REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

I just got to LA this morning. Flew United. They ran out of beer so I tried to drink myself to sleep on wine but it didn’t really work out. It basically means I’ve been up since around 8am Monday morning Tokyo time. It is now noon on Monday… California time. You do the math.

I’ve been living in Japan a long time. Enough that I look right first when I cross the street. Almost got killed today because of that. Luckily I got to the Taco Bell in one piece. There is one about 1000 feet from my motel. And this is the first time I’ve been in a motel since I was a child. This place reminds me of the movie Monster with Charlize Theron. To make matters worse the chain lock on the door is broken. But even if I got it replaced I wouldn’t feel any safer since it was broken last time.

So I’m sitting in Taco Bell (my traditional post-flight meal) I am wolfing down a Chalupa and see two girls sit down. One of them had two tacos on a tray and her friend had 6 tacos on a tray. So I’m thinking to myself wow she can put down tacos like a champ. At which point I notice a car waiting in line for the drive-thru. A couple, the guy is driving. He’s got both hands on the wheel while his girlfriend is feeding him fries. So yeah if you’re following this story correctly, they bought fries and are now in line to get tacos as well. Yes, I am definitely back in the States.

I also had to tip a driver of a shared van that didn’t even put my bag in the car, then told me to pay him in cash after I already pre-paid via the internet.

I think this might be the right time to move back to the States as I am losing touch with what was once normal to me. My buddy DA says that I am going to be the first and only person in my class to drop out of business school to move back to Tokyo. I hope he’s not right lol. But living in Japan for the past 5 years has me convinced that Japanese people are the most normal people on Earth. That is a compliment.

My motel is less than a mile away from the USC campus. I am attending an information session, followed by a class visit and tour. Afterwards I will be interviewing with a “Senior Associate Director”. So far I feel like I have been doing well, or at least as good as I possibly can be at all my interviews. So I won’t change anything. Perhaps I will wear my glasses instead of contacts but that’s about as big as any change will get.

Staying here until Wednesday at which point I will move to Austin, Texas until Friday. Looking forward to going out on a Thursday night in a real college town. Hopefully I don’t end up in the gutter on 6^th street.

I am flying to DC/MD/VA on Friday for Smith/Maryland’s admitted students day on Saturday. Staying till Monday, at which point I will move on to Seattle for a visit to UW. Flying to LA on Wednesday then get on a plane Thursday that arrives in Tokyo on Friday. It’s a lot for 11 days, but pretty important towards my decision and I’m sure their decision about me. Hopefully the people at USC and Texas like what they see.