Living in a multicultural society and a culturally homogeneous one

Now that I'm a bit more awake, I can write a little more coherently. Going home was great. Coming back to Japan, Vancouver felt like a fantasy to Tokyo's harsh reality. For some reason, I was expecting so much change returning to Tokyo, even though I was gone for only 10 days. Tokyo doesn't wait for anyone. Not even me. I think I felt this way because it was such a shock being back in Vancouver: seeing my niece again, taking the bus with so many loud 'minorities,' being a slave to the snow, coming back to a heated house and not having to use 3 layers of blankets to stay warm, etc. I only ate ONE fully home-cooked meal on my last night and I barely made a dent in it because I ate it so fast that I got major gas. Such a missed opportunity. All this made me think: where's home? Where am I supposed to be? Well, of course, I'm not 'supposed to' be anywhere. I just happen to physically be in Japan while life keeps on lifin.' My mind on the other hand...

Henceforth, as I mentioned earlier, my body has been on auto-drive since I got back. That shouldn't be anything to really complain about, but it doesn't feel right if you're still waiting for your brain to arrive like lost luggage. It's almost like I'm bored here. But that will change once I get back into the groove of things. Hopefully doing so isn't too disruptive as I've been going to bed earlier and waking up way earlier (10pm to 5am). I don't want to crashing in my night classes. That's why I'm looking for a new job for the April 2009 semester.

Regarding riding the bus in Vancouver, it was good to see so many races in one place again. It just felt harmonious. And it's a good primer for when you decide to actually visit one of those countries.