deep in thought

so today was another day at Honey, marking a week into my journey. I feel like the week has held a wide variety of emotions, often sending me whirling through time like one on a roller coaster, or even some string of dreams in a benadryl induced sleep. I am still waiting for a sense of routine to set in, and I hope that at its arrival I will no longer feel like a stranger in someone else's dream.

My host family's candid manner helps. Talking about things like farts and porn oddly make me feel at home (I am in a home with two teenage boys, what do you expect?). Its really a relief after the structered politeness of Japanese business. Tonight Hide offered his experience of going to porn rental store a few weeks ago where he was turned down because his ID proved him a year too young. Hide simply shruggs his shoulders with a "I tried" look on his face, and the family laughed when I expected the parents to bow their head in shame. It was at this moment I felt accepted.

I am trying to recollect the two weeks we accepted a french boy into our home when I was 15 years old. I remember I was working at Brusters (an ice cream shop), and it was sometime around the 4th of July. The boy's name was Bartholemeu (Bart for short), but we all called him Frenchie instead. It was hot, as all Atlanta summers are, and Sara and I spent the majority of our high school days in the airconditioned basement online, chatting with our friends, trying to coordinate meeting up at the mall or the pool. Our lives were less than complex, and our free time was extraordinarily American. Unlike my Japanese host family, our sense of responsibility for him was minimal. His pale, white skin was of no importance to us when we suggested going to the pool or to Lake Lanier as something fun to do. He was so burned, even just sitting underneath the umbrella. His english was limited, as was his desire to communicate, so I never really got to know him.

At the end of Bart's stay, we all sighed a heavy breath of relief, and only seldomly heard from him again. I feel lucky that I am not like Bart in this situation. I am creating deep, lasting bonds with this family, an opportunity that is rare not only for a foreigner in Japan, but even for myself in my own city. With some solid advice from friends that have been here too, it is best to cherrish these awkward/trying/difficult times. I'm learning something right now, wether I am aware of it or not. So with that said, I am ready to continue. lezgo!