A place where the sky touches the earth.

A few days ago, my family and my friend's family went on a small trip to the rural, mountainous area where we would go to the onsens. An onsen is a public bath house, and they are very common in Japan. It's funny, because Japanese people are usually very conservative and proper people, yet they have no problem stripping in front of complete strangers to get into a huge bath. It's one big nakey party (just kidding its two parties because the men and women are separate).
But anyway, on the way there our altitude was so high that we could literally see the clouds going through the mountains, and huge puffs looming over tiny farm towns. This is when I thought, This must be the place where heaven touches the earth. Not that I believe in heaven, but if there were to be such a divine place, it would rest right over this place. A life in the mountains seems so pure and simple, because it is so removed from any industrial area or organized population. I felt that the people who lived under these clouds must be blessed, for they were neighbors with nature and so they were always conscious of their humanity. Personally, I thrive in a busy city, but at the same time I feel that I am my best person when I stay in a rural area where you cannot take anything for granted.
That is a place where the sky touches the earth.

On doing things that you don't want to.

Today I finished my one week experience at a Japanese High School. I had spent time in past summers going to elementary school and middle school because my parents and grandparents wanted me to experience Japanese school life. However, as my speech in English became better and better than my Japanese, I started to lose confidence in my abilities to connect with the students around me. Especially in middle school, I was shy and I kept waiting and waiting for someone to talk to me. The scene was more like everyone would stare and whisper about me from a distance. That's why this time around, 2 years since the last time I visited Japan, I was dreading having to go to high school. I ended up complaining to my mother about how I was doing this for her, not myself, and now I regret saying that very much. I would much rather be able to bear the burden of doing something that I don't want to, instead of making my mother feel guilty because of my own struggles. I learned that when you do something, you feel so much better when you accept the situation as it is instead of blaming, complaining, or burdening by projecting your own insecurities on others.

By the way, my high school experience wasn't that bad.

Eh, what the heck.

This is my 3rd try at a blog but whatever.