Jessica is Here!
It's late. I just got back from Kobe, where I met my childhood friend, Jessica, for dinner. Jessica, an international woman in her own right, lived in Chiba Prefecture for two years and is back in Japan this month to visit old friends and aquaintances (and say hello to Japan). I am flying to Tokyo on Friday to spend the weekend with her (and see my friend from St. Olaf, Molly). On Tuesday, however, I woke up to a message from Jess saying she was going to come down to Kobe on Wednesday and fly to Toyko with me on Friday! It was a last-minute surprise, but a good one. Jess has a friend in Kobe, so this way, we get more time together and she can see her friend while she is in Japan (who she is also staying with).
It's funny, Jess and I have been close friends since we started playing soccer together on the 'Under 8' (years-old) league and lived 2 blocks apart in New Hope, but Kobe has been 'our city' in recent years. After graduating from college (and before Target), I ventured to China to teach in a summer English program near Xi'an and spent several weeks at Jessica's place in Chiba (sorta near Tokyo) on my way back to the states.
During that trip, we traveled to the Kansai area, visiting Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. Kobe was our favorite city, so it was slightly ironic that two years later, we would find ourselves back here. That was last summer. When I first arrived in Japan, Jessica met me in Tokyo and then traveled down to Kobe to spend a few nights at my place with her friend Shinya. In hindsight, having a close friend from home to show me the ropes in my first days here was huge (from explanations at the grocery store to just moral support).
One year (and a lot of experiences) later, here we are again... making the rounds in Kobe and Tokyo. Kobe, however is charming, has stolen my heart (as far as Japanese cities are concerned), and it is always a place I will share memories from with this life-long friend. :)
Tomorrow is a short day of classes, with more Bunkasai prep in the afternoon (but I still have a busy class schedule). I might meet Jessica and her friend in the evening, but we'll see if I can swing it. For now, I think it's time to retire to bed... adios.
It's funny, Jess and I have been close friends since we started playing soccer together on the 'Under 8' (years-old) league and lived 2 blocks apart in New Hope, but Kobe has been 'our city' in recent years. After graduating from college (and before Target), I ventured to China to teach in a summer English program near Xi'an and spent several weeks at Jessica's place in Chiba (sorta near Tokyo) on my way back to the states.
During that trip, we traveled to the Kansai area, visiting Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. Kobe was our favorite city, so it was slightly ironic that two years later, we would find ourselves back here. That was last summer. When I first arrived in Japan, Jessica met me in Tokyo and then traveled down to Kobe to spend a few nights at my place with her friend Shinya. In hindsight, having a close friend from home to show me the ropes in my first days here was huge (from explanations at the grocery store to just moral support).
One year (and a lot of experiences) later, here we are again... making the rounds in Kobe and Tokyo. Kobe, however is charming, has stolen my heart (as far as Japanese cities are concerned), and it is always a place I will share memories from with this life-long friend. :)
Tomorrow is a short day of classes, with more Bunkasai prep in the afternoon (but I still have a busy class schedule). I might meet Jessica and her friend in the evening, but we'll see if I can swing it. For now, I think it's time to retire to bed... adios.
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 5:50 AM
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