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Monday, February 15, 2016

Netflix and chill

I haven't seen Adrian since high school. It's not even like it was senior year high school either, more like sophmore year high school. That's like 8 years time almost! Even if we had been best friends during our collective time spent in the STEM program 8 years would still be enough to change each of us into a different person completely, leaveing us strangers. As it was we hadn't been best friends, we'd been friends. We talked sometimes when we had classes together but that was about all. So, now, a crazy amount of time later it's nearly like meeting someone for the first time again, nearly. We're both still the same at the core I don't doubt, but the details have blurred since then. Despite this whatever the space that this time had created between us had also been mended just as much by the world of travel. It kind of works like this. If I'm somewhere in America, but not in Texas, and I meet another Texan we're automatically friends you know? Like when I'm abroad and meet another American there's some instant bond of brotherhood. Or if I was on Mars and met an Earthling, we'd probably have such a huge element in common that we coudln't help but be friends. Facebook has done a good job keeping track of most everyones lives so we were both vaguely aware that the other travels quite a bit. Adrian for the military and me for the hell of it. This small similarity between us, the worldy notion, is more than enough to bring two high school acquaintances back together, 8 years later and clear on the other side of the world in Okinawa, Japan.

I found myself in Japan feeling as if I had never left high school. Not because of who I was with, but because of what we were doing. You may think I came to Okinawa to admire the beautiful beaches, eat sushi, and do whatever else it is one would do here, but not I. No, apparantly, I came to Okinawa to make science! Let me explain that better. Adrian has been taking an online biology course for his degree. The course has a lab included, so they send him this big box with all these pipets, test tubes, mysterious solutions, and graduated cylinders you know? To do science things for the lab part of the course. And, extremely simply put, that is how I found myself, almost a decade later, repeating biology with someone I went to high school with. There was a uncanny amount of deja vu involved, bringing me directly back to Ms. Spriggs biology lab freshman year but without all the negative implications that high school brings along. We could drink coffee and make jokes and generally lolly gag our sweet time with it. I find it hilarious that that is what I ended up doing in Japan. 


All the sciences 

It wasn't all homework and science though. I did do some of the other things Okinawa is known for. Kind of. The main thing we did was went up to the huge aquarium on the North of the island. It's the second largest in the world and it was crazy!! They had a tank with three whale sharks in it. One would be impressive, but they had three! Not only that, but the manta rays in the tank were almost as big as the whale sharks! After there were tons of sea turtles ranging from little babies to, I assume, ancient as can be. And they had some flying dolphins. It was a great place and the drive there along the azure coastline was breathtaking for the most part. But, for the majority of my stay, the weather was cold and rainy. 

Whale shark

Flying dolphins and the overcast sky

Keeping the dreary outdoors in mind we went out to a quaint country bar one night where we were apparently being all quiet in the corner. I don't think we were being that quiet because we were sitting there singing along to the spot on playlist like we were back in Texas, but maybe we just weren't as loud as everyone else. In the end the owner came over, attracted by our silence, and chatted it up with us for a while until closing time. He even bought us both a drink. I forgot to mention, this was a biker bar. A chapter of some biker gang had opened up this bar and they kept it pretty much in line. I didn't realize the gravity of it until the owner was sitting, talking with us and people would keep stopping by to pay their respects to him. It reminded me of a time long ago, when I was sleeping in a garage of a woman named Peggy during a massive thunderstorm in Gorham, New Hampshire. But that's a story for another time ;)

In the end, the best parts about Japan for me were probably not what you would think. I always wonder what people think I do while I'm traveling. Of course I do the big things, but I wonder what people thing I do in between all that. Like here, in Okinawa, I went out and exploed a bit, went to the aquarium, ate sushi, offroaded a bit, and won some chips at one of their crazy crane machine places, but those are just a few things we did. There is so much more time in the day than that. It's not all spent exploring all the time. Sometimes I feel better served resting. Plus it was cold outside and rainy for a good bit of my time there. So Adrian and I had a couple movie days where we just sat around and watched Netflix. Between movies one of us would run down to one of the million vending machines and pick up a few hot coffees to drink while the cold wind howled outside. Sometimes we would take a break to cook some noodles or make some science. But, for the most part, all we did was chill. And sometimes that's all I want. 

The source of my coffee addiction 

Thanks so much for everything Adrian, it was great to see you again and I'm glad we finally met up! I'm also glad it was there in Okinawa and not middle of nowhere Germany! Keep in touch and maybe I'll see you in Canada! 


Be happy,

Beacon 

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