Maybe?
It’s been a long time. Let’s try this again and see how long I can keep it up this time. ^-^’
2017 has been a crazy full year. Filled with lots of friends, travel, happenings, and deaths.
2017 also marks the beginning of the end to my time on JET and a special chapter in my life.
Is it strange that life feels so normal now, and it doesn't really feel like it’s ending?
Presently I’m writing to you dear reader, from the library of one of my beloved schools.
The students and teachers of the school throughout the past few years have been a great source of
laughter and memories, that I hope will always live somewhere in my heart.
Right now it’s winter and it’s cold. Haruka Matsuishi
88
Don"t mind that sudden break in typing XD one of my students discovered my Bluetooth keyboard and became enamored with haha it (and decided to type some things) hehe.
So now, instead of my school library, of all places, I'm writing to you from the back of a pickup truck in Chiang Mai heading to Chiang Rai with wind flapping my hair in all directions and the sun warming my face.. Go figure. Who woulda thought. XD
Hopefully I'm wearing enough sunscreen and won't burn to a crisp.
Just now we were at La Jarin de Maejo and I discovered that I've been tricked by my coworker and our tour guide into being a major attraction at an event that they'll be holding there on the 27th. Their grand master plan is to have me be the spark that introduces Kyudo to Chiang Mai. I'm a little more worried about the safety of it all if I miss the target and the poor arrows Aren"t shooting at a proper paper target, but a plastic? (actually turned out to be wood, thank goodness) One >.< poor arrows! (Assuming I hit the target) Of O don't hopefully I won't break a statue in the garden or chip the fountain or anything... >.< I'll let you know what becomes of that.
Chiang Mai is an interesting place. It has quite a calm and relaxed feel that"s not super city which I like. Last night I went with a friend to a malll near the air power for my first dinner in Thailand which consisted of garlic meat and rice, pomelo salad, Thai gas and Mango sticky rice.*.Afterward, we went to a Muay Thai boxing tournament. It was very well coordinated and exciting, though I'm not super up with the people cheering when someone starts getting beat up thing. The cheering and music and light wavy sticks were fun though. Iy reminds me of the crowd hype in Japanese baseball where people have their chewing bats that they hi to getether therefor their team. Mmmm okay I think there are a lot of silly mistakes in the above and probably more of what I'm going to write, but I'll leave them in tact to preserve the authenticity of typing from the back of a truck. Ooo this countryside air smells very fresh and clean mmm oh wait maybe I imagined it... Anyhow, I was talking about the year and how I felt that it"s been a full one. How has 2017 been for you>I think 2018 will be an incredible yrear full of change and lots of things too. Wah the left side of my face is getting numb from the wind constantly blowing on it XD Next year, I'll be setting on a path for where I want my future to go. At present,, I"m intending to become more serious about voice acting and writing. Earlier in the year once April hit, I stated freaking out a little because I didn't"t know what was next. O course we never know what's next, but I had an urge to pursue my pastry arts dream for a while there and had considered going to study pastry arts in France. After doing some research and thinking it I've though, I realized that at the end of it all, I want to be in Japan, so I decided. I'm staying in Japan. Once that decision was made, I stopped freaking out. Yup. Japan is my home and I wanna keep it that way. I used to imagine traveling the word and writing, living in different places and getting to know other cultures more deeply, and that may still very well be a possibility. My friend that I mentioned earlier is doing just that and I can"t wait to read her book when she's finished writing it! Music and magic and a chase for a holy grail like song :> It's gonna be epic! Wah haha my hair"s getting super tangley in this wind! Right now we're driving through some forest like mountains and when the trees surround you it gets cooler and the atmosphere feels really refreshing until we reach the next stretch of road anyway. Moving on.
SOmetimes Japanese people will ask me why I came to Japan and I'll reply "Fushigi na ryu desu." It's a mysterious reason. (Btw autocorrect is a butt when you"re trying to type out words in hiragana.) The reason it's strange and mysterious is this. I don't know when it started or when I started feeling it, but growing up, I felt a sort of a pull toward something. Oh shoot, I think the wind is stealing away my hearing from whispering in it so long... :/I'm not really sure what that thing is that"s calling to me, but at some point I felt like it was Japan. So adding to my answer when people ask, I also say I, it's because "Japan was calling me." Maybe that just makes other people think I'm a little cray cray, but I myself admit that I am kinda of a weirdo, so it all lines up. XD
Life can be incredibly funny that way when it affirms what you believe. The circumstances that results from recognizing a calling...ugh I’m starting to sound preachy…
Anyway, I’m back home now in my awfully messy apartment. It’s good to be back home. I wonder when it was exactly that I started thinking of Japan as my home. * *
Oh I thought it’d be fun to list what’s on the book menu at the time of writing :) so I’ll include that as well.
Book Menu: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater *
At the moment I’m on my first writing sprint :)
Getting into a writing groove and making it a habit can be a real challenge, haha, but I think these writing sprints will help. It’s like having a running buddy, but with writing!
It’s strange how vacations/trips can remove you so far away from usual life. I love it! The way it puts a break in your routines really let you reassess things when you’re removed far enough.
It is now the second to last day of 2017. Oh and today I found out that my best friend from middle school asked me to be one of her bridesmaids * * * I can’t believe she’s getting married!!! I wonder what will happen in 2018. It’s funny though, how time’s separated by numbers/years that way. It really is a continuous thing isn’t it?
Anyhow, I’ve discovered that making New Year's resolutions is not very effective for me. Apparently my not liking being told what to do does not preclude myself. XD
I kinda copied Jilly’s joke resolution “eat more cake” and had set “study kanji more” and both those didn’t go so well haha though I probably got a decent share of cake.
I think a lot of things have changed in 2017. I started my voice acting journey, had the honor of presiding over a marriage, lost some loved ones, had lots of loved ones visit, came to terms with some inner battles, went on a 10 day meditation retreat, and so so much. Maybe time is starting to move forward for me. Maybe.
I’m excited to continue on this path I’m headed as a new year rolls around. I hope I get to see some of you in it as well. So thanks 2017 for all of your crazy fullness of everything, and I’m looking forward to what you’ll bring in 2018. Have another wonderfull year everyone *
love,
*mandy*
recap: library, students*, chiang mai trucking, villages, coffee farm, giant cat tails! onsen, kitties! snack attack, wasabi lays*, myanmar market, fruits, kyudoing, bath snacking, tigers, elephants, hugs, home*
dream recap: blurry
2017 has been a crazy full year. Filled with lots of friends, travel, happenings, and deaths.
2017 also marks the beginning of the end to my time on JET and a special chapter in my life.
Is it strange that life feels so normal now, and it doesn't really feel like it’s ending?
Presently I’m writing to you dear reader, from the library of one of my beloved schools.
The students and teachers of the school throughout the past few years have been a great source of
laughter and memories, that I hope will always live somewhere in my heart.
Right now it’s winter and it’s cold. Haruka Matsuishi
88
Don"t mind that sudden break in typing XD one of my students discovered my Bluetooth keyboard and became enamored with haha it (and decided to type some things) hehe.
So now, instead of my school library, of all places, I'm writing to you from the back of a pickup truck in Chiang Mai heading to Chiang Rai with wind flapping my hair in all directions and the sun warming my face.. Go figure. Who woulda thought. XD
Hopefully I'm wearing enough sunscreen and won't burn to a crisp.
Just now we were at La Jarin de Maejo and I discovered that I've been tricked by my coworker and our tour guide into being a major attraction at an event that they'll be holding there on the 27th. Their grand master plan is to have me be the spark that introduces Kyudo to Chiang Mai. I'm a little more worried about the safety of it all if I miss the target and the poor arrows Aren"t shooting at a proper paper target, but a plastic? (actually turned out to be wood, thank goodness) One >.< poor arrows! (Assuming I hit the target) Of O don't hopefully I won't break a statue in the garden or chip the fountain or anything... >.< I'll let you know what becomes of that.
Chiang Mai is an interesting place. It has quite a calm and relaxed feel that"s not super city which I like. Last night I went with a friend to a malll near the air power for my first dinner in Thailand which consisted of garlic meat and rice, pomelo salad, Thai gas and Mango sticky rice.*.Afterward, we went to a Muay Thai boxing tournament. It was very well coordinated and exciting, though I'm not super up with the people cheering when someone starts getting beat up thing. The cheering and music and light wavy sticks were fun though. Iy reminds me of the crowd hype in Japanese baseball where people have their chewing bats that they hi to getether therefor their team. Mmmm okay I think there are a lot of silly mistakes in the above and probably more of what I'm going to write, but I'll leave them in tact to preserve the authenticity of typing from the back of a truck. Ooo this countryside air smells very fresh and clean mmm oh wait maybe I imagined it... Anyhow, I was talking about the year and how I felt that it"s been a full one. How has 2017 been for you>I think 2018 will be an incredible yrear full of change and lots of things too. Wah the left side of my face is getting numb from the wind constantly blowing on it XD Next year, I'll be setting on a path for where I want my future to go. At present,, I"m intending to become more serious about voice acting and writing. Earlier in the year once April hit, I stated freaking out a little because I didn't"t know what was next. O course we never know what's next, but I had an urge to pursue my pastry arts dream for a while there and had considered going to study pastry arts in France. After doing some research and thinking it I've though, I realized that at the end of it all, I want to be in Japan, so I decided. I'm staying in Japan. Once that decision was made, I stopped freaking out. Yup. Japan is my home and I wanna keep it that way. I used to imagine traveling the word and writing, living in different places and getting to know other cultures more deeply, and that may still very well be a possibility. My friend that I mentioned earlier is doing just that and I can"t wait to read her book when she's finished writing it! Music and magic and a chase for a holy grail like song :> It's gonna be epic! Wah haha my hair"s getting super tangley in this wind! Right now we're driving through some forest like mountains and when the trees surround you it gets cooler and the atmosphere feels really refreshing until we reach the next stretch of road anyway. Moving on.
 |
| in case you wanted evidence of my truck adventures aka trying not to get squished by suitcases |
SOmetimes Japanese people will ask me why I came to Japan and I'll reply "Fushigi na ryu desu." It's a mysterious reason. (Btw autocorrect is a butt when you"re trying to type out words in hiragana.) The reason it's strange and mysterious is this. I don't know when it started or when I started feeling it, but growing up, I felt a sort of a pull toward something. Oh shoot, I think the wind is stealing away my hearing from whispering in it so long... :/I'm not really sure what that thing is that"s calling to me, but at some point I felt like it was Japan. So adding to my answer when people ask, I also say I, it's because "Japan was calling me." Maybe that just makes other people think I'm a little cray cray, but I myself admit that I am kinda of a weirdo, so it all lines up. XD
Life can be incredibly funny that way when it affirms what you believe. The circumstances that results from recognizing a calling...ugh I’m starting to sound preachy…
Anyway, I’m back home now in my awfully messy apartment. It’s good to be back home. I wonder when it was exactly that I started thinking of Japan as my home. * *
Oh I thought it’d be fun to list what’s on the book menu at the time of writing :) so I’ll include that as well.
Book Menu: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater *
At the moment I’m on my first writing sprint :)
Getting into a writing groove and making it a habit can be a real challenge, haha, but I think these writing sprints will help. It’s like having a running buddy, but with writing!
(no running for me thanks)
Oh yeah! So about that Kyudo exhibition, it turned out well :)
It was raining on the day of the event, which kinda threw our tour guide’s plans for a loop, so all of the supposedly head honcho famous? people I think didn’t show up because of the weather?
I found that quite agreeable though and although my tabi got soaked with our improvised outside shooting, I managed to hit the target with my second shot. X> The owner of the the guesthouse had me sign the target haha how funny.
Oh yeah! So about that Kyudo exhibition, it turned out well :)
It was raining on the day of the event, which kinda threw our tour guide’s plans for a loop, so all of the supposedly head honcho famous? people I think didn’t show up because of the weather?
I found that quite agreeable though and although my tabi got soaked with our improvised outside shooting, I managed to hit the target with my second shot. X> The owner of the the guesthouse had me sign the target haha how funny.
 |
| hehe I'd never been asked to sign something before XD |
It’s strange how vacations/trips can remove you so far away from usual life. I love it! The way it puts a break in your routines really let you reassess things when you’re removed far enough.
It is now the second to last day of 2017. Oh and today I found out that my best friend from middle school asked me to be one of her bridesmaids * * * I can’t believe she’s getting married!!! I wonder what will happen in 2018. It’s funny though, how time’s separated by numbers/years that way. It really is a continuous thing isn’t it?
Anyhow, I’ve discovered that making New Year's resolutions is not very effective for me. Apparently my not liking being told what to do does not preclude myself. XD
I kinda copied Jilly’s joke resolution “eat more cake” and had set “study kanji more” and both those didn’t go so well haha though I probably got a decent share of cake.
I think a lot of things have changed in 2017. I started my voice acting journey, had the honor of presiding over a marriage, lost some loved ones, had lots of loved ones visit, came to terms with some inner battles, went on a 10 day meditation retreat, and so so much. Maybe time is starting to move forward for me. Maybe.
I’m excited to continue on this path I’m headed as a new year rolls around. I hope I get to see some of you in it as well. So thanks 2017 for all of your crazy fullness of everything, and I’m looking forward to what you’ll bring in 2018. Have another wonderfull year everyone *
love,
*mandy*
recap: library, students*, chiang mai trucking, villages, coffee farm, giant cat tails! onsen, kitties! snack attack, wasabi lays*, myanmar market, fruits, kyudoing, bath snacking, tigers, elephants, hugs, home*
dream recap: blurry
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