Reflections on the End of the Year

With the start of the third and final semester it is impossible not to think about the end of the year. In less than 3 months, my one year contract will be up, and I will return to the US. It's hard to believe it has only been 5 years since I first came to Japan. My first trip to Japan after highschool opened a door to a country that has played such an important role in my life over the past few years. That trip led me to pursue Asian studies at college, to join the Japan America Student Conference, to study abroad, and finally to work here with JET.

This year Japan has provided the stage for my first real job, my first apartment, my first time living alone. It even pushed me to become comfortable speaking a second language in front of a classroom full of kids! Learning the ins and outs of having a job, an apartment, and teaching has been really difficult at times, but it has always made me feel really independent.

Every experience I had in Japan always had with Japan always had a logical next step. After my high school trip, I could study Asian studies at college, after the conference I could study abroad, and after studying abroad there was the possibility of JET. This time however, the future plan doesn't revolve around Japan the way my plans before did. I know that the option to continue learning about Japan on my own will always be there, and that I can always come back, even live here again if I want to. But Japan is no longer the focus of my future plans, and for someone who's life has been tied to this country for the past 5 years, that is a startling thought.

Japan has been the context in which I found independence. From my first visit, each experience with Japan challenged me to to become more comfortable on my own. Because of that, Japan feels like a really important part of who I am. Obviously that part of me doesn't disapeer when I return to live in the States. Although returning home requires a pretty big leap, I am excited. I am ready to be home, even if that requires adjustment.

That said I am trying to make the most of the time I have left, to absorb as much of Japan, and my friends here as I can. With that aim, Mariel and I spent Golden Week (4 day weekend) in Hakuba, a ski resot in the "Japanese Alps." It was still possible to ski there, but we figured the snow probably wouldn't be very good so we spent the weekend taking in the beautiful views, hiking, mountain biking, and eating great food.

On the way to Hakuba we stopped in Matsumoto to see the "Crow Castle."

It was my first time mountain biking and I was surprised to find that it literally meant biking up the mountain. After Mariel and I had already biked up a pretty steep incline we came to the base of the mountain and found that the trail we were following went directly up the hiking trail. With a lot of huffing and puffing, and an embarasing amount of rests we made it to the top. Just over the mountain was the lake, and the most exciting of all, the hill down. We biked all day, from the morning until we stopped for a very late lunch at about 3. We had a great time admiring the mountains as we biked around the base. After lunch we continued biking but unfortunantly my tire popped a hole and cut the day short.

Wind socks for National Children's Day in front of the mountains.