Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Greetings from PDX!
I already know I'm an organic, tree-hugging Oregonian, but I just thought of another reason why I LOVE Portland: free internet at the airport! Why are all those other airports so cheap and charge like $7 for internet! Geesus louisus!
So I'm in the airport and heading back to Boston. I gave myself the recommended 2 hours to check-in and go through security and it took like 10 minutes. I have almost 2 hours to wait now... The guy in the chair across from me is eating his nails, then gave me the "wassup" nod when I looked at him. The fingers in the mouth part is so unattractive and has encouraged me to watch my own habits!
Christmas was great. I was really eager to "make memories" this year and I think that was accomplished. It's pretty easy to get busy during the holidays and never actually do anything above and beyond the typical materialistic pursuits of shopping and over-indulging. I'm glad we went out to the coast and I visited with old friends back in Oregon for the holidays.
We also started getting the house cleaned up a little more and I'm happily down to just two homes again. I've always hated having my things spread out in different cities and countries, or even apartments. This fall/winter was exhausting having little parts of my life all over Portland, Tokyo, Detroit and then! the prospect of getting it to Boston. Finally I feel like my special things are carefully packed in Oregon and all my heaviest coats are in transit to Boston. Despite Boston being in the 50s last week I am coming prepared with winter hats, gloves and scarves! I've invested so much in coats this year!
This year has been very different. Since being back in the states some people have asked me about my time in Japan or whether I've experienced re-entry culture shock, etc. I've traveled abroad enough to know that most people are looking for the superficial answers like, "It was just great!" and I only expect a couple people to actually take the time to sit down, ask the interesting questions and then listen to my answers. Inevitably those people are usually the people who have spent 6 months or more in a foreign country and know that it was more than "just great."
In fact, mostly I haven't felt a lot of re-entry culture shock--at least not in a way that really surprises or disgusts me. Of course I've noticed differences: American's cell phone habits in public areas are horrendous and everyone is so darn informal (what happened to the art of walking your guests to the door?!), but it's not like I'm scratching on the walls of Japan's immigration office and begging to be let back in. I've handled most situations pretty well, I believe.
However, things are different this year. I do feel like the person who left for Japan in 2004 is not the same person who came back in 2006. I see the world with different eyes and I think the conversations I have are not with the same perspective. My interests have changed. My priorities have changed. My mentality has changed. I can't always be sure how they are different, but I do notice a difference. I prefer to write in specifics and using examples but I'm also not sure how to go about describing it. Mostly I just take every opportunity to talk, talk, talk!!! I'm sure my family has felt roped into conversations about politics, religion and culture way more than usual this year!
I've also made a few relatively big decisions in the last couple of months--they are pretty personal so I won't go into them here, but a lucky few of you will get to hear all about them whenever I can steal your time!
More posts and pictures when I get back to Boston! Safe holidays now, ya hear?!
So I'm in the airport and heading back to Boston. I gave myself the recommended 2 hours to check-in and go through security and it took like 10 minutes. I have almost 2 hours to wait now... The guy in the chair across from me is eating his nails, then gave me the "wassup" nod when I looked at him. The fingers in the mouth part is so unattractive and has encouraged me to watch my own habits!
Christmas was great. I was really eager to "make memories" this year and I think that was accomplished. It's pretty easy to get busy during the holidays and never actually do anything above and beyond the typical materialistic pursuits of shopping and over-indulging. I'm glad we went out to the coast and I visited with old friends back in Oregon for the holidays.
We also started getting the house cleaned up a little more and I'm happily down to just two homes again. I've always hated having my things spread out in different cities and countries, or even apartments. This fall/winter was exhausting having little parts of my life all over Portland, Tokyo, Detroit and then! the prospect of getting it to Boston. Finally I feel like my special things are carefully packed in Oregon and all my heaviest coats are in transit to Boston. Despite Boston being in the 50s last week I am coming prepared with winter hats, gloves and scarves! I've invested so much in coats this year!
This year has been very different. Since being back in the states some people have asked me about my time in Japan or whether I've experienced re-entry culture shock, etc. I've traveled abroad enough to know that most people are looking for the superficial answers like, "It was just great!" and I only expect a couple people to actually take the time to sit down, ask the interesting questions and then listen to my answers. Inevitably those people are usually the people who have spent 6 months or more in a foreign country and know that it was more than "just great."
In fact, mostly I haven't felt a lot of re-entry culture shock--at least not in a way that really surprises or disgusts me. Of course I've noticed differences: American's cell phone habits in public areas are horrendous and everyone is so darn informal (what happened to the art of walking your guests to the door?!), but it's not like I'm scratching on the walls of Japan's immigration office and begging to be let back in. I've handled most situations pretty well, I believe.
However, things are different this year. I do feel like the person who left for Japan in 2004 is not the same person who came back in 2006. I see the world with different eyes and I think the conversations I have are not with the same perspective. My interests have changed. My priorities have changed. My mentality has changed. I can't always be sure how they are different, but I do notice a difference. I prefer to write in specifics and using examples but I'm also not sure how to go about describing it. Mostly I just take every opportunity to talk, talk, talk!!! I'm sure my family has felt roped into conversations about politics, religion and culture way more than usual this year!
I've also made a few relatively big decisions in the last couple of months--they are pretty personal so I won't go into them here, but a lucky few of you will get to hear all about them whenever I can steal your time!
More posts and pictures when I get back to Boston! Safe holidays now, ya hear?!
