It was a sad time, saying goodbye to all my new friends, and a city that I have grown to love. My last few days in Tokyo I was alone, all of my fellow teachers having gone home. It was really nice - I relaxed, and really pulled myself together in preparation for leaving.
I wandered around the city, visiting the areas that I had left to visit. I walked from Shibuya up to Shinjuku (a long walk!), trekking through Harajuku and Yotsuya along the way. These are really lovely areas, and probably my favorite in the city.
I went to Yoyogi park on Sunday, and saw the teens dressed in their outrageous costumes and crazy hair, playing cosplay with friends, or making music in the park. I walked around Ginza one evening, admiring the glitzy shops and the beautiful lights of the city-scape against the sky. I hung out in Asakusa, lurking in the shops, and singing karaoke - solo! So fun!
I wrote a few letters, and sent a few [hundred] postcards. All in all, when the morning of the 22nd came, I was ready to go home.
After over 30 hours of travel, including a seemingly unending layover in Chicago where my flight to Evansville was delayed over and over again, I arrived in Indiana and fell into the arms of my awaiting parents. It felt so good to see them again! Christmas was lovely, as expected. Seeing my whole family again was wonderful; we get along so well together. After missing Christmas last year, I can definitely appreciate the value that this time has in my life!
So, now I'm back in Miami, resting, getting over my jet lag, and preparing for my next adventure. I'm also attempting to train - I'm running the Disney Half Marathon in a few days. I'm excited, but a bit daunted. After having such horrible shin splints (which I believe were more like stress fractures, the pain was so bad), my running has been kaput. Well, 2 weeks of training is better that nothing!
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