Ryan,
What’s up man? I haven’t heard from you in ages and was wondering how you were doing. Actually, I don’t hear from anyone back home really. My family is among the worst e-mailers in the world and it’s a miracle if I get one a month from any of them. Being over here amazes me how fast we can get cut off from connections and before you know it a year or two or five have passed. I remember time going a lot slower in high school and college.
Things here are pretty much the same. The Japanese level 3 class I’m in is finally a real language class, unlike that joke I took last year. Everyone uses Japanese and are actually pretty good. I’m actually on the lower end which is good for me because it constantly forces me to improve. I enjoy being here but in doing so I have to sacrifice a couple years of “work experience.” I’m doing the job search now, and everyone wants to know how many years of work experience you have in every specific field. It makes me worry a bit because I don’t have much “real” job experience. This teaching English stuff is fun, but hardly a way to advance a career.
In other news, I got H to join the gym. Every time we were together it was the same old thing, shopping, eating, watching a video and sleeping. I got really tired of that and told her we were going to have to do something. I just am not the person who can sit and do nothing for a whole day every single week. I need to be accomplishing something or at least feel like I am. I joined a pay gym in Takadanobaba right by the station which is great. The University gym pissed me off because they want you to get a health check every year, and it turned into a big bureaucratic nightmare. After 3 weeks of dealing with them I just gave up and joined the pay place. They have a great shower room, just like at the Onsens we went to, complete with a Sauna, big hot a cold tubs, and plenty of space to relax in my birthday suit. I love Japan. I’m sure you can imagine that back in the states it would be filled with homos trying to spank each other in the hot tubs. They don’t have that problem here.
I still remember I need to get you that CD with the video and pictures on it. I promise I’ll get to it sooner or later. Will need your address first though.
Let me know what’s up,
Mateo
