Monday, May 22, 2006
To be in the company of good friends again.
China was fun. I got pictures printed, which I very rarely do, and I love looking at them. I think this was my favorite trip I've taken while living in Japan. It was like a real vacation, and to visit someone I really enjoy spending time with.
Corrine and I were good friends our last year in college, but I guess I never realized how great until I visited her again. When I came to Japan my first year, she was working full time in the Admissions office at our college and it was also her first year of marriage. We almost lost touch for that entire year because she was too busy to write often. I was really disappointed because I was lonely in Japan she had promised to be my "snail mail buddy" while I was away.
However, during the hours and hours we spent catching up in China we even discussed that separation, and I realized that she was simply overwhelmed with life. She went from college student to college administrator and wife in just one month and Matt also had a challenging job as a full-time translator at a junior high school. Corrine told me their first month they came home, fixed a quick dinner, then went to bed at 8 p.m. One time lying exhausted in bed together Matt said, "There must be more than this." We all laughed so much. My body was so tired when I moved to Japan, I remember going to bed early and thinking the same thing!
It was so fun to hear about how their lives have changed. They have such a fun life in China. Their apartment really feels like a home, and their work sounds so challenging. As a married couple, they fit like two puzzle pieces. I was surprised and told them how kind they are to each other. Sometimes that can be challenging, I know!! Matt is working on his Master’s degree and looked exhausted when I first saw him. He kept the pace of our traveling pretty slow, but I actually came to appreciate that in the end. I went to China to visit friends, not to tour the country in 9 days. I told Matt that sitting in Starbucks for three hours or going back to the hotel early was fine, because Corrine and I could talk just about anywhere!
And we laughed. I love laughing and I really missed Corrine's laugh. She can just erupt in laughter and it's totally contagious! The way she tells her stories—she loves to tease herself through her own stories and expose her weaknesses. She's such fun to be around and I feel I can be completely honest with her. We’re both external processors and we could work out so much with our gears chirring away together!
Every restaurant we went to we sat for hours talking and talking. I felt sorry for Matt, and kept apologizing for stealing his wife, but he said he actually loved a new face in his environment. Like me, they are on a teaching program in China and are often surrounded by the same six Americans. Luckily they all get along very well with one another, but there’s nothing like choosing your friends!! Perhaps that’s the one thing I forgot about friends. There’s a huge difference between getting along with the people around you, and spending time with the friends you already love. Visiting Corrine helped me remember that and made me miss my friends so much!
Me at Shanghai Tower on the Bund.
I have so many pictures I'm having a hard time choosing just a few!
