America

Now that I'm back, it's almost hard to believe that I went home at all. 10 short days was all I had to spend at home. I spent the better part of 48 hours traveling there and back. So I've been away from English teaching and Japanese living for about 2 weeks. Coming back, as familiar as it all is, I can tell it will take a few more days for me to readjust to Japan.

I spent a few Glorious Days back on the Harvard campus with my undergrad friends. My time in Cambridge was divided rather perfectly between spending the earlier part of the day with my Aunt Lisa and the latter part of the day (often well into the next morning) with members of the Noteables, my college Broadway singing group. When I graduated, I was the only senior in the group, which allowed me to grow rather close to the underclassmen. It apparently also meant that I became something of a legend over this past year of my absence, so when I arrived, I was afforded the status perhaps of a deity. And I enjoyed every minute of it! Despite looming exams and papers, every night was spent in the company of some combination of my beloved Note-a-children, and from the moment I got my first hug, it felt like I'd never left. It felt so natural and wonderful to be seeing them all again!

With Lisa, I ate lunch at regular times, walked the streets of Cambridge, pondered the mysteries of life, and picnicked by the river. With Lisa and Rebecca, Lisa's Japan-savvy friend and Boston resident, I discussed the oddities of Japan, got lost navigating campus, and enjoyed several Arts First performances (a festival of undergrad arts performances was going on around campus while I was there). Lisa and I also managed a trip to Boston's MFA to see an AMAZING Dale Chihuly blown glass exhibit. That one gave me shivers - it was titled "Through the Looking Glass" and it really felt like walking into a world created by Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, and Tim Burton. It was stunning! 

My time in Cambridge passed quickly, and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Texas. The density of people I saw in Texas was certainly less, but the time spent with people was splendid. I spent time in Houston, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio, and only saw a few wonderful people in each place. I spent a couple of great dinners with my mom and brother, since the latter can now drink. The three of us have developed an odd relationship: close, yes, but definitely odd. And it makes me happy.

So besides reveling in joy and love and happiness, how did my trip to America affect me? Well, the first unexpected side-effect I noticed was my constant thirst. After my first 24 hours back, I had spoken more English than I probably had in the prior two months. I talked myself dry, day after day after day. I joked and I laughed and I sang and I made snarky comments and I shouted familiar names and I said "bless you" to people when they sneezed. No one does that last one in Japan. 

I had also intended to eat A LOT of food during my short stay. But I seem to have adopted a Japanese appetite, and perhaps American food really is that much heavier, and I found myself increasingly unable to eat American-sized portions. I didn't eat nearly as much as I intended, in nearly enough places. The food was delightfully familiar and far from Japanese, but by far my favorite meal of the whole trip was at the Guatemalan bakery and restaurant in Houston, called El Quetzal. My mom and I shared a couple of platters of traditional, cheap, and yummy Guatemalan food, some of which Mama didn't even recognize. Soooo good! And so simple! And so cheap! And so far from Japan...

There were other small differences I noticed as well. Back in America, I immediately felt much smaller. Not only were the people much bigger in all dimensions, but airport officials are noticeably ruder, especially if you're coming from Japan. Things in general were just cheaper, and it felt strange using a debit or credit card at the store since in Japan, cash is king. Driving on the right side of the road felt strange for the most part - I'll admit I was somewhat relieved to be back here driving on the left. Everything was bigger - people, cars, roads, stores, my dog. I got to see Parker, who was much bigger than I had remembered! A little slower, too, but then maybe I've grown a little too used to Zuma's running circles every morning. 

I ate a mango while I was home. It was juicy and big and perfect. It stands out in my mind even more since I spotted a $13 mango in the grocery store yesterday. I've definitely found them for a $1.50 before, but they've never turned out right. 

And limes. I made sure to put lime juice on things whenever I could, even had a couple of glasses of fresh limeade. Which is making me thirsty. Apparently I'm still not over this dehydration from the trip, although I'm talking considerably less. 

Readjusting to life here is taking some time. I feel that I'm quieter than before I left, and a bit more peeved than usual at things that I should come to expect. Things like sudden schedule changes that no one informs me about (which happened today). Or the onset of extreme shyness because I'm back to needing a language I don't know very well. Admittedly, I was better adjusted before I went home, and now that I'm back and the memory of home is still fresh, I'm holding bigger grudges. I think I just need time to settle back to where I was, get back to my routine of studying the language and re-discovering the Crazy that makes me laugh, while learning to pass over the Crazy that actually drives me crazy. 

And I know it's a few days late, but I want to make a shout-out to Mama. You do so much and make it look so easy. Especially during this trip. It's like everything you do naturally and powerfully says "I love you, so it's no problem at all." No puedo expresar la admiracion que tengo para usted. Le quiero con todo mi corazon, y me alegre que tenga usted para madre. Cada dia usted me da fuerza e inspiracion! Gracias por todo!