Sorry for my characteristic tardiness, Vid! And I'm not referring to this post, which I'd say isn't all that far behind for the likes of me. I'm referring more to your e-mail, to which I definitely and want and intend to reply. Whether that'll happen before I leave Japan, though, is unknown—if not unlikely or impossible. My blaug has fallen to shambles because daily life overtook me, and my e-mail communication has been lousy at best. As always, my insufficient apologies.
Anyway, thank you for asking about me. ;) I've
- taken a bus to Japan's fifth largest city without a ticket
- seen the revolting juxtaposition of sex shops and little children within feet of each other
- scaled two mountains (though in a very unimpressive way)
- seen one of the world's three greatest night views
- been hit by a car and perhaps came the closest I've ever come to dying
- visited Japanese police stations and a hospital
- been fawned over by countless high school girls
- been taken to dinner by a pretty girl and her wealthy family
- run into another girl who is determined to marry me someday
- memorized more sentences and paragraphs in Japanese than I think I ever have in English
- and had meaningful conversations and told actually funny jokes in Japanese that I could never have managed before I came.
Through all of this excitement I have been sustained, and I'm okay. I am ready to escape all of the attention (and I know for
sure that I don't ever want to be famous), but I'm not eager to forget all of the Japanese that I've learned. This means that I'm ready to go back and I'm also not, but I'll soon be doing so no matter what.
"He is not a fool who gives up what he cannot keep for the sake of what he can never lose."
