Silver Linings

August 26, 2004 7:57 PM (Shimodate)
August 26, 2004 6:57 AM (Ottawa)

Things are looking pretty good for the future this month, I am optimistic.

- My VISA has been renewed for another 6 months.
- Things are going well between Jen and I, though Janine seems hell bent on embarrassing us.
- Lisa and Tanya will be coming to stay with me for awhile in about 3 weeks. How long is unknown, at least until they find jobs here themselves.
- I now know about 150 kanji.

Today sucked badly, the kids were demons in disguise, but tomorrow will be great. Silver linings anyone?

Dread Anticipation

3:00 PM August 13, 2004 (Shimodate)
2:00 AM August 13, 2004 (Ottawa)

I am terrified of something at the moment, and I don't know what it is. My heart is pounding with dread anticipation, that feeling in horror movies when the music changes and you know something is coming.

There is something I need to do RIGHT NOW, but I don't know what it is. I feel that not doing it will be somehow disastrous, maybe Jaws is circling at the moment. I almost feel that I can see his fin if I look hard enough.

I don't work today, it's the first day of a 4 day weekend for me. So what must I do?

I will check my mail, then go and buy a new phone card. Something isn't right.

But what??

Jennifer

Aug 10, 2004 9:53 AM (Shimodate)
Aug 9, 2004 8:53 AM (Ottawa)

It has been a long time since I wrote here, and it's difficult to explain. I can sum it all up with one name, Jennifer, but she needs explaining further.

Jenifer and Ivy came to Ibaraki about 2 months ago to join our little Peppy team. Ivy is pretty cool, really sarcastic, and a lot of fun. Her apartment is right near a big beach so she hosts a lot of little events.

Jennifer is from Vancouver, just like almost every other Canadian over here. She was an education major, but wasn't sure about teaching.

We hit it off pretty quickly, and it's not unusual for us to send each other over 100 e-mails in a day. That is not as much as it sounds when you consider we are treating it like Aim. Lisa, Renuka, and I could probably match that or beat it many nights.

We discovered a lot in common, interests, ideals, humour, etc. Actually it was a bit odd for awhile, because it was like talking to a second me. There are enough little differences to make it fun though, and we never have less than a great time together.

I am not sure when things changed really, but talking and laughing became flirting and teasing at some point. The fact that our co-workers were trying to fix us up probably planted the idea in our heads, but it took root on it's own, and we are dating now.

That was certainly not something I expected, and I will have to leave Japan in 6 months, say goodbye, and get on with my life. But as many of my friends told me "6 months is a long time, anything can happen."