20 May 2007

It is happening for the first time

The best part about our house is the trains that pass by regularly throughout the day. Both the commuter rail (MARTA) and the cargo rail lines are in front of our home, allowing for a seemingly urban environment despite the "Leaving Atlanta" sign just a few yards up the road. Sometimes I lay on the couch watching the trains run through the window frames as if I am watching an extended take in an Ozu film. The trains in his films are only a facet of what lures me to them, but most of all they beg me to go back to Japan.

Since my visit in March of 2006, I have only fantasized on a daily basis as to how I could possibly return to Japan--and not just to visit, but to reside there. I toyed with the idea of graduate school, but my Japanese is not yet strong enough. Then there was JET or NOVA. Every other undergraduate student in their senior year entertains teaching in Japan, but I wanted something more than just teaching for 6 months or a year. Something either more permanent or at least allowed the possibility of an extended stay.

So the question remained: how do I take something I am passionate for and find a career in Japan that will allow me to stay there and excel in my skill? Well, David Lamonte of Counter Culture Coffee gave me the answer I was looking for. Through conversation behind the bar at Octane, David offered his help in making this happen by emailing a friend of his who owns a specialty shop in Fukuoka City on Kyushu island. Mr. Izaki, who owns Honey Coffee, has offered to teach me both how to speak Japanese AND roast coffee!!! The idea is nothing short of a dream, and I can only hope this one comes true (okay, that's about as cheesy as I can get). There isn't much more to say on this except I need to wait and see if Mr. Izaki is for real about this exchange. If that's the case, I finish school in December and will get on a plane the first day I can.

Hell yes.

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