Ten Days

I only have ten days left in Japan. Maybe I'll update my blog everyday!!!

Have a frightful Halloween, from all of us at the Ryan in Osaka blog.

Hot Pepper Model

I entered the staff lounge yesterday, eating Andes Mint Chocolates that I bought at an international food store.

"Hey Ryan," a co-worker said to me as I entered. "Is this a picture of you in a Hot Pepper ad?" Hot Pepper is a monthly local publication that has ads and coupons for all kinds of services, including English schools.



"No."

"Are you sure? Look at this picture."

I took a look.




"No, Jake, that's a Japanese woman."

"No, next to her..."

I looked again.



"Oh yeah, hmm... I guess that is me..."

"What are you doing in an ad for a school that you don't work for?"

I stopped to think. That was a good question. I recognized the student I was teaching. Why couldn't I remember this photo being taken? The picture doesn't look like it was taken from across the room. And how could a company that I don't work for publish me in their advertising without even notifying me? (let alone paying me) My head started to hurt.

"To be honest, Jake," I replied. "A lot of things happen in this country that I don't understand."

I went back to eating my Andes Mint Chocolates.

Forty Days: Kanada ni kaerimasu.

Everyday, someone asks me how long I've been in Japan. "About a year," I reply. Sugoi!/Wow! they exclaim - either they think that's a really short or really long time. Actually, I think they just pretend to be surprised because there aren't many other reactions you could have when someone tells you they've been living in Japan for a year.

I don't feel like this year has flown by. Coming to Japan feels like ages ago and this whole era of my life has felt like just that: an entire era. Interestingly enough, my mind has adapted to Japan being 'home' and going back to visit Canada this summer felt like an exotic adventure. I sometimes daydream about what life's going to be like in Canada... giant waterfalls, maple syrup, snowshoes year-round, many natures, "aurora"... or at least that's what my students are telling me.

But yeah, as I was saying, Japan now feels like home. Not the good kind of home where you get to relax in front of the fireplace with your dog and eat cookies that your mother made, but the bad kind of home where you recognize the dirty faces of the homeless people and have to eat at McDonald's everyday to make sure you get your nutrition. And where the police show up at your work to shake things up and let us foreigners know that "they're watching us".

Anyway, as you may have wildly guessed, I'm moving back to Canada in November. I first came here on a one-year open return ticket, which expires on November 11th. Originally, I had planned on just foregoing this ticket, but some recent reassessments of my life have given me a change of heart.

So, those of you back in Halifax can expect me home in time for Remembrance Day. I don't want to wear a poppy, but we can celebrate the holiday by watching the following war movies: Saving Private Ryan, Mash, Apocalypse Now and Starship Troopers. See you soon. Peace out. One love. Latino forever.