Six months

Today marks the completion of six months here in Japan.  It's been a wild ride.

I've learned a brain-ton (2,000 know-pounds to the brain ton, for those of you who aren't aquainted with units of knowledge).  I've learned about being a teacher.  I've learned about being a husband.  I've learned some Japanese.  I've learned how to drive on the opposite side of the road.

The pressures and difficulties of living abroad either temper you or break you, I think.  Thankfully, I feel like I'm being tempered (he-he-he.  Wheeee.  Wahoo...Oh, maybe I snapped).

If someone asked me to recommend living abroad, my recommendation would take the form of a TV commercial for a prescription drug.  It would open with beautiful scenes of rice fields, and cherry blossoms.  Scenes of castles, zen gardens, and temples would play in the background while the narrator speaks. 

"Do you suffer from mundania?  Is the humdrum of daily life getting you down?  Then maybe Living Abroad is right for you.  Living Abroad will awaken that dormant sense of wonder.  Living Abroad will infuse life with new energy.  If you've been longing for something new, Living Abroad might be what you need.  Ask your doctor about Living Abroad.  Probable side effects include frustration, loneliness, isolation, confusion, stress induced premature baldness, discombobulation, bewilderment, indigestion, diarrhea, and/or constipation."

So, if your thinking about living abroad, 3 out of 4 gaijin (foreigners) recommend it.