Dear Virtual Diary,
The end of November is fast approaching and things are moving along well. It had gotten cold here a couple weeks ago, but recently it has returned to nice cool autumn like weather. The sun is only up for about 10 to 12 hours and I am able to watch it rise from my window sometimes. Those moments are peaceful.
On the 23rd I will be going to a concert of the city’s (Kure-shi) Boys Choir. I had an opportunity to hear them sing earlier in November and I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to have heard them sing. I have seen more classical concerts in the last 2 months, then this entire year. This seems to be a common thread with a lot of things I have been doing lately. I’ve caught myself saying this many times lately, so I wanted to try to write and see if a reason reveals itself.
The first important factor I need to remember is the culture. Japanese culture, to me, is obviously more interesting than North American culture. And I think this is because I have lived North American culture my whole life. New is always exciting, no?
Second, I live in a small town so the events here are advertised immensely and going to them are really effective ways of experiencing the “local culture”. Teachers as well as local acquaintances are always informing me, as well as reminding me, about these events. I guess my event attendance record has sky rocketed due to such circumstances.
Third, my interest in Gary Snyder. Much of his work is immersed in aesthetics of East Asia. And my motivation to understand the heart of his work motivates me to continue to dive deep into East Asian culture. “Dive” is the perfect word to describe it to, as I cannot swim!
Fourth, moving away from home definitely allows a fresh start. Everything is new, unknown and as a result interesting.
I think these are the four major reasons why I have been saying that kind of phrase more often lately.