Where to Begin

Hello All! It`s official: I`ve arrived. This keyboard is not quite as easy as Alex made it look, so please forgive any oddities in the e-mail. Anyhoo, I find myself stragely comfortable here, though surprisingly emabarrased that I can`t speak Japanese. There is something truly humiliating about being in a country where there are signs in English in a few places just because us anglophones can`t seem to handle learning a new language (it is more likely that there are signs in English because it is a less politicized lingua franca than any other Asian language, and more pervasive than any other European language, but for now, it still feels a little embarrassing). The patience and kindness that I have been shown over the last few days ｈａｓ been humbling, and I currently have very warm feelings toward the Japanese.

My journey here was the most peaceful thing I have experienced in weeks. Since returning from Montreal, I have been in a perpetual state of something between panic, exhaustion, confusion and excitement, so a long haul flight was comparatively easy. Fortunately, everything ran on time and I arrived in Fukuoka at 8:49 Tuesday, one perfect minute early, and about 24 hours after I left my house in Edmonton at 5:30AM Monday (have fun figuring out that one!). Over the last few days I have been napping a bit (though Jet lag has been fairly kind, I must say), learning how to order food, find my way around and stay busy. Alex has been infinately helpful as he is a fountain of knowledge and can teach me far more than he`ll ever admit.

As for this place, it has proved farily kind to a complete stranger. The roads are far less treacherous than Rome`s and I revel in the fact that, for the first time in my life, I am of average height! The weather has been cool, a mere 14 degrees or so, and partly cloudy. Alex and I have been walking plenty and taking full advantage of the non-winteriness.

I am thinking of starting up a miniblog where I might spend some time writing about this experience and perhaps even let my secret passion for random poetry rear its silly head. I`ll let you know if that materializes.

Anyhoo, I appologize for my disorderly writing today, but some more interesting things are bound to come along. I hope everyone is well and good and that you will go play in the snow for me.

Cheers,

Joanne