June was fine. June was actually quite pleasant. I could go outside (or stay inside with my window opened, for that matter) without immediately breaking out into a sweat. It seems like the moment the calendar turned to July, Mother Nature suddenly realized summer had arrived and cranked up the humidity levels to maximum.
Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year. I love not having to dig my car out from two meters of heavy fluffy snow every morning, I love the cold treats, I love the festivals and the fireworks, and I love going to the beach. I just have never quite adjusted to the humidity.
But even as I lie sweat-stuck to my sheets, shivering as my fan oscillates slowly over me and sends a brief shock of cool air across my skin, I can't help but feel a little pre-emptive nostalgia. This summer marks the beginning of my third and final year as a JET. It may not be the last year I ever live in Japan--I know I'll be coming back one day--but it's the closing chapter of a dream I've had since I was fifteen years old. The knowledge hits me hard in the throat even as I'm gradually gearing up to go travel the world with Jeff.
It may seem a little premature to be thinking these melancholy thoughts, but time here seems to warp and bend in unique ways, especially once summer finally breaks through winter's frigid fist. One year is a long time in theory, and yet two have already passed since I was preparing to move to the land of sushi and samurai to start this adventure.
And two years have brought me so far. Only a few of my shenanigans are properly chronicled here, but even from those scant scraps of story, the impact this experience has affected on me is obvious. I'm a little wiser, a little more daring, a little more comfortable in my own slightly-scarred skin.
But before I start to miss it too much, I have to remember I still have one more glorious year left. It's a bad habit of mine to think a little too far in advance sometimes, so I'll give it a rest for now and concentrate on what is immediately before me: A few goodbyes, a few hellos, a couple more mishaps, and a lot more melting.
Oh, and a lot more video editing. Did I mention this month I'm doing a video-a-day challenge?
It's a start.
Love and peace.
Your mom is an ice cream cone!
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