i'm here for real!

So humid my lens fogged up!

After the longest flight of my life (both literally and figuratively), I'm here in Japan... for real. The 14 hour flight gave me a little too much time to think about all the wonderful things and people I left behind and had to say goodbye to and that I'm really going to be in Japan for a whole year and that there was no turning back. Also, there was a 10 minute long period of extreme turbulance to add to my anxiety which was just lovely. We traveled up and over the US, near Alaska which may have been where the turbulance began. At any rate, I didn't sleep well and all the movies and shows kept going on loops so I'd watched the same parts of The Bourne Identity and Disturbia (which was not bad) about a million times over and over.



It was a harrowing (sp?) journey but I'm now in Shinjuku Tokyo at a swanky hotel and enjoying the orientation. I've met some sweet people and my hotelmate is also from NYC (in fact, she lived 5 blocks from me in Park Slope!) and in her 30s and going to be in the same prefecture as me so we're so happy we got matched up. Most of the people I've met are surprised I'm not also 22 or 26 but they've been fun to hang out with and hopefully we'll keep in touch and maybe visit each other's towns. It's nice to meet a variety of people from different backgrounds. There's about 1,000 of us here in this hotel for the orientation and 4,000 total in the program from various countries.




I also got to meet up with my mother's cousin and her daughter who live in Tokyo so that was an added bonus. They said my Japanese has improved much (yeh!) but I still couldn't quite get across "cultural exchange program" when describing my new job. In due time I suppose! It's nice to know that they are here for me though. They are so funny, I don't think I can express it in words but they're great so I'm glad to feel at ease with them.

After another day of training, I'll be off to my new home in Nagasaki. I'm sure the anxiety will strike again on that journey but I'm excited to get settled in and meet my new coworkers and neighbors. I miss you all in NYC and my family on the west coast! Wish me luck on the next part of my journey!

more from nyc

I've been spending the last week attempting to pack up my entire apartment but it's been a very slow process. Mostly because I'm a horrible pack rat and find everything possible to have sentimental value. In the meantime I'm also trying to spend as much time enjoying NYC including seeing beloved friends, going to Prospect Park, eating pizza and burritos, and this Monday I'll be seeing the legendary Les Paul live. I also had a wonderful 4th of July in Greenpoint on the roof of my dear Sensei's apartment (see pics).

Of course now that I'm leaving I'm appreciating all the random things about the city. Like meeting people from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures completely randomly. One example, while attempting to stop Scott from gorging on a chicken sandwich at 2 in the morning, we walked into the chicken place near our apartment and met this lovely intelligent young man from Palestine who thought Scott looked like Che Guevara and then started telling us how he's been reading a lot about Che and feels it relates much to his people's struggle and how he feels its his duty to educate people in the US about his homeland and religion. I don't think I'm able to describe this moment fully in words but suffice it to say, Scott and I left the chicken place with a delicious (discounted!) chicken sandwich and a sense of hope for the future.

first blog ever

Well, I' ve finally delved into the wild and crazy world of blogging. I'm still a little wary about the openess of this world but I'm sure I will learn to appreciate it.

I'm embarking on an adventure in 2 weeks... leaving my secure job and action-packed life in NYC for a job in Japan. It'll be an adjustment for sure, not only job-wise but culturally as well. Luckily I have some family there to visit and make me feel more at home.

So, I'll start this blog by including some of the things I'll miss about living here. First off, Coney Island... that wonderful mecca of carnival rides, hot dogs, and freak shows (where else can you find a game called, "Shoot the Freak"?). They say it's the last summer for Coney as we know it. I highly recommend enjoying Astroland while you can. I think the Cyclone (that's me next to my boyfriend simultaneously crying and laughing on the ride and my sis sitting bravely in front) and Wonder Wheel will still be around but they'll soon be surrounded by posh stores and condos and crap instead of zany rides and that water shooting balloon game thing I love to play where you win gigantic stuffed animals that make you feel like a big shot for the rest of the night as you tote it around on the subway ride home. Ahh... good times.