Awakenings

I always loved the film Awakenings with Robert DeNiro, and my apologies for spoiling the film, but the awakenings in the film prove to be short-lived. Among those who are staying in Japan for a year, I have heard many people say here at the halfway point that they are unsatisfied with the way things are going in their life and are ready to turn a new leaf. The hard part is following through, and even if there is a perceived awakening into a new life, often times this new leaf gets brushed away as the novelty of change has worn off. For example, I have heard many incidences of smokers being unable to quit until they think about the consequences it will have on their unborn child. If change requires this kind of serious motivation, then it's a shame that too many people are so unwilling to take care of themselves, possibly a sign that this age of information is also an age of poor self-esteem. At least I don't recall ever having read an uplifting book in the Wake County public school system.

So on top of learning to cook, my latest awakening is to shrug aside all my twisted perceptions of morality that pretty much equated to me being a slacker. The new goal is a disciplined schedule, a more active social engagement, no more fear of confrontation, and most importantly, not taking an hour to think through every sentence before I speak. Usually the topic has changed by that point anyway. Wish me luck.

Foodage

It's vacation time for me in Japan, and I figure it's time to spend my free time learning a few things. I'm reviewing some of my Japanese grammar and vocabulary, but I really have a couple of things I want to learn ASAP. First off, I'll have as much as a month's time to travel outside the country, so I wanna visit China to see a bunch of friends I haven't seen in a couple of years. Thailand and Vietnam also sound appealing as well, but I'll need some tips on getting around. Wanna get a tour of the local cuisine especially.

Speaking of which, that's the other thing I want to learn. I can bake pastries just fine back in America, but living without an oven, I need to expand to the stovetop. I've found recipes of all sorts of foods I love from back home, but I have a hard time finding many of the same ingredients in Japan. As such, if anybody has had the experience of cooking western food in Japan, I'd love some help learning what I can actually make over here. Maybe I should just accept that I'm here and start cooking Japanese cuisine.

春夏秋冬 Seasons

Japan is said to be a country of four distinct seasons. While there are places that have snow year-round and those that remain warm year-round, the tourist industry loves making a big deal out of something that tourists will never notice. A week-long vacation can't see the effects of changing weather, and the only big seasonal tourist attraction is cherry blossum viewing. Of course every region has its major seasonal festivals, but there is really only one seasonal change that seems to affect my city -- the food.

Best seen at the local LAWSON convenience store, many of the offered selections remain in stock for a mere month. We get such seasonal drinks as winter apple Fanta, such seasonal stacks as winter BBQ Pringles, and such seasonal candies as winter Pocky. Around the turn of the year there was even a なんちゃって cola that lasted just over a week. Aside from the seasonal commercial madness in the convenience stores, there are seasonal changes in the fruits, nuts, and おでん selection, but these are hardly what comes to mind when Japan is described as a country of four distinct seasons.

For me, this is a season of goodbyes. When I moved into international housing at my university in America, one of my good friends at the time who had lived there before told me that she didn't like living there because it only meant having to say goodbye to everybody you met there within a year. Regardless, I chose to live there 2 years and am now in a similar situation in Japan. However, to me, if you truly grow close to anybody in your time with them, there is no need for goodbyes in this day and age. Mail reaches most of the globe, so the only goodbyes are for those without the patience for meaningful relationships. If you're too afraid to meet somebody you'll have to say goodbye to, you might as well never leave home. But anyway, I'll miss spending time with all you guys who are leaving and hope we can meet up again someday. Here's to all of you!