If you want to be emailed these types of writings as I write them, email me at rob@robnugen.com

May 2004

HI Everyone.

I hope this finds you well.  I've been in Japan for 14 months. I love
my new apartment in Motosumiyoshi (name of train station and
surrounding city).  I'm saving money on rent from my last apartment,
learning more Japanese than in my last apartment, and there's free
internet access here.  Awesome!

Oh, *and* I'm slowly learning to cook in Japan.  I learned how to use
the rice cooker a few days ago, and I already knew how to cook eggs
and chop spinach, so now I can make scrambled egg / rice / spinach
pancake things for breakfast and lunch.  My next plan is to learn how
to make okonomiyaki; *just yesterday*, I learned that okonomiyaki
powder (rice flower, I think) can be purchased at supermarkets.

- -

WORK: I love my new job at Gaba.  I'm teaching individual (one on one)
lessons now, so I can give precise lessons - exactly what I think each
individual needs.  I've been creating a student tracker so I can more
easily keep track of the students I've had, remember their names and
their preferred learning style.

- -

STUDY: Special thanks to one of my favorite students (Kozue) for
keeping an English diary; she gave me the idea of keeping a Japanese
diary, which has really helped my progress.  I'm not fluent by any
stretch, but writing in a diary has helped me learn more words that I
wouldn't have learned before, and has helped me learn kanji.  Awesome.

- -

BIKE: About 2 months ago, I left my bike overnight at the bike parking
lot.  It was pouring down rain, I was tired, and I didn't want to ride
while holding an umbrella.  The next day when I went to retrieve my
bike, I found that someone else had liberated it from the parking lot.

At first I was optimistic that I'd get it back.  I essentially got my
wallet back when I lost it; I got my phone back when I lost it.  But
as the days wore on, it became apparent that my beloved bike was not
coming back.  I had meditated on its safe and easy return, and even
now I have a thread of hope in my heart, but it's fading.

I was really angry about it for a few weeks; each time I had to walk
to and from the train station (with other people on bikes going to and
fro) I would feel so *angry* that someone had stolen my beloved bike.
Did I mention that I loved the bike?  Yes; I loved that bike.

To make it more pungent, I remember that I had *just* paid 6000 yen
($55) to get the brakes tuned and to replace the back sprocket. (sigh)

- -

FRIENDS: I've been able to experience the adage "true friends will
stick with you," as I've cruised along this Japanese adventure.  In a
way it makes me less worried about being alone.  And less worried
about losing friends if I move on to China.  Even though I'm in Japan,
I still have my friends at home who love me.  Even though I switched
jobs in Japan, I still have friends from my previous job.  I've come
to not trust/assume/believe "we'll stay in touch" is true.  I've come
to understand those words aren't necessary.

On more than one occassion I've thought that in a big picture way,
I've come to Japan to learn how to live alone.

- -

FUN: Jesse, my friend at Gaba with whom I often enjoy playing hackey
sack on our shared breaks, recently invited me to play racquetball
with him at the nearby gym.  He led the way, showing me where to
reserve courts and ask for racquets and where the locker rooms are.
(there are strange rules for wearing shoes: shoes worn outside must be
taken off when we come inside.  Then we can put on new shoes when we
change clothes, but we can't wear them in the locker room.)

We've only been one time, but it was really fun, and I'm considering
joining the gym on next payday.

- -

COASTERS: I'm putting some more energy into writing my roller coaster
book.  Small achievable steps, as my personal coach taught me.  Jimmy,
my friend at Gaba with whom I've been working on my roller coaster
book, has been helping me with my roller coaster book.  He described
himself as the ultimate enabler, a cheerleader for others' projects.
He has access to desktop publishing software, and has combined my text
with my pictures to make some cool layouts that can be used in a book.

- -

FUTURE: I don't have any plans to stay or leave Japan; I've considered
moving to China to learn Chinese and get in on their growing economy,
but I don't want to just run away from my life again.  But maybe I'm
running toward my life.  Maybe I'm just running.

How about I'll go to China after I have a saleable roller coaster book
completed?  That's a good goal.

    Be well
    - Rob