Pilgrims Progress

Our merry adventure in Japan has been one helluv' an education. From a "life experience" (ugh, excuse my prattishness, people) point of view, its probably the most rockin' arse thing I've ever done...

There are obvious challenges like beating down language and cultural barriers (with my own personalised sledgehammer style) and infiltrating the Japanese "system" (with varied success), but the biggest thing for me has been ye ol' personal journey.

In 1995, I sailed (well, flew, but why spoil a perfectly good adventure?) to Canada after uni, with a few grand (Aussie dollar was stronger than the Canadian at the time), no job, no friends and a trolley full of expectations. It was a fucking bonanza. I'd always been an independent little hussy, but here I had to depend on my independence.

7 years later, I sailed to Japan with a completely different set of circumstances. I was jaded in my job, about as fresh as a rotting tulip, no idea what to expect in Japan and I had a boyfriend (and still no friends). It would be our first experience living together. At the time, I was in a place where I honestly didn't think I'd be able to live with a partner without killing them.

Matt is still alive (Matt? Matt????). In fact, the man is thriving. As am I. We've had sincere rough patches, being broke (having to fork out 5 months rent on Aussie dollars when the exchange rate was around .54), living in an apartment the size of a generous Aussie living room and enduring two infernal Tokyo summers ("Not a big deal?" I hear you say! I dare you to try one of the miserable fuckers.)

But! (and at the risk of sounding like a contrite tosser) has it ever made us stronger! For the first time in my life I've had no choice but to compromise with someone I love in a fairly bizarre, non-English-speaking country. For lots of couples this puts an unbearable strain on their relationship - some crack, others fortify. The fact that we've survived in an ostensibly strange culture, for an extended period of time, tells me we can deal with anything life hurls at us. Of course, you can never know for sure, but in the world we live in now, its just about as good as it gets.

That's not to say its all been Hell - far from it. In amongst the excessive and frustrating quagmire that is Tokyo, is a magical, if contradictory place which no longer phases us. Amuses and bemuses, you bet, but rarely these days do you hear us wailing, "When the merry lord Jesus do we get out of this country anyways?"

And after 2 years, I look around and think "Fuck, I live here." Objectively, Japan is a strange place. So many ways of thinking and customs are different (obviously) but in my heart, its not strange at all. Familiarity has bred, not contempt, but an odd sort of of belonging. An illusion? Maybe, but I'm satisfied with it.

Hmmmm, makes me want to chuck a 6.30 am Beyonce and belt out "Survivor" at our local karaoke-kan. Things can't possibly be bad then, can they?