Jun 11, 2007

Thoughts from an internet kiosk in Japan

I posted a version of this in my online journal at Interference and thought, I'd post it here too:

I'm on my way back to the U.S. mainland. I've got a six hour layover here in Japan and I decided to spend my money on the internet rather than going out and exploring. I was just in Narita in March and saw a bit of the local sites and whatnot, and I don't have enough time to go much further afield. I guess I must be pretty jaded traveler to waste an opportunity in a foreign country on the internet.Plus I need to really be careful with my money. The budget is tight this summer.

This is a long trip. . .about 36 hours from the time I arrived at the airport in Saipan until I will touch down in Orlando. So far I'm doing well though. I flew from Saipan to Guam which was about 40 minutes and then slept pretty much all the way from Guam to Japan. So I'm actually feeling pretty good. The long haul is still ahead--12 hours across the Pacific and western U.S. to Minneapolis, then another five hours of layover then on to Detroit and finally to Orlando.

Believe it or not, I was a little sad to leave Saipan. . .I always am. Babs and I had dinner at a little beachside bar and grill called Oleai's that we like. Right at sunset too. It was so beautiful, it left me feeling a bit sad about going on vacation and leaving such beauty. I'm gonna miss Kimo too. I guess I've really found a home there.

I know some people see air travel as a great opportunity for "witnessing." Not me. Beyond the fact that I would never want to sit next to someone for half a day who felt that way, traveling always makes me strangely, vaguely misanthropic. It's not that I'm in a bad mood or hate traveling--I generally enjoy it. But I just don't feel like talking to people. . .at all. Sitting next to a person for 12 hours and never saying a word? I have no problem with that. Maybe it's just that I'm tired. . .long haul travel like this is quite exhausting.

So vacation at last. . .I've been so busy since school got out on the first of June. I've been going to bed early like it's a school night, getting up by 7 (at least when I wasn't getting up at ungodly hours to see people off at the airport) and literally busy all day. I never really had a chance to be "on vacation" in Saipan. Never got to veg and watch some movies. Never even got on Interference, my favorite online haunt. So I guess the vacation will begin when I get to Florida.

2 comments:

Bev said...

Have a safe trip Sean! Hope you get some R & R in Florida.

Anonymous said...

I feel that way too sometimes. Witnessing is the last thing I want to do. But on the last few flights, God has sat me next to interesting people. The conversation usually hits religion at one point. Then I share what I believe. It's cool. It's not a Grant thing. It's a God thing.