There and back again

There and back again…..I thought about what an appropriate title this was for our blog as we flew back.  Here we go….Japan take #2…….

I apologize to those of you who are regular readers for not writing one single blog while in the States.  I had the best of intentions to write a few blogs to tell you all about what I was doing or who I was visiting while at home, but honestly I just had too much going on.  Every single day at home it felt like Ian and I had to go here, do this, visit these people, eat dinner with those people.  It was rush, rush, go, go, and I honestly didn’t even open my laptop while at home.  I used my iPhone to check email or Facebook but never really quite had time to write a blog post….

So what was it like to be home?  Well, at first it was weird.  It felt like so much had changed….and yet nothing.  When I told people this, they usually responded the same way: “It’s Paducah.  Nothing has changed.”  A couple of people even suggested that it’s probably not the town  or people who have changed but rather me that did the changing.  What a novel concept to me!  It makes sense, though.  I’ve been away for a year doing things that the typical Paducahan doesn’t get the opportunity to do, so it would make sense that I’m the one who has changed.  I had forgotten simple everyday American things like it was okay to wear my shoes inside the house or that it wasn’t okay to hold a bowl up to my face and rake in the leftovers with my eating utensils.  Family and friends sometimes cocked their heads in confusion when I did something Japanese like saying “Dozo” (the Japanese equivalent of “go ahead”) or I marveled at the size of their “small” cars.  I had forgotten how big my parents’ minivan was, and when they picked me up at the Nashville airport, I told them that their vehicle was seriously twice the size of my little Japanese car.    The first time I got into my American car, it felt like I was driving a tank.  I have a Ford Focus…..by no means a large car, yet it felt HUGE!  When I pulled out of my parents’ driveway for the first time, Ian (sitting in the passenger side) said, “You’re on the wrong side of the road.”  I said, “No I’m not.”  He said it two more times before I realized that I was driving on the left side of the road….just like we do in Japan!    

One thing that I realized was how much I miss while away.  I miss the little everyday things.  My family discussed funny things that happened at family gatherings within the past year, my friends had new inside jokes, or someone would casually mention some local tidbit of news that anyone in the tri-state area should know about, and it made me realize that even though we left, everyone at home continued on with their lives.  A lot changed in one year, actually.  Friends and family members got married, had babies, moved, got new jobs, graduated, celebrated milestone birthdays, etc.   I’m not saying that I expected people to stopping existing just because the Reeds left town, but it definitely made me realize just how much had changed and how weird that was for me to grasp.

It also made me realize how much I miss it all.  I don’t regret my time in Japan, but being home made me question my time away.  Ian and I said that we want to travel and to do another program after this one, but after spending a little time at home, I honestly don’t know if that’s what I want to do.  I know that if we moved back to Paducah, we’d get restless and want to go elsewhere.  Why is it that you always want what you can’t have?   The perfect compromise would be to have all of the amenities of home (including friends and family) in Japan or be able to have the constant sense of adventure and sweet job at home.  *sigh*  If only!

A couple of questions that I got while at home surprised me. I was really shocked when people asked if I ate with chopsticks.  ……….I live in Japan.    Yes, I eat with chopsticks everyday.  Another question was about driving.  Yes, I drive on the left side of the road in Japan.  That’s just how it is.   Actually, one of my favorite things to do while at home was to show off my Japanese driver’s license and explain how the license process works in Japan.  Ian got tired of me doing it time after time, but I loved to see people’s jaws drop as I explained the amount of checks and the proper order of those checks with doing something as simple as getting in the car.  I left my purse on the back of my chair at one restaurant, and one of my friends pretended like he was going to steal it.  I told him that he could have everything in the purse, but just give me back that darn Japanese license!!!!  After ALL THAT I WENT THROUGH to get it, the LAST thing I wanted was to lose it.    

Anyway, so here we are…….back for another year.  One more year to learn Japanese, explore this country, learn more about the culture, travel, make connections with students, and so much, much more…..   HERE WE GO!