Sayonara, Nihon

ZenGum · 01-31-2008, 10:15 AM

I am leaving Japan.

The reason is a great one. I am going home to the woman I love.
We met at 19, became great friends and I and fell in love, but she was already with someone else. After six months of self-inflicted emotional misery, I completely stopped seeing her, and spent most of the next decade wondering what she was up to.
In 2005 I wrote a letter which managed to find her and we became friends again. This time she was married. However, the marriage was already struggling and in early 2007 they broke up entirely. And for the last six months or so we have been an "item" over the internet.
We have waited almost a year for things to settle down. She now seems to be as ready as she will ever be. I want to be with her, she wants me there, so I am going. This is the most important thing in my life.

I have negotiated an early end to my contract, booked my flights, and am halfway through canceling all my services. I still have to send or pack or sell or give or dump all my stuff, and clean my apartment. I have four and a half days to do this. Holy &%$#!!!

As of one hour ago I am unemployed. I will miss many (but not all) of my students and colleagues. I will miss getting paid on a regular basis, too :p but I have enough saved to tide me over until I can find something back home.
I am a little sad to be leaving Japan. It has been almost entirely a positive experience (Morie, give it a try. Socially, it's almost the exact opposite of China). There are quite a few things I haven't managed to do but there are some very good ones I have done.

So for the cellar, I will very soon have seriously reduced internet access, so I don't think I'll be able to drop by here so often, at least for a while, which will be good news for Cicero and her post-count.

I'll be back when I can, though.

Errr, any questions?

HungLikeJesus · 01-31-2008, 10:22 AM

Yes, what's your favorite colour?

lookout123 · 01-31-2008, 10:22 AM

Wow. you didn't even ask our permission or put up a poll or anything. i'm not sure how to feel.

I guess I'll just go with happy for you. Good luck. Life is wild, enjoy the ride.

Shawnee123 · 01-31-2008, 10:35 AM

All over the Cellar, hearts are breaking.

Best of luck to you, Zen. Please keep in touch when you can.

(Goes to look for Stress Puppy who listed puns as a guilty pleasure.)

lumberjim · 01-31-2008, 10:42 AM

here's hoping the little lady doesn't have wickedly bad breath or vaginosis or something you will regret giving it all up for. Ain't love grand?

but seriously....i hope she doesnt stink.

HungLikeJesus · 01-31-2008, 10:53 AM

ZenGum,
How good and right it is that you should leave the Cellar for this worthwhile endeavor.

I wish you good fortune, and hope to see many Zen posts in the "What's making you happy today" thread.

lookout123 · 01-31-2008, 10:55 AM

and photographic evidence of this budding relationship. there are a number of threads available or you may start your own.

classicman · 01-31-2008, 11:15 AM

but...but...but...

LabRat · 01-31-2008, 11:29 AM

Wow.

This is huge. I hope for the happy ending we all read about as kids and eagerly await an update once the dust settles.

Good luck to you both. I'll miss you, take care!

glatt · 01-31-2008, 11:47 AM

You come back now, ya hear?

monster · 01-31-2008, 07:31 PM

Awesome! I too demand pics, though. Good luck, dude

slang · 02-01-2008, 02:13 PM

Best wishes to you Zen.

Thanks for the help and info you've given me and my wife about the opportunities there in Japan.

I'm sure that your new life will work out and that you'll be happy.

And...

Just remember, that being unemployed is NOT a bad thing as long as you have money.

Take Care friend.

Cicero · 02-01-2008, 03:37 PM

Ohhh. That's so sad...Well great for you, bad for us.....

You won't be unemployed for long and I'm sure you can find internet access soon enough!! Right?

Don't forget to come back!! I promise not too get too far ahead...!!

Flint · 02-01-2008, 03:41 PM

ZenGum sort-of-leaving? Well, hell. ZenGum posts have become some of my favorites! . . . Good luck with your IRL stuff.

lumberjim · 02-01-2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slang

my wife

i think i must have missed a couple episodes.....

01-31-2008, 10:15 AM	#1
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Sayonara, Nihon I am leaving Japan. The reason is a great one. I am going home to the woman I love. We met at 19, became great friends and I and fell in love, but she was already with someone else. After six months of self-inflicted emotional misery, I completely stopped seeing her, and spent most of the next decade wondering what she was up to. In 2005 I wrote a letter which managed to find her and we became friends again. This time she was married. However, the marriage was already struggling and in early 2007 they broke up entirely. And for the last six months or so we have been an "item" over the internet. We have waited almost a year for things to settle down. She now seems to be as ready as she will ever be. I want to be with her, she wants me there, so I am going. This is the most important thing in my life. I have negotiated an early end to my contract, booked my flights, and am halfway through canceling all my services. I still have to send or pack or sell or give or dump all my stuff, and clean my apartment. I have four and a half days to do this. Holy &%$#!!! As of one hour ago I am unemployed. I will miss many (but not all) of my students and colleagues. I will miss getting paid on a regular basis, too :p but I have enough saved to tide me over until I can find something back home. I am a little sad to be leaving Japan. It has been almost entirely a positive experience (Morie, give it a try. Socially, it's almost the exact opposite of China). There are quite a few things I haven't managed to do but there are some very good ones I have done. So for the cellar, I will very soon have seriously reduced internet access, so I don't think I'll be able to drop by here so often, at least for a while, which will be good news for Cicero and her post-count. I'll be back when I can, though. Errr, any questions? __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

01-31-2008, 10:22 AM	#2
HungLikeJesus Only looks like a disaster tourist Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: above 7,000 feet Posts: 7,208	Yes, what's your favorite colour? __________________ Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.

01-31-2008, 10:22 AM	#3
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	Wow. you didn't even ask our permission or put up a poll or anything. i'm not sure how to feel. I guess I'll just go with happy for you. Good luck. Life is wild, enjoy the ride. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

01-31-2008, 10:42 AM	#5
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	here's hoping the little lady doesn't have wickedly bad breath or vaginosis or something you will regret giving it all up for. Ain't love grand? but seriously....i hope she doesnt stink. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

01-31-2008, 10:53 AM	#6
HungLikeJesus Only looks like a disaster tourist Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: above 7,000 feet Posts: 7,208	ZenGum, How good and right it is that you should leave the Cellar for this worthwhile endeavor. I wish you good fortune, and hope to see many Zen posts in the "What's making you happy today" thread. __________________ Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.

01-31-2008, 10:35 AM	#4
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	All over the Cellar, hearts are breaking. Best of luck to you, Zen. Please keep in touch when you can. (Goes to look for Stress Puppy who listed puns as a guilty pleasure.)

01-31-2008, 10:55 AM	#7
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	and photographic evidence of this budding relationship. there are a number of threads available or you may start your own. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

01-31-2008, 11:15 AM	#8
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	but...but...but... __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

01-31-2008, 11:29 AM	#9
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Wow. This is huge. I hope for the happy ending we all read about as kids and eagerly await an update once the dust settles. Good luck to you both. I'll miss you, take care! __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within.

01-31-2008, 11:47 AM	#10
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	You come back now, ya hear?

01-31-2008, 07:31 PM	#11
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Awesome! I too demand pics, though. Good luck, dude __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

02-01-2008, 02:13 PM	#12
slang St Petersburg, Florida Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3,423	Best wishes to you Zen. Thanks for the help and info you've given me and my wife about the opportunities there in Japan. I'm sure that your new life will work out and that you'll be happy. And... Just remember, that being unemployed is NOT a bad thing as long as you have money. Take Care friend.

02-01-2008, 03:37 PM	#13
Cicero Looking forward to open mic night. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,148	Ohhh. That's so sad...Well great for you, bad for us..... You won't be unemployed for long and I'm sure you can find internet access soon enough!! Right? Don't forget to come back!! I promise not too get too far ahead...!! __________________ Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.- Carl Jung

02-01-2008, 03:41 PM	#14
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	ZenGum sort-of-leaving? Well, hell. ZenGum posts have become some of my favorites! . . . Good luck with your IRL stuff. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

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