Seeing Sayonara

I didn't summit Mt. Fuji.

We tried, and made it to the 7th Station, but the typhoon made it nearly impossible to go any further. At 11:30 pm, I swallowed my pride and admitted defeat. After months of planning and hours of research, it was tough for me to descend without reaching the top. Frankly, I felt lousy.

However, I really (re)learned something valuable: And I quote, "Life is a journey, not a destination." I know, I know, it sounds corny but despite my friends and I not reaching the summit of Mt. Fuji this weekend, we had -- I think -- a great time nonetheless. It was probably one of the most enjoyable, and incredibly hilarious vacations since coming on the JET Programme. Indeed, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard till I cried (and if I ever decide to re-start my blog, once you see the pictures, you'll understand why).

So, while initially I was bummed we didn't reach the summit, in the end, it didn't really matter. I feel lucky to have spent my weekend with such an awesome group of people. Thank you.

Anyway, that's it. I figured some of you would be curious as to whether or not I made it well, now you know. I've had a great time in Japan these past 2 years; sometimes, I can hardly believe that I won't be here next week. I've met a lot of great people, I've seen a lot of great places and, I've done a lot of great things. This has been an experience I will not readily forget.

Thanks for everything.

皆さん、二年間本当にありがとうございました。僕の日本生活はもう少し終わるけど、皆さんのおかげで本当に忘れがたい経験が出来ました。僕は、絶対皆さんを忘れません。それは、ありがとうございました。

では、さよなら。

Disconnected

I will cancel my Internet tomorrow. This probably means no more IM-chat, evening blog posts, etc. I'll have access to the Internet at school until the 20th so, if you want to get a hold of me please, EMAIL ME. I'll probably try to write one more blog post then (obviously).

As I mentioned before, I don't know if I'll maintain this blog after I go back to Canada. Hopefully something interesting will happen and I'll find the motivation to continue blogging but, for now, this is it.

Anyway, if I haven't said it enough, thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I've enjoyed writing in it. Take care, eh.

The View From Home

Time is fleeting.

I'll probably cancel my Internet sometime this week so, I'm not sure how much longer I will blog. I'll be able to check my email at school but as for regular posts, it doesn't look like I'll be able to continue much longer. Things have been good -- if not unbelievably busy.

Anyway, no complaints -- in 14 days, this will come to an end. It's been one heck of a ride.

傘の泥棒

ダレが俺の傘をぬすんでいった？！

Everybody in Japan has an umbrella. 5 of them are mine. Japan is definitely one of the safest countries in the world. People carry wads of cash to pay for things; you can walk around at night completely safe in the knowledge that 99.8% of the time nobody will get in your face; people leave their bags, wallets, laptops in restaurants without even considering that it might get stolen; etc. Generally speaking, Japan is awesome in that regard.

However, when it comes to umbrellas, it's a no-holds bar country. Every umbrella in sight is up for grabs -- from the 105 yen umbrellas one can purchase at the Daiso to the, well, I've never paid more than 500 yen for any of my umbrellas so, I don't know how much the most expensive ones are. To even think about it is strange; I blame the rainy season.

その事がびっくりした。

And the Countdown Begins?

Actually, not really. I think I've been so busy recently that it has kind of slipped my mind that I'll be leaving Japan in exactly 3 weeks. I'm right now focused on something bigger so, there won't be any countdowns on this blog -- not yet anyways.

In other news, I finally got a leg-up on the packing/cleaning today. Although I still have quite a bit of rubbish to sort out, the place is starting to look a little bit more sterile. My friend suggested I do a "suitcase rehearsal" in the following weeks as well.

While things are going smoother on the "sayonara-side" of things, I'm still anxious about the "What's Next?"-part. One step at a time, eh?