The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I spent the end of August on a magical island off of the southern coast of Japan called Yakushima. I went on a ten hour hike to the world’s oldest cedar tree (Jomon Sugi – 7,200 years old) and saw wild miniature deer eating alongside grooming monkeys. Since then, I have spent four days in Portland, Oregon resetting my brain with dear friends, four days in the Twin Cities finally seeing Nick again, and have been in Duluth for four days appreciating family and the worlds largest lake.
I can’t say that I’ve felt much culture shock upon my return home. The biggest thing that I feel here is a sense of freedom. It sounds kinda cheesy, doesn’t it? “Here in America, I feel like I’ve got all my freedoms back,” (insert twangy banjo music here). The thing is that I am able to walk down the street again without people constantly staring at me. This is even when I wear a tank-top or drink coffee while walking down the street. At times, I felt like Japan had so many social codes that I would rather scrounge the earthquake kit for a dinner snack rather than have to deal with the hassle of going out.
It’s funny when people ask me, “How was Japan?” I’m not sure how to answer. My response has typically been something like, “It was great. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. At the same time, I wouldn’t want to live there indefinitely.” This is a response that could be given after any trip for almost any locale or time length. With such a generic question, I assume it’s more of a greeting than a genuine interest in wanting to know about my experience.
I certainly didn’t miss American food while I was gone. Japanese food was always fresh, seasonal and balanced. My stomach has been making an interesting symphony of sounds as it tries to processes the large amounts of bread, beer, cheese and chips that have been flowing my way.
I have never had jet lag in my life but it may have finally crept up on me. I have been taking a small nap almost every day which is pretty unheard of for me. It’s hard to say if this is due to the jet lag, or to the copious amounts of Welcome Home beer, or even the constant processing of English language throughout my day. In Japan, I spent some days teaching a few hours and then totally checked out of conversations because I didn’t have the energy to try and listen to and decipher Japanese. Being able to now understand everything that is being said and to ask for exactly what I want is convenient and connecting and can also be exhausting and overwhelming.
The chance to reflect on my time in Japan through this blog has been a great way to process my experience. I appreciate you taking the time to read and travel with me vicariously as I searched to make my home in a very different land. If you know anything about me, you can bet that there will be more adventures coming soon. That’s all for now!