alma
Dec/060
Crimson and the Blue
Far above the golden valley
Glorious to view,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Towering toward the blue.
CHORUS: Lift the chorus ever onward,
Crimson and the blue
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater
Hail to old KU.
Far above the distant humming
Of the busy town,
Reared against the dome of heaven.
Looks she proudly down.
(REPEAT CHORUS)
Greet we then our foster mother,
Noble friend so true,
We will ever sing her praises,
Hail to old KU.
(REPEAT CHORUS)
culture shock
Dec/060
well, i didn’t really mean to leave y’all hanging.. it’s just been a strange few weeks since i got home. there was a bit of culture shock when i first arrived in japan, but i was basically prepared for it. coming back to the states, i didn’t really expect to be confronted with such strange yet familiar things. i guess i’m probably making something out of nothing, because i’ve left my house very little since getting home.. so many people are.. big. tall, fat, and in my face. the money seems strange, too. i’m used to the think, fat japanese bills, and the big, heavy coins. =)
i lost 13 pounds in japan, and i think i’ve probably just about put it back on since i got home, eating up my mom’s kitchen. the plan is, i’ll be moving back up to lawrence, into my old apartment with the waldorians, around the first. until then, i’ll be doing a little job hunting and get my application for readmission turned into KU. i haven’t really decided a path to pursue, but i know i want to at least get back into classes.
miki will be arriving in less than a week, and i’m really excited to see her. she’ll stay for almost 2 weeks, which should be a very good time for us both. i’m not really sure what to show her, other than regular kansas life. if anyone has any ideas, or hears of any good shows or concerts, let me know! =)
happy day
Nov/060
well, i’ve come to terms with the situation as best i can. it’s not a good thing that happened, but it happened, and for the most part i’m satisfied with the way i handled myself, and the decisions i made. trying to look forward as much as possible, and that’s much easier now that some loose ends are tied up here.
i had a great talk with the japanese staff at my school, and am very happy to have such wonderful friends that i can look forward to corresponding with, and seeing upon my glorious return to japan (should that ever happen). i got my plane ticket, thanks to my former manager’s husband, who is a travel agent. all the flights i found on the internet were around $2400 one-way, but he was able to get me a flight with only one stop for about $900, despite the short notice. i got my suitcases packed and sent off to kansai airport, where they await me for my tuesday afternoon flight to KC via chicago. i finished packing and then repacking my remaining stuff, and got it mailed home about an hour ago. that cost just over a grand, which was a bit of a surprise, but as they say in japanese, shoganai (basically, it can’t be helped). it’ll get there sometime next week, which is good enough for me.
tomorrow, i will close my cell phone account, and then miki and i are headed to kyoto after she works a few hours in the morning. we’ll stay there until tuesday morning, then head to osaka to catch my flight.
tonight, i’m going out with a few friends to try and say some last goodbyes.. actually, i’m trying to avoid that word right now, and just stick with “see you later” – which, oddly enough, is a very common english phrase in japan.
sad day
Nov/061
well, due to an irreconcilable situation, i’m going to be coming home at the end of this week. it’s a very sad situation, but this seems to be the best way it can be resolved. an emergency teacher is coming to tottori to replace me as of today. AEON is sad to see me go, and i’ve been asked to stay by virtually everyone i know at the company, and i will sure as hell miss my life in japan. the wonderful japanese staff at my school, the students, my girlfriend, and the amazing people i meet every day as i ride my bike on the streets of tottori.
there’s so much i haven’t done yet. i haven’t seen okinawa, or hokkaido. i haven’t watched a live sumo match. i haven’t been to the famous itsukushima shrine or the peace memorial in hiroshima. i haven’t visited the virtual birthplace of shinto that’s in my own prefectural backyard. i haven’t been to kyushu or shikoku. i had nine more months, at a minimum, to plan and execute these dreams. it all makes me sad.
last night was a lot of tears and hugs as i worked my last day at AEON and told the japanese staff the news, then had to do it all over again with miki when i got home. haven’t gotten much sleep, and i’m still pretty upset with the situation, but i’m trying to look at it from the positive side- i get to see my friends and family much sooner than i thought, and i can eat a beef chalupa supreme in less than 3 days from now. probably going to make my base of operations at my mom’s house again, and start looking for a place in lawrence and try to get back on for the spring semester, then start the job hunt again.
until friday, i’ll be cleaning my apartment, doing laundry and packing my stuff, shopping for souveniers and finalizing arrangements with AEON – then sometime sunday or monday i’ll catch a flight back. i’m taking a short trip to kyoto to spend as much time as i can with my wonderful girlfriend.
i look forward to seeing everyone when i get back.