My name is Ben.
That's name is Mt. Fuji.
What's your name? (please leave it in the comments section...if you're not chicken, that is)
This is my blog page. I haven't written on it in a long time. Since October of 2010, to be exact. My last entry was a little long. Too long for a weblog.
If you're here because you met me and want to read some short entries about India, where I began seven months on the road, then I thank you for coming by and advise you to go down to the lower right and scroll until you see dates. Click on December of 2009, and you'll find the beginning of this blog.
Should it come about that you enjoy your reading experience and want to experience more, please feel free to keep going on through the months: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and finally China. Although I warn you, they get longer as they go along. The first few will only take a couple minutes. But by Cambodia you might be looking at a 20 minute or so commitment of your time and attention. And Vietnam/Laos...well, just think of it as an episode of an hour long prime time show, minus the commercials. And there are a few pictures. And quotes from lots of people smarter and more accomplished than myself.
China...well, it's really long. It took my dad ninety minutes to read, and he loves to read. And he's my dad. And he was proofreading. So he had to do it. There are about 200 pictures. It's in chronological order. It's got even more wisdom from people smarter and more accomplished than myself. Plus should you know me or somehow become invested in this unorthodox solo journey around the world... well, it would only make sense that you continue reading, right? Then again, it was pretty experimental for me to try something that length, so if you like any of it, I feel justified in leaving it up here. If anything, you'll see lots of interesting pictures of China, a place very opposite what you know if you're American and have never been there.
Most people seem to like "Forever Young" the best. I think I do too.
After China I spent a week each in Egypt, Germany and Ireland before going home after seven months on the road, alone, abroad, in ten different countries where I knew none of the languages or anyone familiar or connected to me by someone familiar, just figuring it out, by myself, although obviously not by myself, because no one goes their journey alone.
All of that running got me excited, so I jogged it off by hitching, couchsurfing, Greyhounding and camping my way across the United States of America over the course of 61 days, before heading down to Mexico to stand on top of a pyramid.
Then I came home, hung around while the snow fell on my parents' farm in upstate New York, started finding out ways to finally commit to teaching English in Japan, bought a ticket to Japan on March 4, canceled a ticket to Japan for March 29 on March 28, bought a new ticket to Japan on April 20th for May 3rd, and then finally got on a plane to Japan. I've been learning how to teach my language to other people in this strange place that somehow still closely resembles much of what I know, for better or worse. There's the occasional aftershock, and concerns as there always are whenever you're living life.
It's been three and half decent months remembering what it's like to be a consistent working member of society (even if it's a society very different from what I remember of society). I climbed Mt. Fuji by full moon to see the sunrise last week, and just spent the day in Nikko. I've seen Kyoto twice and still have much of Tokyo to explore. Visa situations have been as shaky as the ground, including a quick renewal trip to Seoul, South Korea, but I hope to stay here for the remainder of the year. Or at least until they can kick me out again at the end of October.
Anyway, I figured it was time for an update to this thing.
Enjoy
