Here is a mathematical question for you.
My plane left Kansai Airport in Osaka on Saturday, April 21 at 1530. It was travelling approximately 600 miles per hour. The time difference between Japan and San Francisco is 15 hours. The flight was 9 hours and 37 minutes. I took some "daytime sniffing sneezing, stuffy head fever so you can get rest" cold medication upon take off from Kansai. I can take it every 4 hours. We were to arrive in San Francisco at 0830 hours. Half way through the flight we crossed the international dateline. An hour later I switched my clock to San Francisco time. When could I have my next cold medicine?
Answers:
A) Ask the stranger next to me to feel my forehead to see if I really did have a fever.
B) Work through the math and never really know the answer.
C) Take the medicine because my watch said it was Saturday April 21st and it was only about 5 a.m. and I hadn't taken the first dose yet.
Truly this did go through my fever addled mind on the plane. I took the medicine and went to sleep.
Jet lag is not any ones favorite thing to go through. I had purchased some homeopathic pills called "No Jetlag". I swear they really helped me adjust when I arrived in Japan. This has not been the case this time.
Jackie and I talked about jet lag and a friend of hers thought that ones soul needed time to catch up to your body when going through time zones. I think so. My soul is not into being here just yet.
I have the strangest feeling that I am still in Japan and yet I wake up to being in my own bed. I relate my day in Calgary as what they are doing in Japan at that time. You know the mental gymnastics of adding 16 hours to my time. I look around my condo and can't quite believe that I am home. Did I already go and come back?
I know I have. I have problems with letting go of all the fantastic experiences and people that I met. I feel I should be an ambassador for Japan's tourism bureau.
These new experiences are so exciting to me and yet I can see that there is this general zoning out when I launch into one of my tales from Japan.
Jackie, is this the reverse culture shock that you talked about?
I left Japan on Saturday, April 21 at 1530. Jackie was there to see me safely through to the security door. We hugged each other until my tears flowed. It was such a wonderful time together that neither of us wanted to let go of it.
I arrived in Calgary on Saturday April 21 at 1530 "ish". I left the secured area to the arms of Bill. Alanna was fighting for a close second big hug and the most awesome smile. Jill was able to hug the top half as Alanna hung on to the bottom half. Chris was in the background cheering us all on.
If one is to travel this way where one leaves and arrives at the same time, what better way can it be bookended than in the arms of those you love?
WKH
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
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2 comments:
hi mom!!!
i missed this post...until today. the answer to your math question is you get to take as many as you want when you cross the date line because it doesn't count!!
i fully fully hear you about not being able to really believe you are home....having a big wonderful adventure behind you, and instead of feeling proud and achieved....(as you should)...you just feel dishevelled and confused, and a little misunderstood. it's rough, but it gets easier....as i'm sure you've already noticed....
i prefer to think of the stories that no one gets....as my kind of secret knowledge that no one else gets to get- like- it's just for me, my magical power- my secret memories....now you have some from japan too....
i'm about to go to yamaneko for a latte...i'm gonna eat the caramel straight off the top like you did.
You should never put off anything too long especially the carmel or chocolate at the top of the latte. Enjoy. mom
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