A Break from my Break

Mami y Papi: Estoy bien. Platicamos ahora en la tarde (era noche para ustedes) y aqui estoy en la casa de los papas de Satomi (la señora que esta embarazada). Tuve un dia muy relajado. Camine por el pueblo y cene muy, muy rico. Esta parada ha sido un descanso de toda la movedera. Y la señora es tan comprensiva y atenta- ella viajo por un año entero cuando estaba mas joven y supo exactamente como me sentia. Me preguntaba, como te sientes? Y a cada rato me decia- tu relajate, no te preocupes de nada. Como que si estas en tu casa. Eso me ha ayudado para relajarme lla que si, como que me estaba estresando un poco, y tambien sintiendome un poco sola. Anoche tambien me di un baño caliente en una tina onda. Para los Japanoses, tomarse un baño de tina caliente antes de un baño en la regadera es casi requisito. Todos los hogares tienen su tina y su regadera, y todos, desde los niños hasta los ancianos, se toman sus baños. Ahora durante la cena estabamos viendo las noticias y me senti como en la casa, cuando mi papa ve las noticias en Galavisión (y Baily como esta?). Después vimos otro programa que se trato de un carpintero Japones que fue a un pueblo en Taliandia para ayudarles a construir una rueda (a water mill) para pasar agua por un rio y a la vez moler el arroz para que los niños no tuvieran que madrugar para hacerlo. Senti como que si estuvieramos viendo un programa en National Geographic o TLC. Si nos miraras, se me hacia curioso- todos comiendo en la mesa bajita y sentados en el suelo (haci comen tradicionalmente) y mirando la television en una pantalla grande y plana (flatscreen, real nice!). Y tambien tienen internet inalambrico y los dos (Satomi y su esposo) tiene laptops! Haci que me siento totalmente descansada, relajada, segura, y conectada. Y me siguen diciendo, quedate mas tiempo, que alvaco, cual es tu itenario? Y si, la verdad es que, pues, no tengo prisa. Dos dias mas, o dos semanas aqui o en otro lugar no hacen pasar ocho meses mas rapidos. Haci que, pues, luego les digo que decidi haer. Okay, les llamare mas seguido y tratare de escribir mas en este espacio. Los quiero mucho. Hasta pronto.

I have been resting and eating better than I have been since I arrived to Japan. It’s like I’m on a retreat from my trip! I am staying in a friend’s parent’s home in a small village in the countryside about an hour and a half north of Kobe in Japan. It is so beautiful, green and peaceful! She and her husband are also staying here (she is pregnant and traditionally the daughter will go back home to deliver, so she’s due any day now!) The train ride over was stunning. The train route goes through deep mountains with forests along the sides. There was also this long big river with clear water that I could see from the window (we were like on a bridge over many parts of the route. Then the train would go through tunnels though the mountains and would go out again revealing another amazing view. We went in and out of tunnels- it felt like we were dolphins swimming fast going in and out of the water (it’s the only way I can describe how it felt). Other parts of the route had rice fields along both sides and beautiful old homes. Oh, the train ride alone was so, so nice. I kept feeling we were getting farther and farther away from the city, which was a relief; I was getting a little tired and overwhelmed of subways, noise and hostels. The village is nestled along the side of a mountain, I know I keep saying this, but everything really is so green and peaceful.



I thought this would be a day pit stop to drop my belongings before going on the 88-temple pilgrimage route in Shikoku (another island in Japan) for two weeks (more about this pilgrimage later), but I’ve been here for two days now, and I’ll probably be here for another day or so. Satomi (friend whose parent’s house I’m staying in) is so nice and attentive. When I got in (thanks to Rob, her husband, for meeting up with me in Kyoto to get back to her parent’s home) she asked me, how are you feeling? How are you? Oh, you must be tired, no? Make yourself at home, just relax, don’t worry about a thing.



Oh, bless her and her parents! She showed me the room I would stay in- a really beautiful traditional room with tatami mat floors and rice paper window doors (the front part of the house was recently remodeled in traditional Japanese style). Ah, my own room! The family was also celebrating Satomi’s nephew’s first birthday so it was extra special to stay with the family and have such a great dinner! You know, I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve given the food in Japan a chance and I stick with soba (noodles) and light foods because I never know what to order. Then afterwards, I took a long, long hot bath in a deep tub (there was this digital thermostat next to it to keep the water at a comfortably hot 40c- this house is high tech!). I feel that Satomi almost knew exactly how I felt- she traveled for an entire year in her early 20s around many parts of Europe and Japan; she knew what it’s like to constantly be moving and living out of a bag for a long time, so I think she was really trying to make me feel welcomed and relaxed. She keeps saying, just stay as long as you like, don’t feel pressured to move on (until the baby comes, of course, which will be for another week, according to schedule, but ya never know)…



…to be honest, yes, it’s only been about two weeks, but I had been feeling overwhelmed and lonely (if you can’t tell by how appreciative I am of my new environment). It’s beginning to sink in that I’ll be doing this for eight months and that I’ll be having to adjust to a new mode of transportation, customs, food and language (at least survival phrases) quite a bit. It really hit me the other night when I was trying to make it back to Kyoto after spending a full day on Miyajima (a beautiful island off of Hiroshima, pictures above are from the island, where deer were wandering freely) that same night (that was my mistake, I should have just spent the night there but I had already booked/paid another hostel for that night back in Kyoto). A man at the train station was trying to tell me there were no more connecting routes to Kyoto from Osaka and basically showed me the door. It was late at night, I was tired, I just learned that there were no more routes back to where I needed to get back to (or so I thought) and I realized that I wasn’t going to make it back in time to check-in at the hostel- oh, and I didn’t know the phone number to call and let them know, either. A few other things (overwhelmingly good lessons) also got me worked up and just made me feel emotionally drained (after two weeks, how silly and dramatic, no?)

The idea of this travel fellowship is amazing, so you'd really have to wonder why in the world would I have felt like this, right? But I was tired of moving constantly, of staying in hostels and of needing to figure things out all the time, among several other things- and this is only the beginning! In the end, I did make it back to the hostel ok- things always work out. Looking back, I just needed to breathe. So, this retreat to Satomi’s parent’s house has been so healthy for me to relax, be in a home and sort of reflect and learn from these past two weeks…definitely, I’ve learned that it’s ok to not sight see everyday. It’s ok to just spend the morning or day at a coffee shop reading and writing. I need to get out of the “vacation/limited time” mode and stop feeling like I need to squeeze everything in two or three weeks…I also think part of this feeling comes from the nature of the place that I began in- a very expensive country that is super punctual. Essentially, I am traveling for a living, so my sense of time and pace will need to change, and slowly, I think they are (they definitely have been since staying here).



So yeah, this is where I am at the moment, adjusting to this new idea, and spending a real lovely time with Satomi, her husband and her parents (and her extended family) eating great meals, and getting ready for the next move- Shikoku.