Ryan
Chasing greatness

So here I am in Oklahoma.

It is hot.

I spend most of my days reading books or drowning in the iPhone APIs.  I’m trying to get 2 applications done before I get to NC.

It is a really good exercise to learn to program on a new technology with an unfamiliar language without the internet.  It is also a pretty big exercise in patience.

I can’t paint such a depressing picture really, because I have had a good time.  Megan’s Dad has taken me to play golf and is teaching me how to shoot guns.

The past few days have been full of blood, sweat, and tears.  That is just how weddings go.  Last night Rachel Isaacs and Colton Sqyres tied the knot, and it couldn’t have been better.

By, “Better,” I mean insane.

Rachel and Colton did everything themselves, which enlisted nearly everyone they knew to help get things done.  That meant a lot of stress and fighting over lots of little things.  I can’t remember when I have seen Megan so stressed or Megan’s mother.

There was also a relative flying in from California, but his flight from Dallas to Fayetteville got bumped.  Then all other flights were cancelled until the next day.  He told them he had to be there by 11AM the next morning (A slight fib), so they put him on a flight into Springfield Missouri.

We found out where he was and that he would be landing at 1AM.  Koy and I got in the car and hit the road.  We got there in about 2.5 hours, and we were checking out the airport arrivals board when we got another call.  He was delayed another 1.5 hours.

We were exhausted, but we had him back into the hotel at 5AM.

I wish I could write more about the wedding and everything, but it was beautiful, well-attended, and the pictures will probably do a better job.  I’ll be putting them up sometime soon, but I’ll be without internet again after we check out.

Megan also brought the house down with her toast to Rachel and Colton.

It has been a crazy, tiring, and good couple of days.

Pictures!

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Well I would have written sooner, but there is no internet in Welling where Megan’s family is, so no dice.

Did you miss me?

Our travels from Japan went without a hitch and aside from the exhaustion, we were pumped to be home. Megan cried on the train to the airport in Japan, which is great. It means she really had a great time and would miss it.

Since we’ve been back I have bought Megan an iPhone which has been an amazing investment. Even though there is no internet at Megan’s family’s home, her iPhone can still squeak an internet signal out sometimes.

In general everyone has been running around all crazy and stressed-like getting Rachel’s (Megan’s younger sister) wedding ready for this Thursday.

I do my best to avoid the whole thing, but that only works half of the time. Megan and Audra (Megan’s older sister) hosted a shower for Rachel, but I did most of the cooking for it before I was banished to another room with beer and movies and Megan’s dad.

Not as bad as you think.

Though he does snore quite a bit, and can be a little handsy.

In other news, we were asked to return to MES at the end of the summer. I told them I would only consider it if there were no job opportunities here. Well without internet and this wedding stuff, I haven’t been able to look at all.

Anyway, I got an email from Kimoto-san (Our boss’s boss) offering us the job formally with a $20/month raise! Thats like a 0.8% increase!

Sign me up!

They want me and Megan to go back to train all of the staff and be their managers. As well as teach a full load of classes. Apparently thats only worth $20 a month more than just teaching.

When we read that email we knew that even if we would be working at Burger King, we probably won’t be taking the job in Japan again.

Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing job and an amazing year, but it wouldn’t be the same the second time around.

For those of you familiar with Tahlequah, I am doing my internet business from the Iguana Cafe.

I am officially finished teaching classes.  I have one more curriculum tomorrow and thats it.  I’m pretty excited!

I said, “Goodbye,” to my class Monday, Tuesday and finally today.  Some of the kids were great fun and great people who would be fun to be around any time.  At the same time, I never got too close to them, so the memories and pictures I took will be enough.

A few interesting things happened however.  Tuesday after I taught my classes, I went with Mami to meet the Hiroi family.  I taught them from last June until April.  I did get close to them and I will miss them.  The Hiroi family wanted to see me one last time before I left, so we met at a small restaurant, and while the kids had dessert, I played with them and soaked it in.

There was Yuka who is either 5 or 6 and is the definition of cute.  Then there is the boy, Kengo.  He is really funny and just great.  The oldest is Maho, and her personality is about inbetween the other two.  She is around 12 or 13 and had a little crush on me I think.  I don’t mind though, nearly every girl I taught did that.  Seriously.

I’m not making it up.

I’m not proud of it either.

Just a fact.

So we just spent some time together and said our final farewells.

After that Megan, Mami, Yurie, Ayumi, and I went to dinner together.  These were the Japanese teachers we got closest to and the people we will miss the most by far.  I know there was a language barrier, but we tried to let them know how important they have been to us.  We ate and laughed and talked until around midnight before we pulled ourselves away again.

When we think of Japan, they will be the first people that come to mind.

I have said all of my goodbyes and now I am just packing before we fly home Friday.  I’m dreading the flight, but excited for change.

It has been one of the best years of my life.  Not because it was all happy, fun, or even easy.  Far from it.  It has been one of those years where I felt like I truly lived life, and it was great.

Now for something kind of different.

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So Friday was our, “Farewell Party.”  We actually leave the country this coming Friday, the 29th.  Kind of a weird, good day in a lot of different ways.

First thing to mention is that Greg put his letter of resignation in.  He gave very clear, simple instructions including, “Don’t panic.”

When we went to the office, we were greeted by panic.  Megan and I were taken to a private room to talk with Mami and Yurie about us not leaving or us returning back with me as the manager for Foreign Teachers.  In a very tactful way I told them to grow a pair, and if they can’t that I would consider returning in August.

I said goodbye to my Friday classes, which was fine.  Then proceeded to meet with my previous Friday’s classes (The ones I had before April).  They all came to meet me, in the rain, to say goodbye.  It was really awesome.  I didn’t cry, but I was very aware of how sad I was going to be not seeing them again.  Then I found out that I’ll see them again Tuesday because they want to see me one more time.  Score.

As for the party, it was at Familia.  It is a great little Italian place owned by the owners of our place, and they threw a good little party for us.  Most of the Japanese staff were preoccupied with the new teachers and Greg’s resignation, but we didn’t mind.

That night we went to a mall to play in Sega.  Three floors of coin-operated fun.  We took pictures in the photo booths, sang karaoke, played video games, and stayed out way past our bed time.

The rest of the weekend has been cleaning and packing.

I’m ready.  Megan is a little unsettled by all the goodbyes and the idea that we lived here for a year and will probably never return.