2001-09-11 - 8:40 p.m.
Today was a typhoon day, as in a snow day, as in a day off school. Yippee! Last night one of the other JETs had passed along a message from our boss that we were not to worry about getting in to work on time the next morning if the weather was really bad. When I went to sleep the wind was howling so loud that I wondered if I should get up and tape the windows. I envisioned sweeping shattered glass from the tatami mats before work in the morning. But before I could get motivated to take any preventative measures, I fell asleep. Fortunately, when I woke up in the morning all the glass was still intact, but now the wind was coupled with a driving rain, the kind that is so hard and slanted that you can see it falling in sheets and coasting off rooftops. A teacher from my school who lives in the next block of apts. stopped by to offer to drive me in if the typhoon let up. But then a few minutes later I received word from the JET across the hall that school was canceled. YIPPEE! Nothing like being rested and dressed at 8 am with the whole day in front of you.
I spent all morning on the couch reading. Then the doorbell rang and a very wet delivery man brought me a package from Rashida which had Lindt chocolate which I promptly ate. (I should also give a shout-out to Amy who sent me a fabulous package a few weeks back with Jif peanut butter, among other American wonders). I spent an hour comparing and finally booking a ticket home for Christmas (aka the official baby visit 2001). I then spent several hours obsessing over the topic: What will I do with my future and where will I go to grad school? I'm not sure it was productive, but the obsession session ended in me drawing a diagram with crayons outlining my options. At that point I thought it might be better to try to think about something else. By early evening the typhoon had ended and the sky was dotted with pink and orange clouds. Looking out the window of my apartment, I saw the silhouette of a big mountain glowing orange in the distance. With amazement, I realized that it was Mt. Fuji! Someone once told me that it was possible to see Mt. Fuji from Kimitsu on a clear day, and indeed, there it was, rising high above the flat outlines of office buildings and smoke stacks on the horizon. Here's a good thing: after a snow day, you're left with weeks of gray snow. After a typhoon day, you're left with a nice sunset. I just hope it doesn't rain again tomorrow.
