Hello Everyone,
First off I'd like to start off with a little story. A year
ago, I had the best/worst night of my life. I partied too hard, got mixed up in
the wrong situation, and ended up with 16 stiches in my face. It was the
scariest night/morning of my life and I can't imagine how incredibly lucky I
got. Much worse things could have happened and I consider myself lucky.
However, it was the best night because it made me realize how I have to stop
mucking around and apply myself better. It pushed me to want to expand my
horizons and take advantage of my situation and better myself as a person.
Looking back I realized how much I have changed and grown up in just a year and
I owe it all to that night. God was watching over me and knew that if I could
turn myself around I would make the impact that I inspire to do. Just had to
mention that quick because it means a lot to me how much of a difference just a
year has made. On that note.....
Japan. So flew into Osaka on Wed the second. Jack got me
from the airport and I had my first experience with the infuriating train
system. It is terrible. I thought I was pretty skilled at public transport from
living in Seoul but no, Japan's train system is ridiculous. If Jack was not
directing us (or the smartphone capabilities) I would have missed so many
trains. Anyways, get to Osaka and meet his host family. His host family
consists of: Mom, Dad, Grandma, one sister and two little brothers. Wonderful
people and wonderful family.
Had some sushi afterwards and
another great dinner at grandpa’s house that night. Never once did I have a bad
dinner in Japan. Friday we went to Osaka castle and relaxed most of the day. It
was Jack’s host sister Cocoro’s birthday so we made her a cake and had a good
evening at home. Saturday we went to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. There
were literally hundreds of temples here but they are so spread apart that it’s
hard to hit every one. We went to three and were exhausted by the end of it. My
favorite temple was the second one we went to. There were thousands and
thousands of these orange Torris there. 
Jack and I didn’t even walk through
all of them because there were sooooo many. Our assumption is that you can “buy”
a torri to be put in there with your family’s name on it. Saturday night we
went out and had some beers and such with a couple of Jack’s classmates. We had
a great time but came very very close to missing the last train which would
mean we would either have to walk for 3 hours, wait tell 6 for the next one, or
pay 80 dollars for a taxi. All terrible options. Sunday morning we watched the
Packers beat the Vikings (!) and took care of some stuff at home. We figured
out that we would have to be sleeping at the airport Sunday night to catch our
flight to Nagasaki on Monday morning. I believe everyone should sleep in the
airport at least one night haha it was quite the experience. On to Nagasaki. We
got to our hostel around 11 exhausted, yet they did not have our beds ready. So
we decided to do some extra sight-seeing. What we quickly found out was:
Nagasaki is relatively small and you can walk everywhere and it is incredibly
beautiful. I found out a lot of history about Nagasaki including the fact that
it was the first Japanese port open to the Chinese and Westerners. It really
has a tourism feel and you can see the influence of both Chinese and Dutch
culture in the city. It is in a wharf so the houses are built up the mountain.
If you visit Japan you must stop in Nagasaki and if you ever decide to live or
teach English in Japan I highly HIGHLY suggest doing it in Nagasaki; you will
not be disappointed.
This was the view from the top of
the gondola ride. Apparently it is rated one of the top 3 views in Japan. So
Monday and Tuesday we did all the sight-seeing stuff and saved the bomb stuff
for Wed. This is because we knew it would be super heavy so saving it for the
last day seemed appropriate. The museum itself was amazing. Jack and I took
about 2 hours walking through it and didn’t say a word to each other. It really
hits you how immense this bomb was. You don’t really understand it until you
are in the city and can visually see the effects of it. They kept some monuments
from pre-1945 and you can see how the stone is burned black from the bomb. The
best part of the museum was they exhibit advocating for peace and the destruction
of all nuclear weapons. We should take a lesson from this city and its people
and understand the terror that comes from nuclear weapons. I could write an
essay on this but I am going to stop before I ramble on too much. Anyways, we
ended our last night in Nagasaki with a birthday party in our hostel. Great
time to meet some different people and had a very special ending! From Nagasaki
we went to Okinawa, home of Jack’s grandfather and the hometown of his mother. His
aunt, Chikako, also lives with his grandfather including her husband, an
American Marine, Andy (great guy, A+) and their two kids. It was interesting
being in Okinawa because it has such a strong influence from the American military.
Now whether you think it’s right or wrong is beside the point but it was very
interesting seeing the effect the American military had. For one, they had huge
amounts of land space compared to the local Okinawans. Also they have had problems
with the nightlife because of some Americans causing trouble. It’s also interesting
to see the effect it has had on interracial marriage and the influx of English.
On my trip I got a healthy dose of both American culture and the local Okinawan
culture. First we had two American-made meals: hamburgers and tacos. Oh my god
was it amazing. I have not had a good hamburger in sooooo long. We also got to
enjoy local Okinawan culture. On Monday Jack’s childhood friend took us around
Okinawa. We made some Okinawan glass mugs that I will be using back home.
We ended the night with a great dinner that
had some crazy Okinawan food and many different kinds of drinks. Next day we went
back to Osaka for my final night with Jack’s host family. Jack and I took them
out to dinner and afterwards had a few drinks back at the house. They were
really wonderful people and Jack is immensely lucky to have them as a family.
I had a great time in Japan and made some wonderful memories.
It was also nice being with jack again for two weeks, familiar faces are hard
to come by. Tomorrow I leave to Bali for 9 days which will be very nice to
enjoy the sun and the beach. While it will be great, I will be excited for the
last day when I fly home. This is because my mother is coming to Korea that
day! I am beyond excited to see her and show her around the city I have called
home the last five months. I may be writing another blog before heading to
Vietnam in Feb, but either way I will be posting pictures before I go. Hope everyone’s
break is going well and remember Gusties when you are walking to class with
that wind at your face, I will be basking in the sun on the beach :D.
My best,
Sam
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