Sayonara Claire

Claire's visit to Japan has drawn to a close, but we have had such an amazing whirlwind adventure just hanging out, exploring and traveling. I am so grateful to have such fun friends who are willing to come visit, and I am sad the time flew by so fast (both with Claire and Kristin!). While I have been a little more homesick than usual these days (especially for people back home since Claire arrived), the visit really made me realize how much I have already learned and grown since I got here. It was also a good reminder of how many wonderful things I have here. In the beginning of the trip, we were in some situation where I was frustrated by a language barrier or I felt discriminated against (as a foreigner) or something, and I think Claire was really shocked by my reaction and asked me if I really did like it here and was sure I really wanted to stay. It gave me an opportunity to really express all the things I do like (and give me some reflection time). Of course, since then, Claire’s opinion has changed, but it sort of made me step back and think about my motives, motivation and desires. I realized that while there are hardships that come with living abroad (like the one Claire witnessed), I really, truly am trying to realize of all of the opportunities and advantages of it in contrast. I do miss my family and friends, but that would happen if I moved anywhere (even in the same time zone), so I would say I think the experience of coming to Japan is going well, and I am honestly looking forward to the rest of my tenure here.

Claire and I enjoyed a few low-key days at the end of the week, although it ended with a somewhat stressful situation (leaving her with an unexpected, extra day in Japan). On Thursday, I met Claire in Kobe and we spent the evening in Kobe’s famous hot spring town, Arima Onsen. The town was absolutely darling, and resembled some little mountain town in Europe somewhere (the mountains were like the Swiss Alps). The vision was shattered by the groups of Japanese tourists walking around in robes as they walked from bath-to-bath, but the differences made it better in a lot of ways. Claire tried Kobe beef for the first time, with rave reviews, and we chose an onsen (hot spring) with an outdoor bath and spent several hours soaking under the moon with some Japanese women and their children before catching a late train home. It’s a little strange how accustomed you can get to just being nude around people you know; even if you would not do it at home (onsens = no clothes).
On Friday we went to my coworkers house to see her Hina Ningyo (doll) display from Girl's Day, or the doll festival on March 3. The display was seven-stories tall (with lamps and offerings for the dolls), and almost as large as an entire room. We had dinner at the teacher's mother's house, although it seemed like either Claire and I had some strange dietary restriction or issue with pretty much everything they gave us - so embarrassing (especially when we had already ordered pizza to make sure Claire’s stomach was safe for the flight home)! We have now had three meals with my coworkers, but I was really glad that Claire got to see an entire Japanese home, where the family sleeps in one room on thick pads (known as Japanese futon), on tatami (bamboo mat) floors. After dinner, my teacher drove us home and we watched Zoolander while Claire packed.

And that’s pretty much where the drama started….

Claire's flight was changed on the way here (bumped up a few hours without notification) and had already been changed once on her flight home, so she was careful about confirming the flight schedule the night before her flight. For some reason, her itinerary wasn’t posted online (as it should have been), however, so – having been assured everything was in order – she decided to just write everything down right before we left. And suddenly there is panic as Claire realizes they have cancelled her flight (at the last minute with no notification) and she is leaving the next day! To make a long story short, three hours (of talking to rude Cust. Service Reps in America) later, Claire realized she was stranded in Nihon – with NO compensation for the inconveniences – for one more day. I appreciated the extra time, and we had a low-key night and check out the yakitori place on my street, but I felt so bad for Claire. I guess she finally made it in over 29 hours after she was originally supposed to be home, in the wee hours of the night on Sunday (before work on Monday), after even further complications. I was astonished by the poor service she received (attitude is everything) and seeming lack of efficiency on the part of the airlines. I know the airline industry has been a tough place to work over the last few years, but in my opinion, they should be compensating for the lost benefits rather than further lowering their standard. I am not sure if it was an issue with United, or possibly just bad luck all around, but I am definitely weary to fly the airline in the future. Thankfully Claire is home, safe and sound, and I am now resting, recuperating and catching up on my everyday life in Japan.