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Fish

Clique

22.3.10

Fish Out of Water



hello friends,
the past few days have been wizzing by in a whirlwind like fashion. starting out at the airport where i left my mom i found myself alone in this big world. it was a very freeing feeling. but also a little unnerving. not that i ever get nervous but if i did it would have been then. but the more pressing issue at hand was the 15 hour plane ride in which i was about to embark upon and i still found myself in a state of relative disbelief that i am actually about to leave. this trip was has always been 3 months away, 2 months away, 2 weeks away, 3 days away, yet there i was sitting in the terminal about to leave. of course with my luck i ended up in the section with the child who would never stop crying or yelling. but with the exception of that the flight was enjoyable. i caught up on some movies and such as the blindside, the informant, law abiding citizen, and other movies whose titles escape me now.

once in japan i took a series of trains to my grandfather's house and after a few quick hellos i proceeded to pass out and not wake up until midday the next day. that whole day ended up with me being just a vegetable as my body tried to adjust to the jet lag (Japan is 13 hours ahead of NJ). for dinner my grandfather made a stew that was very appropriate for an 80 year old man who has health concerns and wants to eat right. but this dish was not for me. of course i ate some and proceeded to make my own lil meal afterwards. the up side to dining with him was the sake he "insisted" i drink.

the next day was a very special day. it was a day in which we mourn and remember the deceased in the family. in our case we remembered our late grandmother who passed away about 12 years ago. this is a very important tradition in japanese families for them to remember their dead and celebrate their lives periodically after they have passed. so my grandfather and i pick up one of my cousins and go over to the place where the ceremony is being held (a short train ride away). picture a funeral parlor decorated for a wake, but instead of a bunch of people mourning one dead, it is a bunch of families mourning their respective dead relatives. it was here that i had my first "i'm a fish out of water" experience. as i got in the elevator i realized that i am a full head and shoulders taller than everyone else. and as soon as i got out there was a camera guy who would not leave me alone because i was sticking out like a sore thumb.

after the ceremony went to my aunt and uncle's house where we stayed for the remainder of the evening. Fumiya "insisted" i drink with him so again i spent another night catching up and drinking sake like a wholesome Japanese man. its a good feeling.

次回までに

M@

1 comment:

  1. HALF JAPANESE,HALF SWEET!!!!!!
    Are you kidding me?

    What are you?
    Some kinda tea serving Gashia Boy?!?!?!

    I "PROMISE", you'll never get any respect w/a blog title like that!

    How about I give you some ideas for a blog title..
    1. Half Japanese, Half "AMERICAN"!!!! (whatta concept).
    2. "The Adventurer". B/c as a young man starting out in life you're gonna have many, many exciting adventures (some good and some bad)and tales that are worthy of blogging about. Some of them will last for months and some may be for only a few short hours. But a lot can happen in a short amount of time so don't discount it. OR
    3. HOw about 'Opinionated Young Man Goes to Visit Country Where Opinions Don't Matter". Whats wrong w/that picture?
    OR
    considering your stated objectives in the very first blog, how about...
    4. "MY" life and times! Admittedly not too catchy, but accurate.

    Thats all the suggestions I have for now. I could go on but I think you get my point.
    Remember as you go about your way in a strange land that you hope to parley (maybe)into a major benifactor to your career....

    "GO STRONG BUT GO HUMBLE"
    Rebel-1

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