sublingua

(Be present.)

(It's past.)

(Go there now.)

I received an email from The Kaisha dynamic duo. The email was a list of information to verify (my email, phone number, etc.) and also a list of things that other teachers say they wish they had brought. Here, verbatim, is that list:

Deodorant
Toothpaste with fluoride (hard to find in Japan)
Postcards and photos of your town, family friends etc. (for yourself as well as to show to students)
Measuring cups with the metric systems as well as in pounds/ounces
A thermometer to take air temperature as well as body temperature (In Japan the temperature is taken in Celsius/Centigrade not Fahrenheit.)
A travel clock (perhaps with the thermometer.)
Halloween Party Costume (especially for Amity teachers)
Grammar book
Magazine Subscription
Extra shoes (casual and dress), as sizes for average westerners are very difficult to find, even in Tokyo.

Now, it's been killing me to try to estimate how much deoderant I'm going to need for a year. I mean, seriously, do you have any idea how much deoderant you go through in a year? I mean, when you run out, you just buy a new one, right? And don't even get me started on toothpaste. Or shoes. The thermometer was a good idea, so I added it to the list of things to get for my first aid kit. But a Halloween costume? No, really. A Halloween costume? And, too, where in the hell am I going to find a costume in June?

And while I was reading this list, the thought suddenly struck me:

HOLY SHIT, I'M MOVING TO JAPAN.

I'm moving to Japan, kids. I'm packing up my life and moving to another country. I'm packing and moving and it'll be a year before I see many of you (well, not YOU specifically, because many of you I've never seen) again. I'm leaving the country. I'm putting my belongings on my back and movin' on. Baby.

That's right.

But I'm still grateful. Right now, I'm grateful for blueberries and anxiety. I'm grateful for George, the peacock, whose mating calls have driven lesser birds insane. I'm grateful for CostCo and a CostCo card not in my name (long story and/or you had to be there) even though I have a CostCo membership. I'm grateful for this day, for this time. I'm grateful for this moment, for my new size eight speedo swimsuit (which is really like a size freakin' four once I squeeze myself into it). I'm grateful for K & K, without whose help I would never have even gotten off the ground. I'm grateful. I'm grateful. I'm grateful.

retreat or surrender

More lies:
Waking Sleeping Demons II - Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011
Waking Sleeping Demons - Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011
time - Friday, May. 20, 2011
- - Wednesday, Oct. 06, 2010
The Return - Tuesday, Oct. 05, 2010