Notes on things

I cannot for the life of me recall what I did on July 4 last year. Summer was a barren wasteland of pre-Japan boredom tinted by I-actually-graduated joy. I hardly recall the period from right after I confirmed graduation to right before the Northwest Airlines flight left the ground at PDX.

Did I watch fireworks somewhere? Was there a party? Who was I with? I really can't recall. Nearly a year has passed since then, nearly a year of life in Japan, and one might wonder, what is the state of things?

But my life is normal here. At least, normal based on what normal has been for me so far. It feels like an extension of college sometimes, but with a lot more free time and fewer responsibilities. The big changes in my world have been happening to the people around me - family and friends.

In no particular order:

My step-brother Josh got married, and he and Jennifer are expecting a baby.

My step-sister Jenny graduated from OSU and is moving on to optometry school this summer.

My mother completed a graduate program and is now looking for work as an art teacher somewhere in the dark shades of Eastern Oregon.

My brother Chris re-surfaced, only to head off on the road again, nobody seems to know to where.

My father and step-mother got a wine retail shop off the ground in Corvallis, as my dad settled in to a principal-ing in a new school.

My brother Phil ... well, Phil? Anything big I missed?

My college friend Andrew gave new life to a VW bus, drove it across the country dodging tornadoes; he recently landed in New York City, seeking work, starting life. He'll marry Ellyn next summer in Oregon. Somehow, I'll be there.

And then there's me.

I don't discount that what I've done is a major thing. Just that I moved to Japan to work as an ALT is my "thing" for the list. But over the course of a year nothing big has happened to change my life. But things have gone well enough that I've opted to stay for another year. I should be careful not to expect too much. My predecessor Katie had the keen observation that even though you've changed countries, you're life comes too. Only one year has passed. Do I need a life-changing event to validate my experience? Of course not. Life ticks on.

In all of this, my "real" future is floating somewhere in my line-of-sight, a collection of thoughts about working in journalism. But the collection of thoughts is dominated by questions. Where will I work? Are newspapers dying? Can I work in Japan and in journalism? Am I destined for small-town America? Should I go to grad school? Should I change my plans entirely?

Fortunately, this flotilla of unknowns does not need to be sorted out at once. I might make a third year in Japan, journalism or not, by uprooting my country life in Ise and sampling city life. I've always though of myself as a city person, despite having never lived in a city larger than 50,000 people. I should probably test my "I'm a city person" claim by living in one, and where better than Tokyo or Osaka?

So the short term is settled. Good enough for now.

And now I'm reminded that I didn't intent this post to be about me. So to all the family and friends who have done so much in the past year, I say, well done.

I'll be here if you want to come by some time.