Miss me? I miss you!! "Samishiiiiii"

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Wow, I can't believe the last time I wrote one of these was way back at the beginning of May. So, first of all I'd like to say that I'm sorry and I owe you all an explanation for the lack of bloggage. So here it is: Ummm...It's too hot?

Hahaha ok so that was a horrible reason. It's true (in fact the hottest summer in memory for almost everyone I have spoken with in Japan), but no reason to leave you all hanging. To tell the truth it was a chain of events that overwhelmed me. That, and the fact that my perfectionist/procrastinator side dominated for a while and kept me from just sending a dang message out. Well enough of that guy, the real Sloan has taken over again and he can't wait to share everything that has happened in the last four months. Ya, four months! Feels like a lifetime ago for me. So here goes the first of four messages to cover my Japanese summer of 2010. So keep your lookin balls locked on the picture screen and prepare to get your brain smashed.... (inside joke, but laugh anyway!) by Sloan-town!


So after getting pretty down following the crash of both my laptop and netbook, which meant the loss of my pictures and videos, I managed to collect enough pictures from friends and facebook leaching to give you an idea of the good life here in Tokyo. 500 of them actually, lol. So check them out as you follow along with the tale (they will continue to be added as I collect them over the next few weeks).

The last time I left you with a message about some adventures I had while on vacation, and the challenge of sending Jasmine off to Hong Kong at the start of the summer. Well, summer is almost over and it wasn't exactly a boring one. It was really important for me to move on and get through the possible slump that can happen after settling into a new location, job, and losing someone that close to you. I knew it was important to just enjoy my daily life and keep looking for ways to improve in my classes and with my students, but I also needed something new to challenge myself and keep life fresh.

Well I found something new and amazing, and then I found 30 other things at the same time, lol. It was a summer of exploration, hard work, new discoveries, and a lot of sweating. Maybe most importantly, I've taken the time and effort to really understand and respect Japanese culture, and I've learned to listen and watch, and then listen and watch some more, before judging or comparing to my life before. My attitude towards the way to interact with others has changed, and I'd like to think matured, from the need to impress, or just spew information, to one that involves just listening, sharing and ultimately connecting on a different level. It's something I really needed to learn in order to make those connections with people from a completely different culture who approached everything in life from a slightly different mindset.
It has definitely helped me form greater relationships, which was something that I previously thought of and had talked to many of you about being really difficult here in Japan.
It's also helped me look at where I'm coming from in my approach to life, and it's solidified many of my attitudes and even added some strength to my own convictions and character. I know when to really be me even if everyone is staring at me, or when it's something that could be considered offensive or strange.
Sometimes (well a lot of the time) strange is what I'm gonna be and that's something that I have to just accept and enjoy, and as long as I'm considerate, I know others will appreciate it too! I know I'm still a character and someone that can be laughed at, and I'll be right there laughing with you all because that's one way to really enjoy life.

Ok, well before you think I've gone native and am converting to Shinto or anything I'll tell you a story to remind you of the Sloan you all know. So it was May and I had just had some killer weekends with the boys after seeing Jasmine off, and I was ready to test how much guts I still had in me. So Dave talked me into heading to Fuji-Q Highlands amusement park.... Oh, shit.
For those of you who don't know, I'm more afraid of roller coasters than Steve is of public speaking! (ps. I'm wicked proud of you for rocking that speech at Jeff and Kaira's wedding bro!)
So this place has some records for speed, length and angles. But of course there biggest record had to match my biggest fear perfectly. They have a coaster, called “II Janaika” which means “Isn't it good?”, that holds the record for most inversions in one lap...17 or 43 or something stupid. All I know is that record means another record for me, most number of times someone pukes/craps their pants in one roller coaster lap.
So we prepare and I almost talk my way out of it beforehand, but in the end I found myself at the gates, hyperventilating just looking at the magnitude of these metal monsters. I had received a promise before going in that we would warm up with the pussy rides first so I could ease into the big boy rides, which was instantly forgotten as the rest of the crew sprinted to get in line for, you guessed it, the 1000 inversion death-coaster. They drag me along somehow and I promised each one of them I would aim my puke at their face on each inversion. They laugh until they realize just how serious I am, about 10 feet from the point of no return. After being reassured, coaxed, insulted, and had my gender questioned, I was suddenly strapped in, and the floor disappeared....
Now a man's scream is never pretty, but a wheezing whimper just takes it to different level.
Well, it started. Then I was puking. No, wait....i wasn't! I was doing it! I conquered my fear!!!
…
Oh, we didn't even get to the top yet. Crap.
We went up....and it clicked...and clicked....and clicked....and then.....
Well then it hit me and we dropped, spun, twisted and rocketed into a zone I'd like to call “Isn't it Hell?” and 43 seconds later I was a new man. I may have soiled myself a little, but I didn't puke, I didn't explode, and I didn't even die. I may have converted back and forth from a few religions during that time, but in the end I was alive. ALIVE! And I never wanted to do it again, hahahaha.

Thanks to those boys for getting me to do it and I'll hold it against you for the rest of my life. But seriously it was awesome and we even did a few other rides that I swore never to do even if my mother's life was threatened. Kidding, Mom, I'd do it!

So of course we celebrated and I bragged about my pure manliness and utter confidence and poise throughout the whole ordeal. But I thought I'd give you guys the real tale. But it's proof that I'm still taking on whatever comes to me over here and finding ways to expand my whole experience of life. Everyday I find three new things that I want to do, and only have time for one of them. But somehow I manage to get two out of three done, and at least hear a story about the third one to get a piece of the experience.

And with that, I'll leave you all until the next message, which drops in the next few days and covers my work experiences and reflections on some new staff members, some info about my new amateur league soccer team tryouts, and of course another story or two. Love you all and remember, 'sometimes you puke, and sometimes you don't, you just never know until you strap in and hurl yourself around 762 times'.

Peace!

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Photos

Azabu-juban festival dinner
Me, Chikako, Rob and Tomomi rockin some Jinbei and Yukatas in an izakaya after a mad summer street festival in Tokyo

New Manager Party!
The whole Shiki School crew welcoming our awesome new manager, Kahori into the group!

50 Yen Highballs...ya we don't remember much!
Awesome crew getting together to celebrate at the end of their visit from Canada. This 'classy' place has the cheapest drinks in Tokyo, and the best pregame parties ever