Familiar Encounters, Pt. 2

I had an honest-to-gosh conversation with a crow one morning on the way to work.  

There's this 600 meter stretch of fence between the next big intersection and my office that overlooks a huge park (which is real fun to walk past when there's nothing stopping the wind from whipping across the fields and knocking me into a snowdrift).  And one day, I encountered this crow sitting on the fence about, oh, I'd say 200 meters away from my office, cawing into the open air.  So, me being the nature druid nerd I am, I cawed back, as there was no one else around to witness the weird foreigner talking to a bird.  And I swear, the crow actually jumped a little bit and stared at me with the most puzzlement I have ever seen on a bird's face before, and it let out another inquisitive caw.  I cawed back as I walked past it.  When I started to get further away, it flew and landed on a stretch of fence in front of me and cawed again, and I cawed back.  This went on until I reached the entrance of the building, where it watched me go inside as I waved and made "caw caw!" with the same inflection as you might say "bye bye!"  

(I'm not good at drawing birds... I'll get better, though.  Since I can't seem to stop talking to crows, which will lead to more stories I need to draw.)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Follow Your Dreams *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The weirdest wishes from childhood are apparently the ones that come true.  (Why couldn't my wish about being rich come true? T^T  )

I loved reading the American Girl books as a kid.  Kirsten's book was the first one I ever read, and I remember thinking how cool it was that she had such an adventurous life as a pioneer.  And as I sat next to the Christmas tree at my grandparents' house reading that book, little did I know that fifteen years later, I would be living a... remarkably pioneer life, to be quite honest.  Tons of snow, kerosene heating (and lugging said kerosene home from the home center) and not being able to leave the heater on at night (thank goodness for electric blankets!), a nearly one-hour daily commute that involves walking through two feet of snow on a good day and a freaking blizzard on not-so-good days, having to snowshoe that one darned stretch of 600 meters to get to my office where there's nothing stopping the wind and snow from whipping across the open fields... Generally, I come home looking like Kristoff in that scene where he meets Anna in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post.

^ actual photo of me getting home from work, featured in the Disney movie "Frozen"

So yeah, be careful what you wish for, because you might actually get it.  I still don't have a pony, though, nor am I a famous paleontologist :\   (Really, fate?  You gave me the snowshoe wish, out of all the things I wished for as a kid?  That's what you went with?)

(Bonus panel)

Current Mood:

(I apologize for the use of a meme but that really is my current mood)

I can't promise that this will be the last political comic, because let's face it, the Grand Orangerlord practically hands the world reasons to make fun of him on a silver platter (and then yanks the silver platter back because he's greedier than Smaug).  But, I'll try to make these ones sparingly and mostly focus on my life in Japan.  That being said, America's foreign policy affects me, since I am, y'know, an American living in a foreign country.

Being an American living abroad right now is like... watching a toddler steal his parents' car keys and go for a joyride in the fancy car by driving it down the wrong side of the highway.  We can't even back-seat drive, because good luck trying to contact your representatives or senators when you can't call them on the phone without racking up huge international calling charges.  Oh, and the fact that no one is sure whether or not they actually bothered to count the absentee ballots.  Yeah.  

I spent four years (five if you count the personal research I did on the subject in high school because I have always been a mega nerd) studying Japanese history.  I wrote my senior year capstone project on the topic of nationalism and justification of WWII, looking at both the Japanese side and the American side.  Here's a very brief summary.

*Ahem*  During the Edo period, the Japanese government decided to say a big "SCREW ALL Y'ALL" to the world, except for the Dutch, Chinese, Ryukyu Islands, and Ainu, to whom they said a slightly smaller "screw you too", and came up with this foreign policy called 鎖国 ("sakoku", meaning "locked country").  Nobody gets in or out of the country without permission from the government, and trade was severely restricted.  Now why would they do this?  Because NATIONALISM *jazz hands* (and some other related things).  Now what happens when a country decides to isolate itself from an ever-changing post-industrial globalized society is that they get left behind, particularly on the technology front.  Some people decided Japan needed to get with the times and overthrew the old government.  New government decided "WE MUST CATCH UP TO THE WEST... BUT ALSO MUST STAY UNIQUE" (due to a surge of even more nationalism) so they adopted Western technologies, ideologies, and military tactics but put their own spin on them.  And what were big countries like the US, Britain, Germany, and others doing around this time?  COLONIALISM *jazz hands*.  Japan wanted in on that colonial action, so they annexed Korea and started poking at China too, and then all the other Southeast Asian countries, and no one in the West really cared because they had their own scheisse going on over in Europe.  Then WWII happens and sh*t gets MESSY.  Everyone thinks they're justified in doing whatever they're doing, whether it's brutally murdering half a city or dropping atomic bombs on each other, because NATIONALISM *jazz hands*.  The war ends, and because of all that built-up nationalism, Japan said "okay well we had reason for doing what we did, so how about you go easy on us?"  to which the Allies said "I think the F not", yet America's over there preaching the same dang justification rhetoric as Japan, and yet nobody had a problem with them until decades later when people said "you know what maybe that wasn't the best idea to drop atomic bombs on cities", but it was too late at that point, because Japan was suffering a radiation crisis.  And because this terrible thing happened to them, it kind of skewed their perception on the war as a whole.  Bad Thing™ ended the war, so that means they're the victim, right?  "WRONG" said China and Korea, "we want a damn apology", to which Japan said "but look what America did to me!", to which America said "you brought this upon yourself" and everything just devolved into a whole bunch of shouting and pointing fingers and everyone playing the victim.  Things finally settled down, but they get pretty heated every time someone comes out with a new textbook or builds a memorial statue, even to this day.

And that, my guys, gals, and non-binary pals, is why isolationism doesn't effing work.  Sure, it looks great at the time; yay our country is the best, let's limit jobs and funding to only our citizens because we're the best... that's going to work SUPER on paper and maybe for a couple of years if you're really lucky, and then guess what?  You're gonna F up your country long-term, that's what.  "taking a step back and just having some Me Time" is a great tactic for getting over a long string of bad dating partners, not for functioning as a country in the modern world.  We phased out of that age like, a good thousand years ago.  It's just like how war was great for kickstarting a floundering economy a thousand years ago and you could get away with justifying things like war so long as you made sure everyone was on even ground.  But guess what, the game has changed and so have the rules; war is far more costly (both monetarily and in human lives), you can't justify wiping an entire city off the map, and cutting yourself off from the world is just not going to work.

Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it, but those who do study history are doomed to watch the idiots who didn't study history make everything go up in flames.

*drops mic*    

God Help the Outcasts

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pLCDnbBEk0)

(once again, clicking on the pictures makes them bigger)

In the wake of the 2016 election, I found myself trying to escape through music.  I had my ipod on shuffle, and a song came on that I haven’t heard in years, but listening to it brought tears to my eyes in that moment (that moment being walking to get kerosene from the home center.  Whoops).  The song was “God Help the Outcasts” from the Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pLCDnbBEk0).  I’m not a religious person, I haven’t been in years, but then again, neither was Esmerelda in the movie, so in a way, I suppose it’s fitting.

The people who support Trump are, generally, not the people that any policies his administration will put into place will be affected by.  The people who will be affected will be people of color, women, LGBTQA individuals, indigenous peoples, immigrants, the poor, people with disabilities, students, people suffering from mental illness, non-Christians, soldiers, the press, and the children who will grow up in the world that he will destroy with his greed and ignorance.  If you do not fit into even one of those categories, congratulations, but I guarantee someone you know, even one of your loved ones, does, and that I guarantee that person no longer feels they can fully trust you knowing you voted for someone who would gladly take away their rights.   The president doesn't have all the power, true, but he is backed by an administration of like-minded people -- just as greedy, and unfortunately far more experienced in the world of politics -- and was elected into Republican-majority congress.  That is cause for worry.

I feel like these past few months have been like something out of a dystopian novel.  I’ve heard serious discussions from so many people that sound like they’re straight out of a work of fiction, or a history book.  One friend’s synagogue was vandalized, another black teenager shot or beaten to death by police officers, more than one friend seriously considering getting a concealed carry permit to protect themselves and their loved ones, people having to arrange to get married to their friend in order to stay in the country… and here, abroad, myself and so many others wondering when it will be safe to go home.     

I don’t live in America right now.  If I had to, I could very well finish up my five years in Japan and stay here, or move to another country.  I am not worried about me.  I am terrified for my friends and loved ones, who do live in America.  So many people I care so deeply about cannot leave.  I have never felt so helpless in my entire life.  I feel like this is one of those situations where people often pray or ask god for help, and I have never wanted so badly to believe in a loving god who can and will protect people.  Instead, I can only face tomorrow with a grim sort of determination; an over-inflated bully has somehow ended up as president of the United States of America, and this is going to let every other bully – from the highest of lawmakers to the lowliest of schoolyard bullies – believe that it’s okay to treat people with disrespect (after all, a man did that all the way to presidency, so why shouldn’t they?  They will say).  These things are going to happen, and if they do not happen to you, I urge you not to turn a blind eye when they happen to others.  Stand up to them; stand up and take the hands of the outcasts and stand together with them.  In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., 

"... I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection…” (letter from a Birmingham Jail - April 16, 1963)

I have faith that the American people – the true American people, made up of a sea of diversities in race, religion, gender and sexual orientation, age, heritage, and ability – are strong and kind enough to make it through these trying times.  Already I have seen this love among people in so many ways, from people pitching in to raise money for a friend or even a stranger in need, a good cop saddened and outraged by the fear that the institution of law enforcement has instilled in young people of color, posts circulating the internet about what to do if you see someone harassing a woman in a hijab, a priest quietly and calmly engaging in discussion with a genuine smile on his face while so-called Christians toted neon signs preaching hate a mere fifteen feet away, friends opening their homes to friends who need a place to stay for one night or far longer, people offering their ears to listen, their hands to hold, and their hearts to love.

Perhaps we will come out of it with scars, but we will come out of it together.

For now, and the next four years, #NotMyPresident

-----

(fourth picture drawn using the photo of Ieyasha Evans in “Unrest in Baton Rouge” as reference, credit Johnathan Bachman, July 9^th 2016, http://www.jonathanbachmanphotography.com/portfolio)

Crow Whisperer (Familiar Encounters, Pt. 1)

(This week on My Inconsistent Drawing Style, featuring background lines...)

Much to my disappointment, there are no squirrels in Japan (T_T).  Crows are as plentiful here as squirrels are in America, though, and they're pretty cute (but not quite as cute as squirrels).  They're much bigger than American crows! 

The other day, a crow hopped right up to me while I was waiting to cross the street and cawed.  Thinking I was alone still, I cawed back.  It cawed louder, and I told it there was no need to be rude (in Japanese too, since it was a Japanese crow and just to get speaking practice).  The crow then hopped away and I realized there was a lady behind me, who was probably wondering why the crazy gaijin was talking to a crow.

I also saw a crow crossing the street with a piece of bread in its mouth.  It must have been running late to crow anime school!



(Edit on 3/5/17: I changed the title because I keep having encounters with crows and will likely have more in the future, based on my love for them.  So now it's a series.  Stay tuned to see how Lee amasses a murder of crow familiars and becomes a nature witch.)

Vote at all costs

 

Happy election day, America.  May the odds be ever in our favor. 

 

I voted via absentee ballot a while ago but forgot to post this until today, whoops.  I did need to mail it by a certain date, though, and the post office is only open on weekdays and closes shortly after I leave from work.  So, I rode my bike as fast as I could through the pouring rain and came in at just five minutes to closing time, dripping wet, with a rather complicated request (I had to have the envelope formatted a certain way with the signiture and official election mail logo on a certain side, and I tried to explain the pre-paid postage but wasn't able to get it across so I ended up paying 20 bucks anyway, but darn it I was going to vote).  And I did, in fact, forget to bring an envelope with me when I went there.  So even though I didn't actually burst in with a loud bang, I'm sure it seemed a bit like it. 

 

In related news, in a few hours I will know whether I'm going to stay the full five years here or if it will be safe to go home.  

School or BUSt

WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO:

WHAT MY DUMB BUTT DID:

Well, I had quite the adventure today.

I went to my furthest school today for the first time.  I left extra early, and boy was it good that I did, because somehow I ended up on the wrong train line when I transferred.  So then I went back to Aomori Station, then got on the correct line and everything went smoothly, and I thought the worst was over and done with.  But oh no, far from it.

The kids were absolute sweeties and such a pleasure to teach, but when I left, I managed to get lost on my way back to the station and sort of wandered around trying to find a place to cross the train tracks (I could SEE where I needed to get to but couldn't get to it because it was on the other side of the tracks, and there weren't many places to cross them).  By the time I got to the station and bought a ticket, I realized the next train wasn't for another two hours.  I checked the walking time on google maps and saw that it was only an hour to get back to Aomori station, so I figured I would just walk it and get back early rather than sit around waiting.  Apparently, however, the Lost-In-The-Woods rule applies to train stations in rural Japan: when in doubt, STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND WAIT.  I'll remember this next time.  

So, thus began my 5.5 km walk back to the station.  I passed a number of bus stops, but whenever I asked if the bus was going to Aomori-eki, the answer was always "no", so I kept walking.  Luckily, it was a pretty straight shot.  Once I finally made it back to the station, I checked my phone and saw that I had about 45 minutes until the next train, so I bought lunch from a convenience store and sat in the park in front of the station to eat.  I then got up and walked into the station with plenty of time before the train left, only to discover that google maps was wrong and there was not, in fact, a train for another hour (GOOGLE MAPS WHY MUST YOU DECEIVE ME).  

Well, no problem, I thought to myself.  Might as well use this opportunity to get familiar with the bus system.  Surely there has to be a bus running from Aomori-eki to the station near my house where I left my bike this morning.  So, I went to the bus information booth and asked which bus would take me to that station.  The lady gave me a time-table and said I needed the bus at spot 3 at 13:00.  Perfect, that was in 7 minutes.  I went over to spot 3, got on the bus that was waiting there, and it left at 13:00.  Everything seemed to be fine and dandy, until I noticed we had gone a little far and we probably should have turned a few blocks back... but maybe we're going in a big circle?  Ah yes, we're heading south now... and now we're going east and further away from the station I need... 

And then, the route got all weird and loopy and we were VERY far away from downtown.  I thought maybe we would loop back around again, but instead we stopped at the Showa Daibutsu temple, very VERY far from where I thought we were going.  I went up and asked the bus driver if we were going to the station I needed, and he said the bus that went there was the one AFTER him.  After a very confusing conversation, he directed me to said bus, and I got on that one.  That one did not, in fact, take me all the way where I needed to get to, so when I got off I had to walk a kilometer to get to the station I left my bike at.  From there, I hopped on my bike and rode my usual route to my base office.  I explained the situation to my supervisor and we both laughed, me inwardly-cringing a bit.  

A couple of hours later, I rode my bike home and collapsed face down on my bed for about five minutes straight.  Then I thought "Oh right I should probably do my evening run... oh who I am kidding, I got plenty of exercise today, I'll just make dinner now"

Tomorrow, I am ONLY taking trains, and I will make sure I'm on the right platform when I transfer.