Running: check. 3-4 times a week. Up to 3.5 km or 2.2 miles. Nothing short of a miracle for me. No feeling like I want to stop, so that's cool. Saw a foreign guy yesterday when I was out. We acknowledged each others existence, which all too often is ignored.
I see the "say 'Hi' or say nothing coin" from different sides: I don't acknowledge all the Japanese people I see, so why should I acknowledge every foreign person I see? This is just my life. If we are both shopping, we are simply doing what normal people do and there is no reason to do anything other than go about our business. I also sometimes get the feeling that by acknowledging another foreigner, who is, let's say, doing their grocery shopping in the same store, that their experience in this foreign land is being watered down. Like seeing another foreigner breaks us from some state of feeling like we are the sole "other" in Japan and by another "other" being there that a sense of this country's foreignness is diluted. Personally, I think I could just give an ef most of the time cause I am thinking about other stuff, like what to cook for dinner, what something that happened in class that day meant or what I'll wear the next day. I'll keep working on this idea.
John, my sis-in-law's nephew, just left for Tokyo for his 1 year study abroad. We had him for 4 days and it was nice. He's a good kid. Said thank you, tried and asked later, never complained. Next time I will know to serve more meat. I forget how important meat is to most people. I eat it in any quantity and the next day I am guaranteed to have issues. It's just how it is and I don't know why. I can live without it.
Sunday should be fun with a brilliant speaker coming to talk at out ETJ meeting. Kim Horne will go down in history over here. She's a powerhouse and so creative. Love. her. Love many of the people who come to see her, too. Really going to be a great day. Which reminds me that I better start getting ready for my November presentation at JALT. "Operation no procrastination" is in effect. Thankfully, I am co-presenting and my partner is really a great can-do person. So, I think we should be fine and in plenty of time!
I gave my little guy students their accomplishment certificates today and the joy! Oh boy, to be 3 and get a certificate and a badge on your bag! Hot damn! Then to have Mommy smiling with pride at ya'! Double hot damn! I'd take that over paying bills any day! No, I really would love to see my Mom's face as I get a certificate again. She was always so proud of me.
Speaking of Mom, she came out of her shell one day a few weeks ago. It was insane! I'd not heard her talk that much in over 2 1/2 years! It was like her old self just popped out where she left off for a brief moment. She spoke about things she saw on TV, things she saw back then as if they were today. She acknowledged how scary it is that she can't remember things and she said, "You know, I can't walk anymore. I can't drive either," as if her old self was meeting her current self. I've heard of bad trips, but to see someone having one is almost as painful. I cried after we hung up and shook my head at the fucking weirdness of Alzheimer's. At least she remembers me, even if she doesn't remember that I was just there for a month.
Can't wait to see you Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a bit awkward ( that doesn't look right but I can't think how to spell it right now ) seeing another foreigner isn't it, I'm never quite sure what to do, sometimes I speak and get ignored, sometimes I pretend to fumble in my bag for something, sometimes we stop and have a great chat.