thursday has come and jetlag takes it's toll
oh no. I'm sitting here, working on a wedding video that I promised someone (wink, wink) and just caught myself doing a little shimmy-shake in my swivle chair to the tunes of India Arie, blaring through my headphones. Not exactly appropriate for the staff room. Need to watch out for that, but I just need to say that I realized a little while ago that those cicadas I was discussing earlier in the week really sound like maracas and make a perfect accompanyment to "Rock with You" by Alicia Keys...
It might be somewhat obvious, but jetlag is starting to get to me.
I went out with a group of friends last night (two more goodbyes), discovering a new favorite restaraunt in Akashi and then "playing" a few games of bowling afterwards. I really need to take the Sleep Aid I bought. I took a nap yesterday afternoon, which doesn't help, but I honestly couldn't fall asleep until after 2am. Not very condusive to... well, functioning normally. The jetlag isn't as bad coming in this direction as it is going to America, but with a 14-hour time difference, your body rythm definitely gets a little messed up. It's a completely opposite schedule!
Other than the jetlag, one of my Japanese friends also told me that my English has changed a bit since I went home. I know my home-area is famous for our midwestern twang (thank you, Fargo), but rather than the long OOOOs and nasaly-pitch, I think I've just reverted back to using a lot of vocabulary I was more careful about not using before, am back to using old, familiar speech patterns I had abandoned for more understandable ones at some point and my natural speed has increased. It'll adjust back, but interesting how fast those changes happen.
I've also noticed how much more time I am spending on the internet since I came back to Japan. I have always read the news online, but now I am more interested in the entertainment news (ok, crap), especially the stuff that I couldn't have cared less about at home. Even during my short visits to Minnesota, I never followed up with some of the sites I catch myself looking at here... and am already back to checking on a semi-regular basis. I think part of the interest is the fact that I am surrounded by American culture at home and the sites give me insight into changes in that pop culture when they're not immediately accessible in Japan. I hope that makes sense, but I really think keeping up with pop culture keeps me a little more balanced and "normalized" (at least in a cultural sense) while living abroad, helps me to better serve as an ambassador of my country (because I'm not so out-of-touch with details) and it definitely makes the transition easier going back. It just seems like a waste of time when I could be reading, studying, running, lesson-planning, exploring... doing something.
OK, I just got an email about another friend having a baby. Folks, I love you and am happy for you... but that's my cue. I am getting offline.
It might be somewhat obvious, but jetlag is starting to get to me.
I went out with a group of friends last night (two more goodbyes), discovering a new favorite restaraunt in Akashi and then "playing" a few games of bowling afterwards. I really need to take the Sleep Aid I bought. I took a nap yesterday afternoon, which doesn't help, but I honestly couldn't fall asleep until after 2am. Not very condusive to... well, functioning normally. The jetlag isn't as bad coming in this direction as it is going to America, but with a 14-hour time difference, your body rythm definitely gets a little messed up. It's a completely opposite schedule!
Other than the jetlag, one of my Japanese friends also told me that my English has changed a bit since I went home. I know my home-area is famous for our midwestern twang (thank you, Fargo), but rather than the long OOOOs and nasaly-pitch, I think I've just reverted back to using a lot of vocabulary I was more careful about not using before, am back to using old, familiar speech patterns I had abandoned for more understandable ones at some point and my natural speed has increased. It'll adjust back, but interesting how fast those changes happen.
I've also noticed how much more time I am spending on the internet since I came back to Japan. I have always read the news online, but now I am more interested in the entertainment news (ok, crap), especially the stuff that I couldn't have cared less about at home. Even during my short visits to Minnesota, I never followed up with some of the sites I catch myself looking at here... and am already back to checking on a semi-regular basis. I think part of the interest is the fact that I am surrounded by American culture at home and the sites give me insight into changes in that pop culture when they're not immediately accessible in Japan. I hope that makes sense, but I really think keeping up with pop culture keeps me a little more balanced and "normalized" (at least in a cultural sense) while living abroad, helps me to better serve as an ambassador of my country (because I'm not so out-of-touch with details) and it definitely makes the transition easier going back. It just seems like a waste of time when I could be reading, studying, running, lesson-planning, exploring... doing something.
OK, I just got an email about another friend having a baby. Folks, I love you and am happy for you... but that's my cue. I am getting offline.
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 2:33 PM
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