where have i been?!?

It has been quite some time since I have put fingers to keyboard in an effort to update you all, family, friends, random but appreciated readers, about what I have going on . the lack of updates stem from a lack of time basically. Now that an end to my stint in japan has come into view [just finished negotiating for my return plane ticket, looks like ill arrive in Atlanta on august 8 ], I am more focused on seeing, doing and experiencing and much less centered on blogging. There are so many things that im interested in squeezing in before returning stateside meaning I have been busy, busy, busy. There are cultural things that I had been meaning to get around to, but they didn’t seem so pressing when I knew I was under contract here for another couple years. Now that my time has been widdled down to mere weeks, these adventures and roadtrips and dinner plans with friends have taken on an urgency I haven’t known in a long time. In an insufficient attempt to clue you into some recent shenanigans…
In the most exciting news, my friend travis arrived from seattle on june 23. He is going to be camping out here for most of the duration of my stay, which is a great opportunity for us both I figure.

He gets a peek into countryside living, punctuated by the parties and engagements that come with saying sayonara and the summer festivals, while I get moral support, help packing and help readying my apartment for the wrecking ball that will swing shortly after I leave. [I know it seems strange to prepare for a wrecking ball, but disposing of things and the culture in general is complicated here, meaning I must have the place spotless before moving. A heavy task when you consider that my apartment houses the junk of many a foreign teacher before me that has been accumulating for several decades.]
Went to Osaka last weekend for a last hurrah in the city. While there we missed the 6.8 earthquake that hit joetsu. What timing. We actually did feel it vaguely while in bed in a hotel in Osaka, 5 hours away. Strange.
Ive had many goodbye parties with friends. . .a lunch here,

a dinner there,

a house party thrown in,

and a cool soba noodle making party. All sad but cathartic.



The girls and travis went to ninja village a while back. Basically a child’s playground with all sorts of fun houses, wobbly bridges, things to climb in, on and around. we were definitely the oldest ones scaling the equipment. The kids didn’t seem to care though; we even picked one up named toshiki who became our faithful ninja sidekick. We left exhausted, black and blue, and much more ninja like.


I also went on a nearly fruitless trip to niigata city, about 1.5 hours away by toll roads, to try and work out my visa issues. You see, my visa expires on july 25, the last day im required by contract to work, meaning it would be impossible for me to actually leave the country that day. Equipped with folders of documents, forms, expensive stamps, and letters from important people travis and I headed for immigration, only to be thwarted by thick Japanese bureaucracy. I must return again another day.

My birthday was celebrated with an intimate get together at carrie’s on the night of june 29th. She cooked and liz decorated for the occasion. Sweeties. We played pictionary, minus the actual game which meant extraordinarily hard clues, till we just couldn’t take it anymore.


On the 30th, lots of foreign English teachers were gathering at a local beer garden so we lumped in a few of our birthday parties as well. The place, which offers all you can eat and drink for 3 hours, is always fun, fun. Afterwards, my birthday plans rapidly spiraled into disarray. I must admit that I was disappointed when the plans for bowling id made with close buddies got forsaken for a night in a karaoke box. Guess there is always next year.

travis and i also took a trip to an archeological site near lake nojiriko where they discovered some giant, ancient elephant/mammoth/thing bones. the museum strangely combined that with bits of meteors, space junk, skulls, and huge antelope fossils.

then onto some seemingly magical waterfalls.

Time to get back to legitimate work, of which there seems to be plenty lately.