Last Day In America (dramatic)

Numerous people has asked (threatened) me to start a blog about my adventures of living and teaching in Japan. Despite the strong armed advice about the topic, I was planning on doing it anyways. So yea, here it is. Due to the contract I’ve signed and a few other reasons, there is to be a whole bunch of vagueness in certain areas but thus is life. While this is the first post and I leave tomorrow, I won’t be in my apartment until May 17th - I think. So, I’ll be very reliant on free wifi until then for a post #2.

The very title of the blog comes from one seriously hardcore think tanking session during my going away party at my previous job. During the later, less sober, hours of the night - someone dropped the “Japandrew” bomb. It basically writes itself. It’s one of those cases of a suggestion being so perfectly bad that it just has to be so. Certain car wrecks you just can't turn away from; the title and this blog will be two of them.

So why Japan? It may be a bit of a juvenile answer but “why not?” I’ve never had a solidified answer to this question other than some sort of mystical and cliche calling. As someone who has never left North America, doesn’t speak Japanese, and doesn’t like seafood - the opposite side of the world seemed like the perfect place to move. The juxtaposition between the honorable work culture to tentacle porn just seems like a place I wouldn’t be able to say no to. On a more serious note, the environment, geography, culture, festivals, people, food, games - you name it - are all pretty damn enticing.

My good friend said it the best, “You always play things safe, this will be different and good for you.” Sometimes those who know you the best end up knowing you better than yourself. It sometimes takes that sort of obvious bluntness to really see the ‘forest between the trees.’ I have a problem of being too logical. While that may sound good, it really can be quite a headache. If you spend too much time puzzling out illogical or foolish ideas - you’re going to end up being, well, predictable. So f@#$ it. With a masters in education, no teaching job in America, and no overpowering roots - dare I say that this isn’t even that illogical. There I go, I’ve done it again. Since I’ve chosen teaching as my career, this will get the ball rolling. It’s definitely out of the ye old safe zone though, and that’s what’s important.

Saying my farewells to friends a week ago and saying farewell to family now is a pretty horrific experience I don’t wish on anyone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the most touching and tear jerking experiences imaginable. I’m not ashamed to say I cried nearly every time getting in my car after a personal goodbye and for half of the drive out of Florida on my way to Massachusetts. So many of my friends changed their Facebook profile pictures to an old photo of them with me that I had people messaging me making sure I didn’t die. Others performed what another friend called “eulogize the living,” where they poured their hearts out to me, talked about certain memories, or the long history of our friendship. I’m not sure if you can become dehydrated from tears, but if so, I had to be close. I'm drinking lots of water.

I will miss all of you savages. Part of this blog will be for my own hubris, for my “future Japanese babies that will love looking back on it one day” (quoted by my sister-in-law but thought by everyone - this will be a future post in its own), and for the people I care about to actually keep up with my awe, descent into madness, confusion, amusement, wonderment, beauty, and tentacle porn obsession (kidding, as of now). My phone number will be disconnected soon so the best way to get a hold of me will be Facebook, email, and Skype - if you need any of those, message me.

There is definitely something surreal about writing this my last night in America for at least a year. Getting rid/donating the majority of everything you own and handing over your car keys to someone else is unreal. My nightmare right now is my luggage and weight restrictions. Once they are taken care of tomorrow morning, I’ll be able to switch to what should be on my mind - Japan and teaching. I’m too stressed to even be sad right now.