I'm Melting...

Gah! This rainy season in Japan always gets me down - with almost all days being cloudy, plus all the torrential rain of course. I don't mind the rain - I DO mind not having enough sunshine. I feel like a plant who is not getting enough sun.

Home stretch. It looks like we're pretty much catching our big flight back to the U.S. next month on the 17th. Takeshi's already called the utilities people and has decided to cut our gas and electricity and such, off early, so we don't have to worry about utility bills coming after we've moved. I don't know what the plan is with us living here without electricity and gas, and I don't know when he asked them to cut them off. Maybe we'll be staying at his parents' house for a bit, right before we fly out?

He's already given his "I'm moving" notice to his two jobs, and I hear they're planning to do the usual Japanese "going-away" get-together party for him at the end of this month. We know already that one of his jobs (the one he's been at longer and has more friends at) is going to have something for him on the 30th, next Tuesday at a restaurant in town called "Hana Hana" which I believe is an okinawan(?) joint. Everyone is grouping up after service, which is at about 10pm. This is always the case with people who work in restaurants - they usually can only hang out together at ungodly hours of the night, since they work their asses off all day long. I will be meeting Takeshi at this workplace (which is at the Bell City mall) and then someone will be giving us a ride from there.

I don't know what the other work is planning to do for him yet, but he says that people there are talking about it and perhaps making plans. We'll have to see.

Even the family that I've been tutoring (one of the their daughters, anyway) for about 2 months even wants to have a "farewell" thing for me, as well! I keep thinking, "But....they hardly know me!" Either it's a real traditional and sort of mandatory event to have a farewell party for a fellow employee and such - OR - Japanese people just love themselves a chance to drink, eat and party!

I feel flattered that the Satoh family wants to do something for me before I move away, but, I still think that I'm not that special, and they shouldn't really bother! They are a very nice family though. I wish I could have gotten to know them better. My father in law is also planning to perhaps do something for us before we leave. Takeshi says that he is thinking of getting together Takeshi's aunt and uncle (Takeshi's mum does not have any surviving siblings, so it's just on his dad's side, it seems). I'm guessing we'd go out for a big meal somewhere. Crossing fingers for yakiniku!! Yum. I can't imagine us doing something at the family home, since we'd be squishing some 15 people in the small dining room and kitchen area. No thanks. Haha.

It is SO SO hard to sleep at night now, for me. It is hot, muggy, and humid outside - then multiplied by 10 on the inside of the apartment. I just cannot sleep, and I've been tossing and turning. Even laying down makes me overheated after a while. Bleh. My allergies have kicked themselves up a notch as of late also - I guess it's because of all the rain, swishing all the pollen around? I don't know for sure (ever). I have allergies year round! But my allergies MUST be getting worse, overall, because for the past 2-3 months, every single morning I wake up - I literally feel like a piece o' crap. I'm incredibly groggy, can't open my eyes fully for a while, I feel dizzy, and my nose is stuffed up.

Think pleasant thoughts...