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HI HI HI from Japan! I have been in Japan for 9 months and depending on how I look at it, it seems both like forever and an instant. I know I've been here for a while though because recently I was able to help two Americans who had just arrived in Tokyo and had basically no knowledge of the language and wanted to buy cell phones. I was able to hook them up with free maps of the trains and show them where they could find a variety of phone shops. Recently I have been enjoying Japan more than I had been some months ago. Therefore it is likely that I will stay longer than my original contract which is up in March. Since I'm choosing to stay in Japan, and choosing to like my job more, at work I have been working quite deliberately to remember the names of my students. This is challenging due to the sheer number of students, the short period of time we have to talk to them each day, and there's no way to really predict when I will see them. The benefit of learning their names: I will begin to remember their specific English-speaking personalities and therefore be better able to help each individual. Also, it just seems like the right thing to do, to care about my students. Put forth some real effort kinda thing. I've been hanging out with students outside of work, which directly violates Nova's rules, but has helped me learn Japanese and have more fun and want to stay longer. Also in the fun department, I've been hanging out with Morag from work recently. She and I seem to have similar outlooks on life and the meaning of life and stuff like that. We study Japanese together at Starbucks on occassion. So far, two Fridays in a row and a Thursday in between. janette and I have been making plans for her upcoming visit in January which should be a lot of fun though I'll be working basically my normal schedule at work. I'll try to get some shift swaps done so we can have more days off together. We'll go to Fuji-Q Highland, the biggest amusement park near Tokyo (and maybe all Japan) with a super scary haunted house. - - - - In Japan, I have learned a lot about myself. I have faced some of my greatest fears (and shied away from others). In this sprawling collection of cities known together as Tokyo, I walk within huge crowds and find myself utterly alone. I have learned that I can make sense of a completely foreign language. I have learned that despite the many cultural differences, people still like to be remembered by name. Over the months that I've been here I have watched myself create the same type of busy busy life here in Japan that I had in the US. Always moving, always wanting to be with people, always wanting attention. This proves to me that the patterns in my life are manifested by or otherwise tied to me. This weekend (my weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday), I have seen both sides of this always-want-to-be-busy pattern. Today I goofed around on my computer and slept all day until people started coming home in the evening. Then when everyone was available, all the requests for hanging out began to come back. In the middle of watching a movie with my roommates, my invitation to dinner with another friend was accepted. During that dinner, I got another email to watch a movie tomorrow. Juggling too many girl-friends it seems. The good news is they all know I have a real girlfriend, janette back home. (I'm making progress. During college all my girlfriends did not know about each other (until they did, and that was a disaster).) But what am I really *doing* in Japan? That question keeps coming back to my mind. I'm having fun. I'm learning the language. I'm learning about myself. I think I'll hang out here for a while.