This diary was written with my Japanese and American friends in mind.
120yen = approx $1
SDA = Seventh-Day Adventist
11/1 We go to church together in Kyoto. There is a really bouncy, bubbly 40-ish woman from Alaska that does the Bible study. They have communion service after the sermon with what looks to me like squares of Wonder bread. After the service they feed us curry rice:) We go walk along the river and just enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds.
I meet a different friend in the evening and we have...boiled tofu! This is one thing i'll never get tired of:) My friend's dad is one of the most pleasant, least gaijin-complex ridden Japanese men i've ever met. Probably it has a lot to do with him living a few years in Germany. He talks to me like a normal human - not up to and not down to - I know he can speak some English but he doesn't try to force it on me, just a really pleasant person. It's interesting that a lot of his ideas regarding Japanese society are very similar to mine. Maybe he can see things from a world-person's perspective instead of the Japanese-only one.
11/10 What a lazy bum just writing emails to my friends all day:)
11/11 My brain is buzzing after just having a little over 4 hours of cold sleep. But why do I have to think about 101million things laying down when I could do it better probably sitting or standing?? I catch the first train perfect. My bicycle is where I left it 2 days ago and I fly with the greatest of ease to Kyobashi station where I run down the steps and heave my way onto the train. Safe! What luck! A guy in the restroom where I get off has a jacket on that says "Atlanta Athletics - NHL". We talk a couple of sentences. I really enjoy these kinds of meetings. Seems like more people treat me like people recently.
4 people from church, 2 others, & the pastor are present for what I thought was a Bible study. It sounded more like a sermon tho, so I wasn't too surprised when he said that some people may have heard this at church last May. The talk is mostly about how even people who can't move are precious in God's sight.
I weigh myself on the digital-readout scale. 3 days after being in Japan I was 45.85k. Now i'm 47.7k!!! I've gained back about ½ of what I lost praise God. My energy level is noticeably higher. Lunch is wonderful with me pigging out on rice that has a few diced veggies in it, baked sweet potato, gobo root & carrot salad, soybeans with black seaweed, gluten, and some little melt-in-your mouth "manju" thingies. The woman who might rent a room in her house out to me didn't come because it was "too good weather". haha, she's a riot. I go home with 2 more pairs of socks than I came with. They are all shocked when I tell them that I helped throw away 5 boxes of unsold clothes from the bazaar. Why was it done? I don't know. I thought it was a waste when I helped do it but the "leaders" said to.
The afternoon is spent looking at newsmagazines, surfin the net, and buying a lock for my bike. I have a little lock for my backpack so I just wanted to buy a little chain. The hardware fellow laughs at my little lock and calls it a toy. I said that doesn't really matter, just "do you have a lock or not?" He pulls out something from the dusty recesses and spends around a minute looking it up on the sheet only to tell me that it costs as much as a regular bicycle lock with a strong wound wire. I guess he understands why little mom&pop shops have mostly disappeared.
The older kid where i'm staying serenades me with some DeBussy tune on the piano - wow! Couldn't be much better in a 5 star hotel except for the air blowing thru the window (I check about once an hour just to make sure that - yes - it's closed.) I checked at a discount shop for an electric carpet today. Hope wherever I move to has a way to keep the wind out. Reminds me of how I put plastic sheets over the windows in my old apt. and watched them billow in&out even with the window shut.
11/15 I head to "The central church of Holy God" today. A friend I used to work with who wasn't interested in God before has been baptized and is active in this church. It's a converted warehouse that has been done-over real nice. The people are friendly! Seems like quite a large percentage of the members are of Korean descent like the pastor. They get pretty worked up and once in a while I have to remind myself that this isn't a rock concert or a used-car auction. For sure noone's going to sleep here!!! If you could just get the total truth mixed in with this energy you'd really have something! Maybe I should come here often and get to know some of the people. Around 1/4 of the congregation goes to a "Bible school" every week-nite. I'm absolutely amazed! They treat us to curry rice and dandelion greens after the meal:)
On the way back, I stop at a station and call a friend who lives nearby. She graciously gives me about 5 hours of her time and we have an excellent time walking around Osaka castle, talking about how guys are all liars when it comes to women (especially Italians), how beautiful the castle and weather is, etc. She's basically tired of looking for what she terms "Mr. Right". We go to a little taishuu (translates as: 'mass' as in for the masses) restaurant where we get full on tempura and rice and soup for 500yen:)
The kids where i'm staying prayed and read a little in Revelation together with me last nite. The younger one prayed for a good day for soccer and the older one prayed for good weather to see the Leonid meteor shower early Wednesday morning.
A former English student said i can stay at her house. It's around 25 minutes on foot from the station straight up a hill. Even tho it's away from the city, it's smack dab in the middle of an extensive subdivision. They'll lend me a room in the top floor with use of the kitchen and bathroom with daytime use only of a large living room. I wish i could play the piano. They have a baby grand downstairs and one almost as grand upstairs. Rent is 40,000yen/month including utilities. Gotta start doin some work! Moving date is the 19th.
11/16 I give myself about 8 ½ hours of rest by staying in bed until 10:50. This lifestyle isn't healthy but I really enjoying talking to the kids who i'm staying with. Other folks may get mad at me for keeping kids up late at nite, (actually I don't know who's keeping up who, we just have a good time doing piano, games, chatting etc.) but the parents here are more interested in letting the kids have fun while they're young than with them getting submersed in studying books they don't care anything about for some teacher. Sounds like a great way to have well-balanced kids who enjoy life to me. So many kids in Japan study at cram schools on weekends and late at nite to get into a good high-school or university. Then when they get there, they look dead or they go wild (and then look dead the next morning). But they also look dead while they're studying so hard when young, and then look dead when they wear their suits to the office when they get a job. So what's wrong with giving them some freedom when they're young?
I'm late to do the receptionist duties at Nara church for the evangelistic program, but a member has filled the position ably. They do appreciate my help in turning on the projector and sound system so I guess I did a good thing. The talk was on how God made the Sabbath for us so we can spend time with Him as a friend.
On the way back I stop at a friend's place. We used to work together at Country Life 9 years ago. She's the first girl I had what a normal person would probably call a "date" with. I told her last May that she was one of the most difficult friends I have. She didn't let it faze her and it seems to have made us closer friends. Seeing the "new" Danny after coming back from india she said "you don't get upset easily like before". Praise God, I learned something worthwhile down there. I don't have near as much concentration power as before tho so maybe I just forget why i'm supposed to get worked up over stuff - haha. We talk about her boyfriend in England and how to study English effectively. Time just flies with her now where used to I had to almost force myself to drag the conversation on somehow. I'm glad I changed:)
11/18 Wake up at 2. Another hour. Wake up at 3 and out to crane my neck up at the sky. Quite a few people are walking around at this hour. Funny what a spectacle can do to people. Actually, i only see 3 meteors but it's worthwhile. I wake up the son around 4:15. His dad took him to the hills last nite where they saw around 10 fiery falling stars. It lacks 2 or 3 zeros from what we were hoping for but this is all we get. We prayed quite a abit about this too recently. It's great to see someone who didn't know how to pray just last week pray a prayer full of power because you know it's coming straight from his heart and not because it's just a "custom". I hope his faith doesn't waver because of this non-storm.
My bike is right by the telephone pole where i left it 2 days ago. The sight of it and the feel of it makes me happy:) A friend graciously lets me use his computer all day. I'm still not set on buying one myself. Should i or not? I think i'll try to translate some stuff first and then see in a month or two. Also, i need to by some long-johns because it's COLD!
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