Two Faces of Mike

Now the picture really doesn't have anything to do with my musings, except for the fact that it was one of the last things I saw before leaving the states, and it is a nice shot is I don't say so myself. Anyway I just wanted to say it is good to be back in Japan but at the same time a little strange. One thing I realized just the other day was that when I first went back to the states I was actually pretty quiet and not very talkative, almost like I was sitting back and observing everything that was going around me. Which in some ways is so not me, but I think that in some ways Japan has made me this way. Now since I have been back I have discovered that I am acting and saying things that are very much more American than Japanese. I realized that I do in fact have two very different faces and they don't necessarily show themselves at the same time.

And if they did would I look like this?

Well I hope that I might scare more people than I do already. I guess that what made me come to this realization was that I have been randomly and openly giving very frank and sometimes pretty humorous remarks to people at school. This is so not the Japanese Mike but the American Mike, and actually the face that I do prefer. I'm glad I have both of them though they do come in handy and through both of them I tend to see the world in different ways. And I think that I'm realizing that to help me survive the Japanese culture, I really need to let let the American Mike show more here in Japan. Over the years the Japanese Mike has come to the forefront more often then not, and even though it is useful in helping me just deal with everyday life, the joy and the laughter that the other face bring are the things that I think I value more.

My time back in the states was great but was way too short. Or maybe I should say that it just went by too fast. There are still many people that I would like to connect with, and some that I would like to be able to spend more time with, just being with them. It was also a time to experience church. Attending Church at the Crossing was a real blessing for me, and I would have liked to have been more involved but I did have limited time. I was good to sing and worship and not feel like I didn't know any of the songs. I was grateful for the good mix of music, and the worship wasn't just a spectator event, everyone could easily be an active participant.

Of course the best part of my time off was the opportunity to go to Africa. Even though the original plan was scrapped , plan be turned out to be probably better than the original one would have been. Visiting Aldersgate school in Tanzania was great. I wish I could sit through their wonderful worship services every week. The music awe inspiring and straight from the heart. The people of Tanzania although poor they are rich in spirit, and didn't seem desperate, but rather content. I think we could all learn a lesson from them. Rwanda is a beautiful country, I guess the images that pop into the mind first are those of genocide, so I was suprised how green and abundant everything seemed. I didn't look like a poor country that had been through such an awful past. And it was encouraging to hear that the country is on an economic rebound, and the president is doing a great job of eliminating the the racial barriers that have scarred the nations past.

And I can't forget how great it was to go on Safari! I went on Safari. I just like to say that, how cool. We kept saying that to ourselves the whole time. It was a great ending to our trip and even though it was a little pricey because it was only two of us, it was well worth it and I would do it again in a minute. And if anyone out there is interested in a trip like this, I have the greatest guide, Charlie. One in a million and we had a great time with him.

The time back in the States and in Africa was great but it has been good to be back home.