Five.

First of all, this post isn't that interesting, it doesn't have some meaningful epiphany at the end, and it most definitely isn't funny. So if your not that interested, and your expectations are high, I'd stop reading now. (In fact I would encourage you to stop reading now)

For those brave enough to continue.. here we go.

Today is monday. Tomorrow is tuesday. And I fly out wednesday. So naturally, my thought process went as followed: Today is Monday, I am leaving on wednesday, meaning I had all of Tuesday to say my final goodbyes, pack, and enjoy my last day home. Hah. Wrong.

Tonight, at about 8:30pm, I discovered that I wasn't in fact scheduled to leave in two days, but that I was scheduled to fly out tomorrow. After a bit of a panic, I got myself together and was grateful that I had discovered 22 hours before the flight, and not tomorrow morning when I usually check my email. My sister helped as we dumped all of my stuff in the living room and I spent the rest of my night trying to fit all the stuff I had accumulated into my suitcases.

So finding out tonight that I was leaving tomorrow wasn't a big deal. I was excited to go back to Canada and everything had been worked out on the Canadian end (they had the right dates). I had all my stuff ready to go and all that needed to be done was the actual placing in the suitcase. I'm fast at that, so really it wasn't a big deal. Honestly, It was more funny then anything. I couldn't stop laughing the whole night. But after the quick panic and the sudden switch into "pack as fast as you can" mode and the good laugh, I realized that I was leaving. And that hit me hard.

It's weird that you can spend the last few weeks of your time at home excited to go back, and then your last few hours in tears because it's over.

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of home lately, which is really the point of this blog post (your probably thinking..yes.. she finally got there). Being Canadian but living in Japan, the question "where do you call home" comes up more than enough times. As a TCK we go through countless boring seminars about where are home is and how are home is in Christ (very true though, I'm not dyning it). But I mean, no offense to those seminar people, it's kind of nice to know I have a physical house too. So I've always answered the question with "I consider both my home. I feel at home in both places, I love both places, and to me, they are both and always will be home." (pretty simple right)

However, two homes can sometimes, especially in situations such as now, be frustrating. Life would technically be a lot easier if I had stayed in Canada all my life. My family would only be a drive away. I would understand the country of Canada better and not feel hopeless when elections come around. I would be a lot better driver (hopefully). I could call or text my family during the day because they aren't sound asleep. My family would be able to see and visit the life that I have begun in Canada. And I wouldn't have to be restricted to seeing my family once a year because of the cost of a flight. It sucks. That's really all I have to say about it. Sometimes, it's not fun.

But being the optimist that I am.. I hardly ever let myself think like that. So here are couple of the multitudes of benefits I have come up with.

I get the experience of flying. I love traveling... and I get to travel all the time.
I have experienced different cultures and nationalities in a way that most people don't ever have the opportunity too.
I have the ability to somewhat understand and speak another language. (even if a conversation with a 3 years is about as good as it gets.)
I get to know people who are all over the world. Not all of my friends are all in one place, which kinda sucks, but we're thinking positive right now.. so I won't go there.
I eat things that I probably never would have considered if I had grown up in North America. Things such as seaweed, octopus on a stick, and delicious things like that.
When Asian tourists come to Canada, I understand why they wear face masks around their mouth and towels around their neck. Otherwise I would be absolutely confused and weirded out.
I have learn to become more independent because my family isn't just a drive away. I'm not saying that those people would be less independent then me. But because I am so close with my family, if they had lived close, I don't think I would have been able to do the things I was able to do this year. I have grown so much being away. So in this case, them living far away has been a benefit.
I could go on, but most importantly-
My family has the privilege of serving God in an incredible country, with incredible people, and incredible beauty. (incredible)

When I get frustrated that I have to be split and torn, I remind myself that God has blessed me with two homes, and the ability to cope with that. I would grow up in Japan a hundred times over again, and for that, I am thankful.

So, as I say goodbye to my family here, and my home in Japan, I will get on a plane knowing that as I'm leaving home, I'm coming home. And that is a rare bliss.

Four.

My observations while commuting to work.

1. Riding to work in a crowded train would not work well in North America. People would complain about personal space, people would talk to loud, people would smell, and again, people would complain. Japenese people, they don't talk. If you talk on trains you get stared at. If you eat on trains you get stared at. If you sneeze on trains you get stared at. And God forbid, if you talk on the phone on trains, you practically get murdered with their eyes. This just would not work well in North America.

2. I have come to rely on the little old man who waters his pavement every day at 5 as I get off. Not his plants, or flowers, or even a tree. But the pavement. 

3. One time the trains were late and 3 people pulled out their phones to take a picture of it. 

More to come.

Three.

Dishwashers.

This is what I have to say about dishwashers. I dislike them. With a passion. I am definitely the minority when I say this, but it's definitely true. Here is why.

1. I like to wash dishes as I go. Whenever I cook or bake, the counters have to be spotless or I go mental.

2. Typically, you have to rinse the dishes anyway to pretty much remove every piece of food so that the dishwasher practically gets the easy part of the job. So why not just wash the dish while your at it?

3. Some dishwashers leave dishes with this strange film feeling that makes me shiver.

4. Washing the dishes can be very therapeutic. Dishwashers are not.

5. You have to load, push buttons, wait, then unload the dishwasher. I feel like that is more work then just washing the dishes.

Ya.

That's all.

Two.

So I guess the idea of blogging throughout the whole year backfired miserably. So here is my attempt to start again. Wish me luck as I try to entice you enough to keep up, and entice myself enough to keep going.

So since I skipped a year of blogging, forget about it. I adjusted better then I thought and turns out I'm not as much of a foreigner in my own country as I thought. Good news right? Yup, it is.

I'm guessing that my blog will be a bunch of lists, because I love lists, and truthfully, who doesn't?
So, list one:

Things I truly missed about Japan:

1. Umbrellas to not only protect yourself from the rain or snow, but the sun.

2. Incredible service behind every counter no matter how bad their day is going. Because in all truthfulness, the entire world doesn't need to know that your day sucked.

3. Trains. Need I say more.

4. The fact that the majority of Japanese drunks turn into happy little boys rather then creepy men.

5. No tipping. As much as I love congratulating my waiter on a job well done, sometimes my wallet doesn't.

6. I don't have to get sick of every song in the top 40 because it doesn't play in every store or in every car. Now I have only myself to blame for pushing "replay" on youtube too many times. (Those who have lived with me would have to agree)

7. The fact that every train arrives right on time, to the dot. If its 30 seconds late: somethings wrong.

8. Hearing Japanese. As much as I wish I understood everything in the Japanese language, it's fun to sit there and just listen to a language other then English.

9. The fact that eating seaweed and dried squid is accepted and not looked down upon. (Again, those who live with me would understand).

10. The Starbucks wiped cream. For some reason it tastes better in Japan.


Well, there is 10 for you to ponder on, and I can promise that the list will expand soon enough.

Cheers.

One.

Congratulations. You now you have access to my diary. Live vicariously through my adventures. Laugh at my embarrassing moments. And enjoy the life I'm living and hopefully I won't bore you.

I've been in Canada for less than a week. Though the life here is different then the life I have lived in Japan the past 15 years of my life, it feels somewhat familiar. At this point I'm still scared to order over the counter because the people on the other sides scare me. I'm still in awe of the vast amounts of sky their actually is. And jet leg is still forcing me to nap half way through the day. It's going to take some getting used to, and I don't know if I'm going to like most of it, but I'm excited to try, to learn and to experience. Wish me luck as I start me new life as a true foreigner in my own country.