here, where the daylight begins ~

Ｊｕｓｔ　ａ　ｑｕｉｃｋ　ｈｅｌｌｏ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｌａｎｄ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｉｓｉｎｇ　ｓｕｎ！　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｍａｄｅ　ｉｔ　ｓａｆｅ　ａｎｄ　ｓｏｕｎｄ，　ａｎｄ　ａｍ　ｃｈｉｌｌｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　ａ　ｍａｎｇａ－ｋｉｓｓａｔｅｎ；　ａｎ　ａｌｌ－ｎｉｇｈｔ manga library that also has super-cheap Internet access and reclining chairs... mmm. Paradise? Maybe something close to it, aha. My town, Omitama, is about half an hour south of where I am right now, and is charming and super-spread out (by which I mean there will be a massive vegetable garden/random game preserve right next to the supermarket or across from my school - which is four stories tall!), but it has a kickass little bookstore/art supply shop, an amazing coffee shop where they roast the beans on site (I know nothing about coffee, but the process had me enraptured) and a great little bakery... so, with all my bases covered, I am a happy clam.

Or a happy Taryn, more like.　...Although, after spending the night at the Beach Bash just north of Iwaki, sun, saltwater, and sand all having worked their magic, I still feel a little like a clam. ^^ The party was, while smaller than expected, a ton of fun; a great chance to meet a bunch of other JETs and catch up with ones I had met earlier; to catch the waves of the Pacific and wish for a one-piece swimsuit, to raid the conbinis (convenience stores) at unspeakable hours for onigiri and beer and chocolate with handfuls of others after scaling walls and crossing scrub-brush that we nicknamed the Valley of Doom. Mmmm, and it was all for very healthy food. Yum.

Hey, it was a party, so...

I`m not teaching yet, so still feeling sort of touristy, but life is good. Settling in, nesting a little, partying a little, and trying not to lose my voice via karaoke. Blistered feet from dancing are terrible (and saltwater does not help this, either) but oh, the dancing is worth it. Even if it is to bad 90`s pop of both the Japanese and English persuasion!

This, and I am seemingly surrounded by writers. This fact is immeasurably kickass. ^^ I hope you all are well; you`re loved and being thought of. Take care, and I will try to write more soon, and post pictures once I have my own Interwebs.