The other side...

Transitions have always been difficult for me. I've never thought I do well with change, but in recent years I seem to have an open call for whatever change I can get. First I move from San Diego to San Francisco, change job fields, everything. A little over a year later, I do it again to move to Japan. New city, new country this time (although, SF might as well be its own country), new job field... everything. The thing is that I do not plan on renewing my contract, so change will happen for me again in eight and a half months. It's weird to think that the transition back to SF will most likely still be a difficult one. Still, I feel like I've reached "the other side" in terms of transitioning to Japan. Things aren't as hard as they were when I arrived. Sure, I still miss SF, my family, friends, my old job, etc. But, I'm finding a place for myself here in Japan. Things are starting to make sense. I have things to do on the weekends. I'm falling into a routine. Now, if I can just get some rest and time to relax! I've now been here three and a half months. I started feeling more settled around a month ago. It's a nice change. Still, I can't help but think back on my time to Paris. Right or wrong, I keep comparing the two experiences. Although, timewise, this would be about when my time in Paris was winding down and coming to a close. It's hard to imagine that it feels like I'm just starting my time here in Japan. Would my experience in Japan have been easier to adjust to if I knew it wasn't for as long- more of a need to make every moment count? Still, in France, the culture is so much more similar to American, that I didn't give as much thought to the differences. Here in Japan, the culture is more different at its root. However, unlike in France, Japan is in love with the rest of the world and imports so much. They have a desire to taste and experience the best of all worlds. That is something I can relate to. It's taken a while for me to really start noticing what things I miss about home (and not specifics like a cheeseburger from Nabil at Sam's late at night or a drink on Haight Street with Flo and from my favorite bartender.) Now that I've been here a little longer, I am starting to notice a few things that they just don't have or do here, and I'm starting to miss them:

-American breakfasts in general
-Brunch in particular
-All baked Italian dishes with ricotta- lasagna, baked ziti, ravioli
-Dirty martinis
-Cosmos
-El Zarape-style burritos


Being a little easier to find English-speaking doctors, dentists, and optometrists would be nice too... It's hard enough finding a doctor you like, and MY pool just got much smaller, since I don't speak Japanese.