On distance

Living abroad has nothing to do with the place. Sure, the architecture is neat, but at the end of the day... only the biggest nerds can live off that alone. It is the people that you meet that make the memories that make you snicker to yourself whilst you stand in a checkout line.

What? You don't do that? Okay, the memories that make me snicker like a crazy person in the checkout line.


So, when I went to Japan, I expected to meet people. Transient people, who would teach me something and then flit off into the unknown. Fun people who would drink me under the table and then whisk me off for ramen. And in truth, I did find these people. People who taught me about confidence and facing the unknown. People who taught me the beauty of gin. And yes, transient people whom I will most likely never see again.

What I didn't expect, was to make good friends. My good friends are from high school. I don't go out of my way to meet new people. But going abroad has changed that. I met people so different from me, and yet, people I can't imagine living without having met.

And then I left.

Facebook and Skype have kept me in touch with most of them. They enable me to have 3 hour long conversations with my friend in Japan about nothing. It's like there is no distance. Except there is.

"He broke me Shari, I never cry. The muthaf*cker made me cry."

If I was in Japan, this statement would have caused me to make a face of empathy, give a big hug and take her out for a drink. But those are things without words. Silence over Skype is awkward and misinterpreted. Either you weren't listening or you have nothing constructive to say. And thus, you can't be there for the good friends you have made half way around the world.

And it seriously sucks.


S.