Transient

When I was accepted to teach in Japan over a year ago, Nathan and I had planned to stay here for only a year, maybe two, if things went really well.  And now, I'm halfway through my second year in Sapporo, and it's time to start thinking about whether we'll stay for a third year.

To tell the truth, we probably will.  I just can't imagine leaving here yet; Ethan's excelling at school (and actually enjoying math, can you believe it?), Nate has a great job, and I love teaching at Keihoku.  While I've been here, I've rediscovered my love of singing, met some amazing friends, and made some wonderful memories.  I'm just not ready to go.   I'm comfortable here, and we've all created niches for ourselves.  Ethan has guitar classes, and I go to dance class.  Nathan runs everyday.  We have our regular hang-out spots, and restaurants in the neighborhood know our names and what food we're going to order. What was once so foreign and unfamiliar, is now just a regular part of our lives.  

And  yet, I know that one day this will all end, and we'll have to go back to America.  Not that that's a bad thing - my family is there, and I miss them terribly.  But after one and a half years, this place has become our home.  We've grown roots here, however shallow.  It'll be hard to leave Sapporo - to say goodbye to all our friends which have really become like a second family.  The hardest thing is realizing that some of them I'll never see again once I step back on that airplane.

What will it be like when we go back to America?  Have I changed?  Will we gain all the weight back we've lost since moving here? (Thanks to bike riding and healthy Japanese eating!)  Will I be able to find a job?

It's just hard to think that this is all temporary.  That I'm just a transient, passing through for a brief moment.

All good things must come to an end at some point, I suppose.  And what a good thing this has been!