A Connecticut Yankee in King Aloha’s Court

From Tokyo to Honolulu was a red-eye flight.  Only slept about an hour that night. The weirdest thing happened… I left Japan on Wednesday night and arrived in Hawaii on Wednesday morning!  Therefore, I was able to do what few people have ever done: live through a day twice.  My lifetime has been extended a …

The Shocking Semantics of Culture Shock

So the powers that be, whoever they are, have determined Culture Shock has four stages.  However, I’m not convinced Culture Shock has only four stages, just as I’m not convinced public speeches have only three parts (introduction, body, and conclusion). I’ve heard speeches before that were all body; I’ve heard speeches that were all conclusion; …

I Thought I’d Seen it All, Until I Saw Japan

First: Language… Most the signs in Japan are not in English.  And their script is scary-looking.  See for yourself, here is the title of this post in Japanese: 私は日本を見るまで私は、私はそれをすべて見たと思った And the people don’t speak English either, hardly a one.  Even at the airport, nobody can barely say a word of English! even the customs guy…  …

Jakarta Ho! A Somewhat Sagacious Soliloquy.

I’m currently in the capital of Indonesia.  It feels oh-so Asian.  And fairly Muslim too, though I don’t find the locals here as intimidating as their compatriots in the Middle East. With over 10 million citizens, Jakarta is populous.  But Indonesia itself is populous: the 4th most country in the world (behind China, India, and …

Luxury

I’m back in Sentani.  Good ol’ civilization.  Even if it’s third world civilization.  Even if it’s “wild west” civilization.  Dave, who picked us up at the airport, told about how he got stuck in the middle of a local demonstration yesterday in Sentani, including having a guy in front of his vehicle wave a pistol …