that rosebud girl

The journey across the Pacific

Sadly, my vacation was over a week ago, but a few random thoughts after 10 days across the other pond in Guam and Japan:

* Guam heat is nothing compared to Sacramento summer heat. It makes a 100-degree Sacramento summer day feel like a day at the North Pole. I don’t know how Mom and Dad function. I don’t know how I managed to function there for 17 years.

* I miss swimming in the ocean. Going to a Guam beach also reminds me why I am a beach snob. Sorry, Hawai’i. You have nothing on Matapang Beach in Guam. Or Ritidian.

* The more things change, the more they stay the same. Guam has a few new buildings and additions, but it really is more or less the same place. It was a fun trip back in time.

* There is something about sleeping in your childhood bed and walking around your childhood house after 12 years that is … weird. I really can’t describe it.

* The Japanese are unparalleled in their politeness and hospitality. You could walk into a convenience store here and buy a bag of chips and every single person on the staff will thank you and greet you at least twice. And everyone says “sumimasen” a lot (that means “excuse me”).

* Japanese baseball is a crazy and fun experience that all baseball fans should take in. They know how to do this baseball thing right: Every team has a pep band, they bang drums, fans chant and wave flags the entire time, there are cheerleaders, you can buy mini bottles of Suntory whiskey in the stands, and I managed to munch on edamame while watching the game. Awesome. Oh, and every team has a ridiculous mascot, which speaks to my love of ridiculous mascots and characters. (The Hiroshima Toyo Carp’s mascot looks like the Phillie Phanatic, so of course I had to buy one…)

* Japanese food is amazing and delicious, and I could live inside a Japanese bakery. And yet, I never saw a single fat Japanese person in five days here — except the sumo dudes on TV.

Man, I want to go back to Japan. Badly. Not that Guam was chopped liver or anything!

It was a refreshing break. But the photo editing has barely begun!

April 9, 2010 on 4:15 pm | Comments Off