I was catching up with some other friends and didn’t want you to be left out. Just a quick update of some random stuff. I’ve made it to the DC area, which I’ve referred to as my new inkwell. It’s in some ways refreshing to be back in America. And I am learning that there are some parts of Japan I may forever miss, and some I’m learning to do without. I don’t know if it is as much a matter of me missing the place, or me recognizing after two years that I no longer live there and consequently life changes. 

Things I miss? I certainly miss the 7Elevens, being able to eat, without shame, any of the foods prepared in the refrigerated section- the daily delivered sandwiches, the onigiri, the Chinese summer ramen, the frozen mangoes…Okay, I could just as easily get those here, but you get the point. I did, after those two years, finally find the Slurpees! #Wherestheslurpees? Right here in America!

I miss the shower room. The steam. The water pressure. The female Japanese voice telling me the temperature of my water. Haha. But that’s not what we’re here for is it.

I kinda miss my friends but we’re doing a pretty good job of keeping in touch. Here in DC, where the second language is almost certainly Spanish, like the rest of America, my language gets a bit confused, mixing up my Spanish and Japanese, in both vocabulary and grammar. I get a good chuckle when I see Japanese shops and menus. A little outraged to see ramen for $14+ when I could get the no doubt real deal for half the price in Japan.

That’s the beauty of America though. What makes us unique, among other things I’m sure, is that we owe are differences to the adoption of other cultures, even if we’re not good at it. The other cultures are certainly here and eventually leave there mark.

In my “kitchenlessness”, I’ve conveniently wandered into French, Mexican, and Ethiopian restaurants, all within minutes of each other. I messaged a friend still in Japan that I think I found a chunk of the Asian culture outside my window: a Thai restaurant and market, beside a ramen shop, right between the McDonalds and the taco stand. It’s good to be back.

What are you missing? What are you loving?