So it's kinda funny - I'm just settling into my new situation here in Japan, but as the summer ends a lot of the interns I work with are leaving ATR to go back home.
When I first got here, I was a little frustrated that everybody at work spoke English and the only people I hung out with were foreigners - one of the reasons I came back to Japan was to get better at the language, and I spoke less Japanese here than I had back in Boston! As time went on, though, I started to realize that a lot of the people here are really cool, multitalented, diverse, intelligent, introspective, inspired, hilarious, and often fairly strange in unique ways. It's been a long time since I've been surrounded by people like that, and I'm starting to realize how sad I am that they're going to be leaving soon.
Of course, ATR is kind of a crossroads for international, multidisciplinary research types, and although there are a lot of amazing people here, nobody expects to stay too long. At the same time, though, I feel like I've connected with some of these people at a really deep level, and I wish we could be together for a more substantial length of time...
Tonight we had a going-away party for a few of the people who are leaving next week. We went to karaoke and I learned a new song for the occasion - "Love Love Icchokusen", by Ulfuls (my favorite Japanese band, whose concert in Osaka next weekend is unfortunately sold out). There are some really fast parts, though, that although I had practiced and practiced, I just couldn't sing real-time under the influence of alcohol. Actually, I could barely sing them _not_ under the influence of alcohol. And to be fair, I wasn't able to find the lyrics online, so I kinda transcribed it at work by ear and tried to memorize what I had heard, which was for the most part nonsense Japanese. So you shouldn't think that I suck that bad. I think I pulled the song off fairly well, although one Japanese girl showed up to the karaoke session, which really threw me off - I thought I'd be able to BS my way through all the parts of the song I didn't understand. ;)
Anyway, I guess sometimes you cross paths with people, and you know that those paths are going to diverge before long, but you just have to make the best out of the time you have together, and live those few weeks as intensely as you can. I've had to say goodbye to so many friends though. It would really be nice to have someone stick around for a while. Yeah, like I'm one to talk, moving off to Japan like this. Whatever, you've gotta have fun, right?
Right... so anyway these are some pictures of our last crazy karaoke night together.
1 comment:
i:m glad you:re ok with us not being japanese literate. i want your pictures from the weekend (well,except sunday). but friday and stuff. btw, do you have your camera or do i have your camera? because if i have your camera, i don:t have your camera, and i:m sorry. maybe the deli woman has your camera. and maybe we can be the kind of friends that don:t need to talk to each other. we can practice the next time we go out...you know, not talking to each other. just kidding. i think someone in my lab is farting.
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