Sayonara Japan

It has been an exhausting week but well worth the time and effort.
We got everything done and are ready to catch our flight today.

Sad goodbyes came on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday from students, co-workers, and friends.
I will miss everyone. Their smiles and stories always brightened my day.

Yesterday, I stopped by the art supply store to make my last purchase and to say goodbye, To my surprise and delight, the owner made me a hanko ( a personal stamp). I will use it from here on to sign my paintings. After thanking him profusely, I rushed home to use it. I completed a drawing inspired by a photo of my cat and looked for some materials to transfer it to. Most of my art supplies had been packed in my luggage which had already been sent ahead to the airport, but I still had some washi and a sharpie ink pen. So here is my last art work done on the Eve of my Departure from Japan graced by the Hanko I received as a parting gift.

Japanese Paper Lanterns

I caught these photos of some beautiful paper lanterns in Sendai on my evening walk last month. Both lamps are advertising food and liquor. Their shadows, shapes and colors really give the shops that Japanese feeling.

Every Sunday, we gather at Hey Harriet's blog to share our photos of shadows. Visit her blog for more info on how to join.

Tatami Mats and my Siamese Cat

My internet time is sporadic now that I don't have the internet in the house. I go to Sendai Station every other day, find a bench and use MobilePoint BB paid Wifi access. It costs $10 (1000 yen) for two weeks. I pay for the wifi service at a convenience store. Today I shared the bench with senior travellers, drunk men, and a Homeless person.

Our move is coming along well. We found out that our 10 year old fridge is not recycable and has to be trashed. If noone wants a perfectly good fridge, then we will have to pay a licensed waste hauler 60 USD to haul it away. I have met many wonderful people from the U.S, Canada, England, Ghana, Argentina, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, and Korea who have taken us up on our offer of free furniture and appliances.

I am going to miss having Tatami mats in my studio. The feeling, color and scent of rice straw is comforting. My cat never scratches on the tatami, but she loves to lay on it to bathe herself. I caught this photo of her last summer.

For more shadows from around the world, visit Hey Harriet's Blog.

Married Couple Front Porch

This past week has been exhausting, but we have managed to get a lot done. My fingers and my wrists are sore due to all the cleaning. We have five days until the apartment inspection and are trying to get everything out by then as well as the top to bottom cleaning.

Most of the furniture is gone in my studio. I am left with boxes of supplies and documents. Our stove and stereo went today to a Tango Instructor who is furnishing his new apartment. Our desktop computers went out last Saturday.

We bought an HP Mini Netbook to keep us equipped with a computer during the transition. We've had it for a few weeks and are happy with it so far. I haven't tried transferring photos from my Canon camera yet, but I have been having fun with the Video recording feature.

With no T.V. and no internet in the house, evenings are really a time in the day when everything slows down. The other night my Husband and I decided to make a video of us. My husband didn't know what I was going to say. His reactions throughout the video just crack me up. I used the "smudge" effect when I edited the video.

The Dream Chronicle - Final Visit

This is the last installment in this Dream Chronicle series.

As all the previous dreams in this series, everything in the dream felt real. In all previous dreams, I was either woken up by my Husband or because I could not breathe. However, in this last dream, I didn't wake up in a panic.

The Dream

I was taking care of a dog. I could hear the dog in the hallway and went out of the room to see what was happening. As I stepped out into the hallway, a pair or arms came out from the wall behind me and set hold of me. I could feel the weight of the arms around me which made it difficult for me to breathe. I could hear my heartbeat racing and I started to panic. The hold only became stronger.

Soon, I somehow understood that no harm was meant to me and that this was my Father saying Goodbye. I stopped struggling and was able to catch my breath. There were no words from him, only this last Fatherly hug. I clearly remember talking to him and saying my last goodbye. At that point my Father began to leave me, and I struggled to keep hold of his embrace. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, the arms still moved away. Left alone in the room, I slowly began to wake up.

Real Life

Fully awake and the bedroom still dark. I lie there with the calm realization that I was to move forward on my own. This had been my my final Goodbye to my Father.