It's how I feel these days. My hands and mind are in Japan but my feet are still in Cambridge. Like I'm stretched around the globe. It's similar to how I felt when I came to England. But when I came to England it felt more like I was swimming through the ocean with very little to guide me. Like there was this little light of my soul in England and I needed to swim to it to be whole again. This time it feels graceful. There was a little fear in the beginning but after having visited in January all those fears evaporated. Japan just feels so right.
Some amazing synchronicities have been happening over the last couple weeks. Well my Japanese language teacher in Cambridge used to live in Tokyo. When I showed him the apartment that I wanted he was surprised because that was the street he used to live on. Well he checked his address and the apartments are 1 block (100 meters) away from each other. What are the chances of that. He knew the block very well and gave me lots of advice on the area. I've also seen pictures of the apartment today and it is everything that I had hoped for. The estate agent is going to see if we can apply for the apartment before I arrive.
So I'm basically ready to jump. My cat's relocation is sorted. I've almost got an apartment in Japan. I've nearly reduced my possessions to what will go with me. Just a few loose ends left. And of course I'm waiting for my work visa. That is the key. So here is to hoping and waiting. Good thing I like backbends since I might be here for a couple weeks waiting. Once the Visa is in hand I can kick over and plant my feet in Japan. But all I can do now is wait and continue tying up loose ends.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Nostalgia
I've been running errands today in Cambridge. It's an absolutely amazing day. Spring air, sun, 17C, people with happy faces. I did some clothes shopping and the spring fashions are really wonderful this year. It's going to be hard to buy clothes and shoes in Japan since I'm 5'7" (1.7 meters). It feels a little like the last temptation. I'm realizing that Cambridge is actually pretty nice when the weather is nice and you don't have to work. I think part of it is the fact that nice days are so few and far between that when they happen everything just feels wonderful. Being free from work is such a wonderful liberating feeling. Completely unlike a holiday.
Well it's interesting because I've just read my horoscope and it is so fitting I had to write this post:
It's challenging now to tell the past from the present as your emotions speak to you from the depths of your subconscious mind. You can transform your hidden feelings into constructive actions by first allowing yourself to sink into your fantasies. Then, if any one feels better than the rest, focus on it and gently nudge your life in that direction.
well time to get back to the errands.
Well it's interesting because I've just read my horoscope and it is so fitting I had to write this post:
It's challenging now to tell the past from the present as your emotions speak to you from the depths of your subconscious mind. You can transform your hidden feelings into constructive actions by first allowing yourself to sink into your fantasies. Then, if any one feels better than the rest, focus on it and gently nudge your life in that direction.
well time to get back to the errands.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
私は日本にいきたいです
(I would like to go to Japan) Well it's been a good couple weeks. I had a very good 40th birthday and have been meeting with all my friends to say farewell. I've known a lot of these people over the three years I've been here in England and many of us are starting to unroot and look farther afield. I think science is appealing to people who have a bit of a explorer in them. I guess it makes sense since science is about discovering how the world works. I think I will be able to keep in touch with most of these friends.
I have to admit that this move is so much better than when I left Wisconsin. I think it is because all these friends are expats themselves while everyone I was saying goodbye to in Wisconsin is settled. I still think my bird/tree analogy fits really well. When a child is asked to draw a tree, many will draw a bird in a nest in the tree as if the tree isn't a tree unless it has a nest. But the bird is transient and so is the nest. The tree is stationary. I think those of us who desire to travel or live in other countries are like birds and those who live in the same area they were born in are more like trees. I think some trees feel they need a bird so they hold on tight and try to prevent the bird from flying away. And I think some birds get confused and think they are part of the tree. But birds fly and trees don't. It's really nice to have met other birds :)
I've also sold more things but I've had a setback with my motorbike. I think ebay might be my only option now. I'm running out of time. I think I might have found a way to sell my versaclimber. I have maybe 5 more big things I need to sell/gift. After that I'm down to the precious things which come with me and miscellaneous stuff which can then go in the bin or to charity. I'm going to aim for having the bulk done (or on the way out) by Wednesday and definitely by Friday. I want to make sure every ball is in play by the end of March. My visa paperwork might be done by the end of March so I'm hoping I can go to the Japanese embassy in London the first week of April. Hope hope hope....
Oh I had one amazing synchronicity this last week. I brought several apartment listings with me to my Japanese language class in Cambridge. I wanted to ask my teacher about the prices and terms. I was a bit worried that I was being taken advantage of, but it turns out these are very average for the areas. Well my teacher was reading the one I like the most and he said : wow midorigaoka, I used to live on midorigaoka (street), that is a very nice area, I loved living there. He is going to look up his old address and see how close this apartment (mine hopefully) is to his old place. I mean what are the chances given how huge Tokyo is!! Very cool. Just another sign that this really is the right choice for me.
My Japanese is slowly coming along. I'm about middle in my class, but I've learned a lot. It's a very good class and it would have been fun to carry on with them. I think I'm learning in a balanced way though. I'm remembering my hiragana pretty well and I'm remembering some words and phrases. I was reading through the lyrics of a song by ayumi hamasaki and I was able to able to read most of the hiragana. It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to look at Japanese and be able to see recognizable characters and words. I'm even starting to recognize a few kanji characters. It's hard to describe, but it's an amazing feeling of eureka and joy. I really love learning new things. I think it might be time to get a kanji dictionary. Should be a good way to spend the last of my Borders Bookstore gift money.
So there it is. Another rambling blog entry. I guess it could be worse.
I have to admit that this move is so much better than when I left Wisconsin. I think it is because all these friends are expats themselves while everyone I was saying goodbye to in Wisconsin is settled. I still think my bird/tree analogy fits really well. When a child is asked to draw a tree, many will draw a bird in a nest in the tree as if the tree isn't a tree unless it has a nest. But the bird is transient and so is the nest. The tree is stationary. I think those of us who desire to travel or live in other countries are like birds and those who live in the same area they were born in are more like trees. I think some trees feel they need a bird so they hold on tight and try to prevent the bird from flying away. And I think some birds get confused and think they are part of the tree. But birds fly and trees don't. It's really nice to have met other birds :)
I've also sold more things but I've had a setback with my motorbike. I think ebay might be my only option now. I'm running out of time. I think I might have found a way to sell my versaclimber. I have maybe 5 more big things I need to sell/gift. After that I'm down to the precious things which come with me and miscellaneous stuff which can then go in the bin or to charity. I'm going to aim for having the bulk done (or on the way out) by Wednesday and definitely by Friday. I want to make sure every ball is in play by the end of March. My visa paperwork might be done by the end of March so I'm hoping I can go to the Japanese embassy in London the first week of April. Hope hope hope....
Oh I had one amazing synchronicity this last week. I brought several apartment listings with me to my Japanese language class in Cambridge. I wanted to ask my teacher about the prices and terms. I was a bit worried that I was being taken advantage of, but it turns out these are very average for the areas. Well my teacher was reading the one I like the most and he said : wow midorigaoka, I used to live on midorigaoka (street), that is a very nice area, I loved living there. He is going to look up his old address and see how close this apartment (mine hopefully) is to his old place. I mean what are the chances given how huge Tokyo is!! Very cool. Just another sign that this really is the right choice for me.
My Japanese is slowly coming along. I'm about middle in my class, but I've learned a lot. It's a very good class and it would have been fun to carry on with them. I think I'm learning in a balanced way though. I'm remembering my hiragana pretty well and I'm remembering some words and phrases. I was reading through the lyrics of a song by ayumi hamasaki and I was able to able to read most of the hiragana. It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to look at Japanese and be able to see recognizable characters and words. I'm even starting to recognize a few kanji characters. It's hard to describe, but it's an amazing feeling of eureka and joy. I really love learning new things. I think it might be time to get a kanji dictionary. Should be a good way to spend the last of my Borders Bookstore gift money.
So there it is. Another rambling blog entry. I guess it could be worse.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Slow glide
Nothing really happened this last week. It was my second to last week at work and I was mainly focused on trying to put a nice finish on a project. This coming week should be a nice slow glide to Friday and then I say goodbye. I think I've done the best I could given the situation. Some interesting politics happened this week which could completely erase the quality control system that I spent the last 9 months building sigh.... Well I guess it was fortuitous that I found a new job and was already on my way out.
The weather was pretty nice this last week and spring is definitely in the air. I was in London yesterday for shopping and sushi (one of my favorite ways to enjoy London). I found a great spring/summer jacket, a nice skirt and some sandals for summer. Tokyo is supposed to be really hot in the summer, but from what I've read it doesn't sound any worse than Wisconsin summers (90 F with 90% humidity). I'm actually really looking forward to have some hot summers again and seasons. That was one thing about Wisconsin that I've really missed in England. It's funny how one could miss something like that, but I always liked those really hot days. Kind of like being in a sauna :)
The weather was pretty nice this last week and spring is definitely in the air. I was in London yesterday for shopping and sushi (one of my favorite ways to enjoy London). I found a great spring/summer jacket, a nice skirt and some sandals for summer. Tokyo is supposed to be really hot in the summer, but from what I've read it doesn't sound any worse than Wisconsin summers (90 F with 90% humidity). I'm actually really looking forward to have some hot summers again and seasons. That was one thing about Wisconsin that I've really missed in England. It's funny how one could miss something like that, but I always liked those really hot days. Kind of like being in a sauna :)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Hickups
Well of course just when I thought things were going to go into smooth sailing, the sea starts to get angry. Nothing disastrous but it just looks like March is going to be busy after all. I might need to sell/gift a lot more of my things than I expected. Shipping boxes from England to Japan is very expensive and my budget might be less than I originally thought. I just need to keep slowly pushing on things. I also received more details on what I need to do and there are a lot more details than I expected.
The hardest thing is realizing how much of my stuff that I thought had value really doesn't. This gets back to my earlier post: things only have value when we project value on them. I might place one value on an item and someone else could place a completely different value on the same item. It's all just one big consensual illusion. I also found out that selling things takes a lot more energy than I expected. This last week exhausted me. I think this will make me really cautious about bringing new things into my life. It does make the thought of just giving many things to the charity shops look really appealing right now. I just hope I can get reasonable money for the few big things that are left.
But there looks like there might be sunshine poking through the clouds. The estate agent helping me has found two more apartments that might be the best yet. They are in Meguro ward and look to have all the things that I'm looking for. I'm looking very forward to seeing these apartments. I just hope they remain available until I can arrive. I think I would really enjoy living in Setagaya or Meguro wards. I think it will be more residential, but there will be plenty of train stations along the route to work where I can do shopping and go to nice restaurants.
As I was thinking about this, it is almost an inverting of my situation in England. I'm living in Cambridge right now close to the train station and right off a big shopping street and I work out in the country. If I do end up living in Meguro I will be living in a more residential area and working in a more industrial and city area. But even these residential areas don't look like American suburbs or English villages. I just don't sense that there will be that sense of isolation and 'needing a car to do anything'. In both America and England one needs to drive in a car for at least 10-15 minutes to get groceries or pick up anything. I just don't sense Japan will have this kind of isolation in the residential areas especially when the closest train station might be only a 9 minute walk away. I guess that is the fundamental difference between a city person and a country person. A city person doesn't want the isolation while a country person might actually appreciate that isolation.
I think I am going to really like living and working in Tokyo/Yokohama.
The hardest thing is realizing how much of my stuff that I thought had value really doesn't. This gets back to my earlier post: things only have value when we project value on them. I might place one value on an item and someone else could place a completely different value on the same item. It's all just one big consensual illusion. I also found out that selling things takes a lot more energy than I expected. This last week exhausted me. I think this will make me really cautious about bringing new things into my life. It does make the thought of just giving many things to the charity shops look really appealing right now. I just hope I can get reasonable money for the few big things that are left.
But there looks like there might be sunshine poking through the clouds. The estate agent helping me has found two more apartments that might be the best yet. They are in Meguro ward and look to have all the things that I'm looking for. I'm looking very forward to seeing these apartments. I just hope they remain available until I can arrive. I think I would really enjoy living in Setagaya or Meguro wards. I think it will be more residential, but there will be plenty of train stations along the route to work where I can do shopping and go to nice restaurants.
As I was thinking about this, it is almost an inverting of my situation in England. I'm living in Cambridge right now close to the train station and right off a big shopping street and I work out in the country. If I do end up living in Meguro I will be living in a more residential area and working in a more industrial and city area. But even these residential areas don't look like American suburbs or English villages. I just don't sense that there will be that sense of isolation and 'needing a car to do anything'. In both America and England one needs to drive in a car for at least 10-15 minutes to get groceries or pick up anything. I just don't sense Japan will have this kind of isolation in the residential areas especially when the closest train station might be only a 9 minute walk away. I guess that is the fundamental difference between a city person and a country person. A city person doesn't want the isolation while a country person might actually appreciate that isolation.
I think I am going to really like living and working in Tokyo/Yokohama.
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