.
Me: Alright, cool then, 7:30.

At 7:10, over the phone
Me: Hey man, I just got finished so I can meet whenever you want.
ALT: Okay, you wanna leave now then to go pick up the other person who's coming?
Me: Hm, well maybe we should give her more time since we told her 7:30 earlier. Should I come down to your room about 7:25 then?
ALT: Uh...why don't we just meet in the parking lot at 7:30.

My sense of time has changed majorly from what it was two years ago.

Na

I went to Nagoya and it was really cool.

College

It's kind of a bummer, but mostly just weird, that I usually feel a little uncomfortable talking about college and grad school with most of my friends. I suddenly realize how uncommon it is for someone from my group of friends and family to continue school for years past adolescence. I suddenly feel different, like I stick out awkwardly from the people I love, even though there was nothing different between us only a moment ago. I feel a little spoiled for having the opportunity to go to college and even further on to graduate school if I want. I felt this for the first time in a while talking to some of my friends last night. I realized that most of the friends I've made in Japan, too, didn't go to college or quit high school after a year or two. Talking about leaving everyone and going back to the U.S. to go to graduate school makes me feel so separated from them, like a privileged child who takes for granted all the opportunity that's been laid right in front of me without me having to do anything. I know somewhere inside that it can be good to talk about college and education with loved ones who haven't pursued education that far, but it feels so arrogant. These aren't little kids you're trying to inspire to take their education as far as they can, they're grown adults who can shape their own lives by their own decisions. But maybe there are still some who want to try again, go back to school, and pursue a dream they have. Then, maybe it is right to talk about, or at least mention, my education and career goals non-awkwardly, just normally, and maybe one of my friends who's been thinking about that will find some inspiration in it. But really, who am I to think of myself as someone to give inspiration to others? Unless I am capable of doing it as any human is, as a gift from one human to another.

Studying

I might be studying soon! Yeah! Exciting!

~Image of a Star-Francisco Aguabella~

I

fell asleep listening to jazz and reading.