July SHARE

Slow Life

As summer vacation is approaching I've talked to many students at the center about their summer plans. Some people are going to study for exams or complete internships to help them with their job searching. Still others are planning trips with their friends to go abroad or visit other parts of Japan. It's exciting to hear about all the different things that people will do with their free time.

Personally, I will be participating in the center's volunteer work camps to Okunakayama in Iwate Prefecture and the Asian Rural Institute in Tochigi Prefecture. I am looking forward to both because of all of the different people we meet in each place and for the slow time that these camps allow center staff and students to spend together outside of our busy work and study schedules. A unfortunate result of urban living is that our lives don't leave time to talk about things that are bothering us, our dreams for the future, or silly thoughts that we have that are forgotten because there are other more important things to talk about.

Most students plan to return to their hometowns for part of summer vacation to spend time with their families. Our hometowns are one of the few places where our lives slow down and we can become magically transformed into children again. Our families and childhood friends don't see us in our current reality of work and school and so we are perhaps more free to enjoy these comfortable conversations. Although sometimes our visits home can seem boring, it's important to remember that these are the moments which allow us to refresh ourselves before going back to our busy lives. I will also be returning home in September for a few weeks for a vacation. I've always thought it would be nice to plan a trip home with some of the friends I've made here in Japan over the past year and a half, my family in California would very much like to meet the people I spend all my time with in Sendai.

(SKLT)