home

there is no doubt in my mind, i am home. i have felt neither the anxiety nor visceral reaction (pre-game poo) that i had anticipated. the other nova kids are intelligent, nice, and by god actually attractive. of course there are a few of the awkward ones that dont really fit in to society in the u.s., and can come here and feel comfortable because they have a pretty good excuse for not fitting in. i feel so very blessed, having left some fantastic, beautiful, witty, kind people to hopefully meet more of the same. there are so many people in this world that i care about, and know that no matter the time, distance, or change, i can always go back to them. my goal is to remember to express to them how grateful i am to have them in my life, and try to be a bit more humble and a less preoccupied with my own sensitivities and more aware of theirs. oh, and maybe there was a little pre-game poo (but just a little).

what have i gotten myself into?

so i just received the notice that the nova group in its infinite wisdom has placed me in nakatsu japan, on the northern part of the island of kyushu, near neither a major metropolitan city nor close access to surfing or snowboarding. hmmm, it seems that my edge of my excitement to leave the humdrum of central california may be somewhat dulled by the fact that this city could very well be a similar situation, with the bonus of not being able to understand anyone or eat a significant portion of the local delicacies such as fugu (blowfish) or horse meat sashimi. although i suppose i was left out of most of the local tasties here as well, considering the name of the town in which i am currently residing is spanish for lard. but there are some positives; the city of fukuoka is not too far away, with decent nightlife, great surfing, and a couple of promising tattoo parlours. and there are some fantastic onsen nearby (which will only prove useful if my current tattoos are overlooked), as well as some great hiking on some smaller islands easily accessed by ferry. it may very well turn out to be fantastic, however a little more work may be required to discover just how to make it fantastic, but when it comes to frivolous activities i have no trouble putting in a bit of effort. the actual work that i am supposed to be doing (the whole teaching english nonsense) may have to suffer a bit, but hey, gotta make sacrifices. (i hope my new bosses don't google for teachers blogs!)
but i have given myself two years, so i will appreciate a different experience of japan than the one i was expecting, and maybe move on in a year. the thing that will really make or break it will be my roommate and other nova teachers. if i meet some cool kids that are down to make the most of it, i'm sure to have some unforgettable experiences. if not, well, i will get a lot more writing done, and by the end have a book to show for it!