Back in Japan!
I should have mentioned I was leaving, but there was a lot of stuff going on at the end of the year. I was trying to get various things lined up and in order, such as visa paperwork, leaving my band, etc.
It was so great to be home. I definitely gained weight, though! Not only was it due to larger American portions, but because I was trying to eat as much American stuff as possible in the short time I had!
Now, I’ve been in Japan for several years now, and as such I am no longer very sensitive to the differences between cultures, i.e. I am not too hung up on the differences. This is Japan so I do things in a mostly Japanese way, when in America, I try to revert to American-ness. It can be hard, though, especially when I realized that people seem to talk more to each other in America. I liked this, especially when a random woman came up to me when I was shopping and said, “you are dressed very nice!”, but sometimes I thought the employees at some stores were too friendly. I am not your ‘bro’! Haha.
All in all, it was fantastic to see family, have great conversations, and play with my little 2-year-old niece and nephew!!
Here are some pictures:
This is the waterfront of Napa, California. I was born there and lived there until 4th grade.
Pizza and beer! Absolutely phenomenal pizza. Pizza and Mexican food are definitely the two things I miss most about the States, because I am a fat American.
Napa is famous for wine, as many of you might know. Of course I had to show you some of the vineyards.
Most religious families attend a Christmas Eve service at their local church… which must be hard on little children, who just want to get to sleep as soon as possible in anticipation of Santa!!
Christmas morning in Clovis, California. My parents, brother, sister, and grandmother are all in this photo. To the right is the piano on which I tempered my musical genius! (*few would ever call it ‘genius’)
The mountains as seen from Rancho Cucamonga, California. We have family down there, as well as in Claremont. And, as the family grows, also Riverside and Apple Valley!
In & Out, a mandatory culinary experience for all who come through California.
This is my house in Clovis. Growing up we were pretty modest, and many of our close friends lived in relatively larger/nicer places, so while obviously grateful for a roof over my head I took it for granted until moving to Japan.
My parents bought the place during a really opportune time for housing prices. We lived on the very edge of what had been being developed up to that point, and my dad is good at finding deals like this. The housing bubble bursting a couple years back has certainly had an effect on the area, but all in all timing was very good when we moved in years and years ago.
On the left is my grandpa’s old truck, a stick shift. I will never understand stick and I sincerely hope it goes away. Can any of you drive a stick shift? If you can, let me just tell you that secretly I am very jealous.
And finally, me and my grandma, who is the coolest lady. Multi-instrumentalist, award-winning painter, and a Girl Scout alumnus. I hope your grandma is as cool as mine.
I’ll try to take more pictures of my daily life in the weeks coming up. Glad to be back!