Heather, The Manual Labourer Extraordinaire XD

Before I say anything I have to cure this insatiable urge to yell.....I'M FRIGGIN' DONE!! YEAHHH! .............phew. Now I can actually get down to blogging! Yes, I am finally done my second year - half way through my degree and hardly believing it. The exam was simple enough but I am glad I studied as much as I did. I actually lost a few of my lectures - probably accidentally thrown out with the rest of my recycled notes during a moment of pure elation at being finished - but it didn't matter as we had to choose only 6 questions out of 12 to answer. Sweet deal, I'm telling you. :-D

Being back in N--t feels the same as it always does - a little bit confining but comfortably familiar nonetheless. Hardcore N--teers may not believe me but I have noticed just recently that this town has a very distinct smell. Whenever I smell its smell, I literally forget the somewhat independent life I lead in L--n. Though try as I might to resist being thrown back into my public school/high school mentality, I always find myself reverting back to the small town girl I was before I went to university - just with a little more maturity and a few extra added experiences behind her. I wonder, is that a part of what growing up is? Being able to face your hometown with the attitude you developed outside of it? For instance, before going to university, I would have been scared shitless to take the local transit half way across town, apply for a job, take an aptitude test, and make my way back all alone. (The stomach pains from the stress probably would have killed me!) But today, when I went in for my interview, it was nothing. I felt nothing at all. Taking a bus? Pfffft....child's play. Politely advertising yourself to a grouchy old lady squeezed behind her oversized desk who has probably seen more desperate student applicants in the past week than I have seen in my entire life? Who cares! You see, it is this attitude I have managed to develop, and I am not only happy for myself but also for my poor family who can take comfort in the fact that the reluctant bird has finally decided to leave the nest. And isn't that what every parent wants!

So yeah...about the job. It looks like I am going to be in manual labour rather than tree planting for most of the summer. It is 40 hours a week at a wage higher than I what I was getting at Yogen Fruz so I hope I can save up enough spending money for Japan. I really hope that I will be working outside.....need to expose my poor body to the sunlight it has been deprived of for eight long months! In a couple of minutes, mum and I will be going to get some steel toed safety boots from the mall for my job. Apparently, they come in all fashions, including running shoe styled boots. How does that work? Doesn't sound overly safe to me.... :S

Oh, and one more thing! Tomorrow I am off to St. Louis, Missouri to see one of my best buds, Ayumi before she heads back to Japan after a two year long exchange! I can't wait to spend some time with her, see her university, meet her friends. She has come up to Canada twice within the past two years so now it is my turn to fork out the money and pay for the plane ticket so we can meet up, hehe. Since I will be in Gunma, it will be difficult to see her as she lives in Kyoto, but I will definitely make a point to visit. Not to mention that I will have other people to see as well since the six other exchange students will all be in Kyoto. :-) Anyway, for this reason I probably won't be updating over the weekend so expect me to be back on May 2nd!

Cheers!

PS: Enjoy my random photo of Animal~ I love that photo...he looks so hapless.

Give "Go" a go ;-)

In the midst of my last minute efforts to swat for my final exam, I somehow ended up watching one of my favourite Japanese films , simply entitled "Go" tonight - I blame it all on Erin who, having finished her finals a couple of days ago, is basking in the delicious light of freedom while her brother Mark and I frantically prepare for tomorrow's impending doom. (Ahh...freedom...so tantalizingly close but still a full 12 hours away.....)

Anyhow...back to "Go" ; confirmed if only by its incredible popularity in Japan, "Go" is an extremely well executed movie if you can stand subtitles (or if you can speak Japanese). It remains entertaining all of the way through thanks to the support of a great cast and an interesting storyline which openly flirts with the ongoing reality of overt racism against those of Korean or Chinese descent. It follows the life of a teenage boy named Sugihara who is of Korean descent but was born and raised in Japan. He lives with his parents who love him but find it difficult to show it, often resorting to humorous violence as a means of expression. His first true love, Sakurai, is a quirky character (she refuses to tell Sugihara her first name out of embarrassment, and freaks out if she sees a falling star while with a boy) but the two are well matched, and the obstacles involved in racism are well portrayed through their relationship.

The story itself is an enjoyable story narrated in first person by the main character himself who, while trying to convince the viewer that this is "a love story through and through" often unintentionally sidetracks to scenes of his dad wailing on him in a one on one boxing match, violent encounters with yakuza gangsters or out-running a train just for the fun of it. While these violent scenes are always humorously portrayed, there is definitely an undercurrent of seriousness in the issue the director is trying to present - namely that racism's niche has not been erased from society though the Japanese might try to ignore it. Nevertheless, there are many touching scenes between Korean and Japanese individuals, such as the conversation between a bumbling police officer and Sugihara, to provide hope when it seems there is none.

Yosuke Kubozuka (also in Ping Pong - another good movie) who plays Sugihara is probably one of the best Japanese actors on the scene today. To my disappointment, I have found that most Japanese actors are devoid of talent perhaps due to either lack of training or simply lack of the expectation to strive for, shall we say, Hollywood or European acting quality. However, Kubozuka was a pleasant surprise and has greatly matured from previous roles I have seen him in. On a sadistically funny note, he just recently survived an 85 foot fall from a high rise building without breaking any bones! That boy has been dancing with death, I tell you! And if he disappears, there will be near zero talent left in Japan! No, I'm just kidding...seriously...*ahem* (apologies to all people who think otherwise)...

Yes...so that is "Go"...I give it four Heather Heads out of five...and I recommend you allllll watch or thou shalt be struck down by the wrath of me...and it ain't gunna be pretty. ;-)

Tomorrow, I think I am going to watch Hiroshima Mon Amour. I have been dying to see that one, though I am usually not a fan of 1950's films. Well, I'll give it a go either way!

What do Jake Gyllenhaal, Queen and The Knife all have in common??

Hello readers (which I believe includes only me? haha..)~

I am so unbelievably sleepy right now seeing that it is almost 12:00 but that isn't going to stop me from posting. I just finished watching Queen in concert with my roomie Erin and her dad and we pretty much sang ourselves hoarse! Sometimes there is nothing like spilling out your musical guts now and then, even if you can't sing worth a lick. Included on the DVD are tons of hits including Who Wants to Live Forever (the ultimate tear jerker), We Will Rock You (not so keen on that one), We Are The Champions, as well as a whole bunch of others I was unfamilar with but enjoyed anyway. Understanding what Freddie Mercury is singing is a formidable task in itself so whenever I can't make out the lyrics, I make up my own or mumble along in what sounds like convincing English. It was a nice way to end off these eight months since Erin's dad is heading off to Toronto tomorrow and won't be around to see me off, and I don't know how much Erin will be around the next two days. I'm not overly depressed - actually, since coming to university, parting with people you grow close to has become an every day kind of thing so you become desensitized to it. And there will always be another day when I can come back to visit and we can watch Queen all over again :-)

I have also had a very insignificant change of heart with regard to Heath Ledger...! After reading about some of the brawls he has been in, my affections have (despite my best efforts) switched over to...gasp...Jake Gyllenhaal. I always swore to resist those puppy dog eyes but somehow my mouse, which sometimes seems to have a mind of its own, has been drifting toward sites about him >:( *slapping self* Yes...I know all of you are thrilled to hear it...haha...(I know Yuka will be!!)

Oh...and if anyone gets the chance, listen to the song Marble House by The Knife. Apparently, they are a Swedish band but they sing in English. The style is comparable to Eastern European techno with an awesome slow dance beat. Great lyrics too..."some things I do for money, some things I do for freeee" *dances*

PS: The answer to the above question is that I love all three! :-P

PPS: Thank you, Trin, for reading! I don't feel so alone anymore...*sniff* hehe :-)

There is no ESC...!

Ahhh...I am so stressed over tomorrow's Earth Science exam! At first, I thought it would be a cake walk but the reality is, I have 18 lectures to cover and only 24 hours in which to do it! Of course, I could simply say to myself that within two days, I will not be thinking about this exam at all - rather, it'll be the further thing from my mind. It is just that right now, seeing everyone around me wash their hands of their finals and fly off to all corners of the world (Myrtle Beach, Italy, Malta, China...what kind of money do these people have?? lol), I feel a little left out. Mind you, this coin also has a flip side. I will be very sad to leave the Drewe household because of the freedom I have to order my life according to my own tastes. For example, the type of food in my fridge, when I do laundry, and the messy state of my room - all of these daily customs, whether intentional or not, become awkwardly shoved into the daily framework set out by my parents whenever I return home. My dad always says that it is almost impossible for four adults to live together under one roof, and since the time my brother gained a pretty independent personality of his own, I have had to agree. (This is not an attack against my parents, by the way; it is simply a fact of life!) Nevertheless, I have a year of complete freedom to look forward to because my apartment in Japan is a single room significantly removed from the university campus. Although I may have to use a public bathroom, I have a kitchen and a place to sleep - a real pad of my own, so to speak. One thing I am determined not to do is to become a hermit. It is all too easy to lock yourself away from the world in a foreign country and I am determined not to fall into that trap this time around (and if I ever find myself failing, I'll just think of the sweat and blood that went into getting those high marks for the exchange and that'll surely whip me into shape!). Looking back to my last exchange, I am surprised at how much time and energy I devoted to escaping when I should have been embracing my vulnerability and exposing myself to making mistakes because, hell, it was at times like that I learned the most. The Japanese phrases I most clearly remember now are the products of me making a fool of myself because everyone made a point to correct me! Anyhow, I am rambling...but I guess it is good to throw in the occasional introduction to my feelings while abroad so as to make this diary all the more clear for those who did not know me before 2003.

I also had a very interested job opportunity sprout up before me the other day. On a job bank website, I saw an ad posted by Natural Resources Canada for a "tree planter," a three day position during which workers plant up to 800 seedlings for 8 hours a day. Sure, it sounds grueling, but I am willing to take anything that isn't a mall job at this point. The woman on the phone also mentioned that they are looking for summer student help in the office as well so perhaps I can convince them to employ me if I do a good job out in the fields. Man..it feels SO weird to be thinking about manual labour in N--t while sitting at my computer preparing for massive exam in L--n. Am I really up for this change??

Some depressing news is that I can no longer go to England with my dad this summer. I'll save everyone the details but basically, it involves a medical problem that must be fixed before I go to Japan. I guess the toss up is either England or Japan and while England can be done any summer, studying in Japan is a once (or in my case, twice) in a lifetime thing. My hope is to go next summer, though, if I earn enough this summer.

In other (somewhat boring) news...I got a shock yesterday when I found out that the actor Jeff Bridges, who is in my favourite movie The Mirror Has Two Faces, is the brother of the general in Stargate (Beau Bridges)! I should have put two and two together...but it was difficult to tell because they don't look alike at all! Yipes...the things you learn...

Ijou desu! (Japanese for 'the end')

London's First *Real* Summer Day!

Wow..I can honestly say that today was the first day I have truly enjoyed for a long time. I finally had my linguistics exam this morning which I probably over-studied for (but I guess it is always better to over-study than to under-study, no?) so now only my easiest exam, Earth Science remains. I also had a lovely evening out at a sushi restaurant with a few of my friends, two of who are graduating this year and one of who is spending the summer in China. We had some really good laughs, got a little tipsy and tried our damnedness to eat the 20 dollars worth of food that we paid for (it was an all-you-can-eat buffet - good for men, not for women)...an overall good time. I've noticed that with the stress of university, one almost has to jump through hoops and over hurdles to find a time when everyone can get together so it really was (at the risk of sounding terribly cheesy) a precious moment.

Also...on a relevant but still kind of unrelated note...it's strange because I feel like everything has come to an end although a full week remains. As I stepped out of the social science building after my exam, I was overwhelmed by how the crisp spring morning had suddenly changed into a blazing hot summers day and how the worries that have occupied me this entire semester were simultaneously stripped away as I removed my spring jacket and sweater from this morning. In a way, it is a shame that I have to miss London at it's best - all I ever see are the dreary winters followed by a short interval of nice weather - the be all and end all of my London experience. But on the other hand, who would want to be in school during such a nice time of year? It really is a double-edged sword. Actually, my biggest wish for this summer is to find a job where I can either work outside for the majority of the time, or have the chance to engage my mind like I do in school (good luck, you say) as I realised last year that spending half of your day in a mall making yogart can make even your average Joe yern for a textbook and a couple of killer exams to excite the mind. Ah well...I'm already on the application process so hopefully something smashing will come about :-)

Oh, and this time on a completely unrelated note, I received my application forms for Gunma University today! Very exciting stuff! I have completed everything except for the sections that my dad needs to fill out for me. I even managed to write a page long blurb in Japanese on how I became interested in Japan and why Gunma was my ultimate choice as an exchange destination. While the honest answer would be that I had no choice in the matter (shhh...), I managed to pull off a pretty convincing explanation in under thirty minutes - a record for me! :-) But in all honestly, I love exploring new places so Gunma's Tamamura city is just as good a place as your next small-town in Japan...every place has something to offer in my opinion...you've just got to search for it.

Finally, check out this cute animation! For anyone who has watched Brokeback Mountain, regardless of whether you liked it or not. It's pretty funny!

Ten Random Things I Enjoy

Recently, I discovered a very intriguing website created by entrapreneur/writer Evan Bailyn. It is entitled "Never Grow Up: A Tribute to Peter Pan Syndrome" and rightly so; the sole point of the site is to undermine the concept of "growing up." In fact, the author even ventured as far as to write a university term paper on the concept. The most interesting part of this website is Evan's willingness to open himself up for all to see by sharing his views in a straightforward and unusually genuine manner on issues we all have to face during the growing-up process - marriage, crushes, the meaning of childhood, the meaning of art, time, and thought. I can honestly say that I spent about five hours indulging in his stories and musings for the sheer eloquence with which they are written. Anyway, there was one part of his site that I would like to repeat here called 10 Random Things I Enjoy. I also thought that, as an escape from studying, it might be fun to think up some things I enjoy myself. So, here I go...!

1. Watching ants
I don't know why but ever since I was a child, the idea that I could squat over a tiny microcosm and observe the lives of millions of little critters fascinated me. It also amused me that I could so easily interfere with their lives and admittedly, there was a time or two when the ants were probably given quite a start from a bucket of icy-cold water being tossed upon their village, or a large fleshy finger descending upon the entrance to their ant hill. Nevertheless, I made up for my wrong-doings today by sprinkling a pinch of sugar on the anthill outside of my house, a scene which my neighbours found pretty amusing!

2. Cutting my fingernails
I honestly don't understand girls who love to grow out their nails. Most baffling is how they manage to keep them clean and neat. I can only imagine that they take out a good hour out of each day to prune them. In my case, once my nails reach a good length they either break, fan out, develop lumps, or accumulate a disgusting amount of gunk underneath them, forcing me to cut them as the first opportunity I get. (I think you'll all be happy to know that I never allow my nails to get to that state!) So, in short, it is very pleasing to rid myself of those ten annoyances, even if it means I have to employ some pretty damn good coordination in order to aim them at my garbage can across my room.

3. Riding on the town bus
Ever since coming to university, I have taken a great liking to riding on the local bus. Not only do you get to know the faces of many people from your area, but you also get to listen to some pretty good conversations that can be used as gossip-fuel later! I also enjoy the routine of meeting and greeting the bus drivers with the routine of "good morning/hello/hi there" as I get on the bus, and a heartfelt "thank you/good evening" as I get off. There is something very comforting about the whole routine. Not to mention that I can look forward to seeing some pretty cute guys on certain days of the week! (Shh...that's a secret!)

4. Chocolate
Okay, so maybe this one has been overused to the point of becoming trite, but nothing can give me a temporary high like chocolate. I heard something funny just a few minutes on Virgin Radio...a woman wrote in a funny blurb on how she couldn't understand how people could think that a mixture of veggie oil, cocoa beans, sugar and fats could be better than sex. Actually, it is my opinion that sex and chocolate are pretty much on par in terms of anticipation and withdrawl when its not around, the incredible sensation you get when it is, and the boredom that ensues after getting too much of it. The biggest difference is that chocolate doesn't leave you pregnant and alone! *hand drifts slowly over to the bag of chocolate purchased today* Mmmm....

5. Cats on Catnip
Is there anything more hilarious?? And why is it that catnip is perfectly legal when it has the same effect on cats that marijuana has on humans?? Anyway, if you are looking for the ultimate way to amuse yourself, buy yourself a cat and make sure you have some catnip to go with it.

Okay...you know what...I think 5 is enough for now! Maybe I will add some more later if I feel like it. Does anyone else (if anyone else is actually reading this blog!) have something ususual they enjoy but never had the chance to say? :-)

Brokeback Mountain Review

A few days ago, my friends and I went to see the critically acclaimed yet highly controversial movie, Brokeback Mountain. I admit that I too remained a little apprehensive as I sat down in my seat beside my straight male friend and my four other girl friends. None of us really knew what to expect. However, as soon as the first frames of the film began rolling, I found myself immediately drawn into the stillness of the Albertan landscape that enveloped the theatre made all the more magnificent by the swelling music guided by a single classical guitar. No words were uttered for the first ten minutes but the silent acting of both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal clearly spoke for itself. The story itself took us through twenty years of intense emotional suffering over a lost love, interspersed with moments of pure happiness that live with the actors until the end (and seemingly, beyond the physical end of the film through its reflection on the personal experiences of the audience). As many have said, at surface value, this story could easily be tossed into a box cluttered with other bi-curious themed movies, but such an all encompassing box contains none equal the calibre and artistic delicacy Brokeback Mountain has achieved. The story explores many themes beyond sexuality such as repression, loss, and facing adulthood, and the love story itself could apply not only to men, but to any two individuals forced to part with a feeling so vital to existence that it guides the rest of their lives.

If I have any harsh criticism against this movie, it would not be against the actors who carried their roles as struggling homosexuals in a homophobic world brilliantly (particularly Heath Ledger, who I have developed a bit of a crush on!), but against Ang Lee who in trying to gently push the theme of homosexuality out into the open simultaneously strains the relationship between the two actors by tiptoeing around the theme itself. At many times, their meetings appear forced and the constant reliving of the events at Brokeback Mountain can become somewhat monotonous as their feelings are never resolved. The ending, too, was predictable as a love such as this could not be properly resolved without the story appearing cheesy or stepping into the realm of the unreal. As Heath character implies, there is no life for those who are different in a homogeneous society such as the South during the 1960's.

Finally, I would like to say that the music, more than anything else, brought me to tears at the end of the movie. (And yes, I paid the 99 cents through my brother's ITunes to get my hands on the short but sweet theme song!) Ennis' pain, through Heath's acting and the music, was made as real as the pain I have experienced during my own life, to the extent that the two were momentarily inseparable. I believe that this movie, if one leaves high expectations, machoism and bigotry at the door, can force you to rethink the path you have walked and the path that has yet to come. Give it a go - I doubt you'll regret it. :-)

Little blurb about my nickname

I stole this from my friend Steph's Livejournal because it looked kind of funky. Many people often ask about (or snicker) at my username so I'm here to explain why it is the way it is!

1) Write a little paragraph about your username, why you chose it, what it means to you, etc.

I have two usernames which I use quite frequently, one being tokyonights7 and the other, omiya7. Both come from song names (Tokyo Nights by the Bee Gees and Omiya Sunset by Spitz), although the former I pretty much desperately searched for through my list of 1000 odd songs as a way to get rid of my old username, while the latter came as a burst of inspiration after listening to the song a billion times in rez. I chose the 7 because it seems to represent a certain kind of luckiness that no other number has...and I know I'm not just imagining it because 7 is probably the most popular number found in usernames!

2) What would you change your username to, if you were changing it?

If I could, I would probably ditch tokyonights7 and keep omiya7, or change it to the full form, omiya_sunset7. One of the reasons? Funny story... About 3 months ago, I logged onto a school computer and forgot to check "do not save email address" under my preferences. After I got off the computer, two valley girls came waltzing up to the PC and began to make fun of my name! Things like (in the valley girl accent) "this person must, like, really get up to some crazy shit at night," "bet he/she's a clubber," and many other far more grotesque things I would prefer not to post here. :P I never knew that such an inncent looking nickname could provoke such rude talk...and little did they know that the entire time I was chuckling under my breath right beside them. :-) Ohhh the irony~~

3) What is your favorite username?

I dunno...hobo_nick? Haha...xanderstrasz is pretty cool too though.

4) Now, tag five other unfortunates whose usernames you would like to hear about:

amethyst2525
xanderstrasz
frickfrack48
ek_aaina
uqcircle02

Only one day left!

*phew* I can hardly believe that there is only one day of school remaining! This semester has gone by like...a dog on skiis...yes..*insert more appropriate metaphor here*. One minute I am starting my job as a CLM, meeting the new international students, and bathing in the warm sunshine of mid-September, and now I am already thinking about work, travel and my third year abroad...talk about a time slip. Actually, what is really weird is that the end of my second year somehow feels like a very important marker in my life. Up to this point, all of the people I've befriended have been a good two years+ older than me and are perfectly adjusted to the university way of life, making me a bit like the proverbial lamb being led to the slaughter while all the other sheep surround me and laugh. (Okay...so it wasn't that bad...but I certainly felt that way at times.) Now that I am on my way to being a senior, most of my friends are graduating (suckers..heh) and I find that my social circle is starting to consist of people a good deal younger than me. In this sense, I am kind of glad to be leaving for Japan now - namely because if I had left in my second year, I never would have been able to solidify all of the good friendships I have now, nor would I have been able to introduce myself to the newcomers this year and have some friends waiting for me when I get back. I know it all sounds very philosophical but it amazes me how my life seems to be cut up into these perfect, logical chunks. Is the rest of my life going to be this way, I wonder...

In other news, Trin has decided to come down for the Easter weekend so I hope to have a few things planned for her visit. Unfortunately, there isn't really much to do in London (or else, I have been totally sheltered from its attractions for the past two years). It's better than Newmarket but you can't really do something without costing yourself an arm and a leg. Anyway, I'll figure something out - a campus tour, Easter dinner, and a trip downtown should suffice!

What else...I have a couple of exams coming up as well. The Phonology exam I had a week ago, I can honestly say I bombed. Our prof is a little bit nuts and would obviously rather be cleaning up horse poop than teaching our class - I can only assume that this exam was the culmination of her wrath. Either way, my final mark before the exam wasn't too shabby so I should pull off what I need for the exchange. Linguistics is another exam I am worried about simply because of the vast amount of content we have to cover compounded by the fact that my homework marks haven't been too hot. (I am procrastinating for that exam as we speak!) The last one is Earth Science but that course is directed toward arts students anyway so I'm not fretting over it a whole lot. So yeah, I'd say that overall, I am better off than most. And I refuse to complain since most of you have five exams and would kick my butt if I did complain....><>

Formal Introduction

It is at the close of the fourth semester of my university career that I write this first entry. This being said, I cannot think of a more appropriate moment to begin a blog. With half of my four years of semi-freedom still remaining, a small sum money in my pocket, my health and a whole lot of unchanneled ambition, the world lies at my feet and I will admit, I am full of excitement for the prospects that lay before me. I am also excited for the people around me who I have watched grow up over the years. For example, one of my friends has just become a mother, while another is on her way to becoming a vet, and yet another is entering a post-graduate course at Sheridan. It has only just struck me recently how far we have come. It is with this realization that I begin this blog as I hope that other people will be inspired by my experiences and aspirations in life, as others have inspired me.

Personally, I never would have thought ten years ago that I would have taken the path I ultimately chose. During my public school, and even my high school years, I was an aspiring artist and dreamed of animating for a living. This dream, however, changed upon reencountering the culture of Japan, from which point I developed a deep love of the language and culture. Ironically, up to that point I had never been interested in languages due to the nine painful years of French language indoctrination and one unsuccessful attempt at Spanish. Thankfully, the theory of 'once bitten, twice shy' did not come into play, and I daringly embarked on a one year exchange to Japan, subsequently passing up my high school prom (shock and horror!), as well as a life with which I had grown far too comfortable. The year overseas is one I will never forget as it opened my eyes to the faults in my character thanks to the somewhat cutting but well-meant words of my host mother, and not so much the acceptance of another culture as the understanding that comes with living with another family. During my time in Japan, I had to learn to communicate with people using the sticks and pebbles of the language, and numerous times I know I hurt people. However, this was balanced out by the plethora of funny and unforgettable moments interspersed among the difficult ones.

Returning to Canada was a shock I shall never forget. The most distressing experience was that I had "forgotten" my own language. Having used only Japanese for ten months, my brain had adjusted to not being understood and was thus overwhelmed when an intelligent conversation lasting more than five minutes was expected of me. (In Japan, a five minute conversation in English would take me 20 minutes to express in Japanese!) I was also overwhelmed by the fact that no one seemed to understand me in Canada either - in fact, I had far better communication with the friends and "family" I had left behind in Japan because they had been with me through even step of my experience. Shock soon faded to acceptance however, and I eventually adjusted back into Canadian life, a change that had the reverse effect as I no longer had anything in common with anyone in Japan. I was one body torn between two worlds.

...but as everybody knows, with time comes healing. The step from dependency in Newmarket (and to a certain extent, in Japan as well as I was living with a family) to complete freedom in London soon quelled the sadness that was building up within me, and allowed me to explore myself, as well as the possible options for my future. While I never had had any real ambitions during high school, my mind suddenly was flooded with great ideas such as becoming a translator, starting up a business, working with international students, teaching E.S.L. and giving to the community rather than endlessly taking from it for my own selfish purposes. I can now happily say that I feel more confident and fulfilled as a person for helping out as a Cultural Liaison Manager (international coordinator type person for all of those not in the know!) at my university, and indulging my passion for other cultures by assisting those new to our country.

This August, I plan to once again return to Japan for a full year of study at Gunma Women's University near Tokyo. I am curious to know how this experience will differ from the last and how I will look back upon the "me" writing this diary entry at the moment. I hope that I can make this blog an informative and interactive experience for anyone and everyone, acquaintance or not, interested what I am doing so please feel free to post on the message board - I completely encourage open dialog!

Enjoy your time here and good luck wherever your travels may take you. :-)