Every few years I would tell the same story to my students. It was a young me sitting in my TMNT briefs, eating cheerios, and watching Chipmunk Adventure for the millionth time on an old VHS tape. Then I make them all listen to the music of the chipmunk idols of my childhood. I dreamed for years of traveling to other countries. Now that I have done it I just wish I could tell that pudgy kid sitting in his underwear; “It’s everything your dreaming and more.”
I have traveled to Japan many times. Remembering the first time I saw Tokyo, the late nights in Fukuoka, feeling the salty air in Miyakojima, the bustle of Osaka, stepping back in time in Kyoto, all I can think is how much I love it there. I met my future wife in college around 2002. I went to visit her and meet her family in Japan a few years later. The first year I went twice. I spent all the money I had to go the first time, and then 6 months later had saved enough to go again. That’s how much it changed me. I came to the conclusion that money and possessions ultimately have no meaning. The only thing you will ever get to keep are your memories. Everyone said it would be fun and life changing. The reality is you can’t understand what they mean until it changes you. If I could do anything different it would only be to travel abroad sooner and more often. The food, the people, the atmosphere will lock in life long memories..
I have also had the pleasure of visiting Korea and Taiwan in years past. If you have been around me for very long then you probably know I think traveling to other countries and cultures is the greatest experience people can have in their life. It does not matter where you go. Every trip feels like a life changing adventure. I learn a lot about the cultures I visit. Which is probably expected. What was surprising is how much I learn about myself and my own culture. There is a sense of seeing the bigger picture and having a greater understanding of who I am as an Oregonian and American. I feel like a goldfish who only realizes how small his fishbowl is after being flushed out to the ocean.
I will try to show all the fun stuff we talked about in class. Many of my American friends were familiar with Japan and some of their popular culture. Things like Pokemon, Nintendo, Godzilla, and Anime. I also heard a lot of questions about food like sushi, ramen, and the infamous assortment of interesting Kit Kat flavors. I hope to touch on all of that and show you the exciting modern side of Japan. For myself I have fallen in love with the historical sites and lore. I will never forget the elegantly aged Shinto shrines that can be found in every town. The busy shop streets in front of the majestic Buddhist temples. The towering pagodas that can bee seen for miles. I have stood in the head of an ancient statue peering out through its gigantic eyes, and squished my way through tiny caverns to see miniature figures carved into the stone a thousand years ago. I hope you all get to travel and see the world. Don’t put off your dreams. If this old chubby teacher can do it you better believe you can chase your dreams. The first step is believing the second is doing.
YOU CAN TOO!
The story of a pigasus chasing his dreams 