The last major blog for this site was written on Northwest Air 17, Tokyo to Seattle, more than 2 months ago. I’ve been dying to write lately and get my head on straight after a series of significant circumstances.

Hello friends, Dogentricks.com here. I am back in America and this is what I think.

There are a lot of overweight people here. There are a lot of people here that do not care what they look like when they go outside. Fascinating. Although I disapprove of tipping the scale, having the balls to dress like a bulls-eye for harassment is respectable in it’s own right and something I saw very little of in Japan. Though I do miss the beautiful people all the time, everywhere.

I miss Japanese food. But I also love my current diet and wouldn’t change it for anything. Everything that passes through the morphing hole in my face is small on the wallet, big in quantity, and organic. There is a world class gym 10 minutes from my house, when I walk slowly. I pay 15 dollars a month for membership. The gumby green grass that lines UW is soft and free to trick/frisbee/pigskincatch on. Without any doubt, it is easier to live as an athlete in America. Though, I wish I had some ramen.

I have my pace. I have plenty of time to do the things I want and meet the people I need to see. There is no 60 minute commutes to school; there is no meeting in downtown Shibuya just for a coffee. My friends are all within a very large jump of me, all the time. I can lie down in the quad and listen to music with a friend or run around in circles screaming without a second glance from anyone. I chose to do what I want, when I want – because I have that luxury. I walked home last night at 4:30 AM without anyone batting an eye. Though, I am a bit unsure as to why I was walking around at 4:30 in the morning.

People here are loud. The volume is irritating, but it is refreshing to hear the rainbow of opinions which shade the late night talks that occur every day. People are not afraid to argue and stand up for their beliefs. Though, I do miss the virtue of patience.

People here study what they want to, and they do it with passion. I love it.

These are flakes of the limitless culture nuances I have noticed and for a very long time took for granted. More than anything else, America lives up to it’s reputation: free. We are a country of people full of dreamers, full of couch potatoes, and full of diversity. We are not a country of full of followers, full of uniformity, and full of teamwork.

This is how I view the world around me. Regardless of this, the borders of a country and the culture that comes when you cross them bear no relevance to the kindness of the people that live there. Be it the land of the free or the land of the rising sun, there exists kind, beautiful people living and helping others. Kindness over culture.

Enough of the ridiculousity.

I live with 3 great roommates in a wonderful apartment. I love it. I am taking all classes related to Japanese. My first period is Modern Japanese Literature – straight up Japanese novels. Extremely challenging, but extremely fun. I love it. I am training all the time and feeling the transformations surface on my body and mind. I love it.

I am single. Risa and I broke up and this blog will not go into the details.

I hang out with exchange students almost every single day and feel that my Japanese is still improving, albeit at a slower rate. They remind me of my passion for Japanese language, culture, and fried octopus balls.

I am planning on putting more work into this site in the near future, but for today, my time is up.

train hard.