It's been an interesting 10 months on JET, to say the least. But the most interesting day was easily the first one. I still remember my first night 'on the job' in Houston the day before departing with the crew that would be leaving from the Houston consulate.John, a guy from the UT Japanese program, was a die-hard Simpsons fan and *had* to see the newly-released Simpsons movie before we left. The movie had come out that day. He led an expedition from the hotel, by taxi, to Houston's Movie Tavern, where about 5 of us guys had a few drinks and were the first to see The Simpsons Movie. The already funny movie was made absolutely hilarious by the sheer escapism of it all - all 5 of us were enjoying the last night of Life As We Knew It. The next 365 days - or 730, or 3, 4, or 5 years' worth of days - could prove to be completely transformative for our lives. What if we never came back? It's a question that you at least have to acknowledge before you leave, if not confront.Then JET turned out to be life as promised. One day after another in rural Japan, in a place you slowly but surely make into your own. I bought a big futon, tons of video games, and spent a ton of money on Hiroshima booze to feel comfortable.Now I have to start reversing that process - shipping winter clothes to the States, trying to figure out the logistics of getting multiple suitcases home, trying to sell off all those video games and still having something to do in my last couple weeks here. Not to mention saying goodbyes - my wonderful night class is taking me to Hiroshima for a last hurrah. And I'll have to say my own goodbyes in a way that gives me closure.And my last night here is over two months away, but I can tell you exactly what the experience will be - am I done here? I've found that I love Japan just as much as I thought I would, and the thought of not coming back is pretty hard to swallow. It's been 3 years since I did this whole thing in Spain and I haven't been back there. Did I accomplish everything I wanted to? Did I see everything I wanted? Have I learned what I came here to learn?Long story short, the first night and the last night are the most significant of one's entire JET experience. They're the only two days where you can see the 'big picture' of your life and how the JET chapter fits into it. And the last night is equally terrifying as the first. On the way out of the country, you're paralyzed with wonder over how your life will change. On the way back, I'm going to panic with fear that I've missed something.In a couple days I'll be informing my supervisor of my intended flight home. If that goes according to plan, I'll be arriving in Houston on August 4th and reaching Dallas between there and the 6th.If you see me, please have a drink with me, or failing that say 'hi.' I'll be seriously in need of reminders why I left Japan - that is, reminders why I came home.
