preparations

I've started truly preparing for my departure in September now. After 4 days of hiking in the remote mountains in Shikoku I've learned a few things about life out of a backpack. Most importantly, who knew that such a small amount of stuff could weigh SO much when you're schlepping it up and down mountains all day? Damn, I thought I packed light, but I've got a bit more to learn. Suddenly those tales of people cutting bars of soap in half and tearing pages out of books when they've read them don't sound so crazy.

With my mind full of aubergues and yellow road markings, it's difficult to stay focussed on the whole teaching English thing. As summer approaches, students are flooding in - cause really, if you only get 5 days vacation a year, why wouldn't you spend it taking 50 English lessons? Dedication is a word that springs to mind, insanity is another...

It's sad to think that my time here is almost up, although I'm ready to move on. Japan is a place you could keep discovering forever. My friend Carolyn and I are going to try and get to Koya-san, a Buddhist retreat village in the mountains near Kyoto. Apparently it's amazing, and it'd be a great end to the whole experience.

It's strange how fast life moves around you.