One reason this blog is so late in coming is that (as we learned after a few months in Japan) is that it's really hard to gain any perspective on anything while in the middle of it. You need time and space to let things settle and organize in your brain, or in mine at least. The other reason is that on top of the craziness of moving and readjusting and catching up, I'm... kinda lazy (stop laughing Carl!). So a belated hello! to everyone I haven't chatted with for a while. We're home and cozily settled back in a routine rut. Which has also given me the time and space needed to reflect on our Japanese adventure and come to the following conclusions...
1) I Don't Need as Much Space (and Stuff) as I Thought
Before leaving for Japan my idea of a dream house was a large, spacious, airy palace with vaulted ceilings and extra rooms. That would still be nice. But after spending 18 months in a space the size of my parents trailer, I find myself gravitating towards smaller, cozier spaces, where I'm surrounded only by the things that are important to me and the ones I love. Luckily, I have that now. And in Calgary's current housing market, that's all I can afford.
2) A Clean, Fast, Affordable, Efficient Public Transit System is a Necessity for Any World-Class City
Yeah Calgary, I'm looking at you. With a third of the population of the greater Osaka area spread out over a larger space, 36 (open-to-the-freezing-elements) subway stops ain't gonna cut it. Luckily, I have my little car back! Which leads me to...
3) Screw Gas Prices. Driving is a Good Thing!
Oh, how I missed my little car! The freedom of going where you want, when you want. Even when it's -40C ... on icy roads ... with blowing snow ...
4) Japanese Winters Are Uncomfortable, Miserable Affairs...
But NOTHING compared to the vicious, killing cold of a prairie winter. I do NOT recommend Japan in the winter, but I really had nothing to whine about last year. Well, except for the damp, bone-chilling, uninsulated apartments. Because...
5) Humidity Sucks
Unless I am on a white sand beach with a fruity, umbrella drink in my hand, high humidity has no use in my life. Calgary's climate may be dry, but at least my hair no longer looks like a frizzy, tangled ball of something the cat coughed up.
6) It Bears Repeating ... Japanese People Are NOT (Very) Repressed
They just care about not offending the many people crowded around them. If you think they're repressed, just watch Japanese TV. You would have to offer large piles of money to get most North Americans to do that stuff. And I've never seen a people so crazy about their comedians. Japanese people are some of the most fun-loving, funny, kind, caring people I've ever met. ... Next to Canadians of course!
7) Karaoke Makes Everything Better
Sing by yourself. Sing with a friend. Sing with someone you don't really like very much. By the end of the song there's a smile on your face, you've laughed, you've cried, you've made a new friend. Or at least found some common ground in your secret love of 80's hair bands. If more people karaoked we would all be one step closer to world peace.
So that's it. All I've learned in 7 easy lessons. No large earth-shattering epiphany's, just a greater appreciation for the world, and the people around me, and a desire to meet more of them on future adventures. Remember to check out our Flickr site. We have all our wedding photos up now as well as all of our Japanese adventure pics. I'll be starting another blog to update everyone on the new adventures of Colleen, but until next time...
Sayonara!
