Change

Life.

It's beautiful, unpredictable, and short. Why not make the most of it? I haven't blogged since my Xanga days and I must say it's a bit weird to be here clicking away on my keyboard, reflecting on what I have done recently. Recently. Heh. Recently, time has seemed to fly by and I've lost count of how many days have passed since I changed my life. It comes whether you want it or not. I have come to accept change and even embrace it. That is why I am here in Iwaki-shi, Fukushima-ken, Japan, and not still in California. That's why I'm taking a break from engineering to teach English for a year. It's why I have decided to travel while I am still young, and why I am still in love.

I've been in Japan for 6 days, but it already feels like home. There is the obvious language barrier to get over, and the ridiculously frigid temperatures, but I think those issues will be alleviated with time. I look forward to learning Japanese and I have come to enjoy wearing winter clothing. For once in my life I actually have reasons to own sweaters, jackets, scarves, beanies, and gloves. I love the fact that Tokyo is a 3 hour bus ride/2 hour train ride away and that the town that I live in right now is small with some city-ish qualities. It has a couple of malls, some nice running trails, and a homey yet unfamiliar feel.

My warm feelings would not be possible without my girl. Right after I landed, she took me around Tokyo, taught me about Japanese idiosyncrasies and how to adjust to culture here, and treated me to a nice hotel and amazing food.

Reunion!

Meiji Shrine

Shibuya Scramble

Pokemon Center

Tokyo Skyline

Tokyo has the most amazing public transportation system ever. The whole city is connected via subway and a train comes every 4 minutes AT MOST. Sometimes the next train came 1 minute after the previous one. Some of the restaurant employ an electronic payment system where you order and pay a machine before you eat. You give the ticket to the waiter/chef, and the food is brought out to you. Tokyo never ceased to amaze me with its efficiency, cleanliness, and grandeur. The whole city is constantly in motion and I love it.

After spending a couple of days in Tokyo, we finally went home. To my new home. To our new home. After unpacking and settling in, we participated in a relay race!

In the short time that I have been here I have already met some amazing people, explored the city during a 10-mile run, cooked some amazing food with my girl, and started a blog! AMAZING! Okay, it's probably not as amazing to a person reading this with no context, but it feels pretty exhilarating to me. And that's all that matters. Why am I blogging then? I guess I just realized how nice it is to reflect and remember what you've done, before moving on and doing more amazing things with your life. Life is full of change and unpredictability, but ultimately you dictate the final outcome.