Calm, Cool and Collected

So it is now midnight of the day I found out I would not be offered a job in Tokyo by Interac and would instead be moving to Kyoto to work there. Now when I first was informed of this at 9AM sharp this morning by the ever cheerful Ssen Ota who has been my contact throughout this rather exciting time I was less than thrilled, but mainly more confused by the wild ride my emotions went on. Before I posted that I was very angry and upset, which I most definitely was, but once I got over the shock of the news and had time to think about things more coherently I was able to look at things in a different light.

Since moving to Japan it has been an up until now unobtainable dream of mine to live/work in Kyoto as it is the cultural capital of Japan and truly a beautiful city. Not only is it filled with castles, temples, historic districts, museums, etc, but it also has a very modern yet tasteful side to it. However due to the highly competitive nature of the job market there it is very difficult to obtain employment simply because so many people, many more experienced and qualified than I, want to live there. So in all honesty I'm ecstatic to be able to have the chance to live in such a historic city, yet at the same time said happiness is tempered by being away from Ayuko. We've dated for almost a year now and have been living together for the past six months. Honestly when we first started dating I didn't foresee a long term relationship simply due to the difficulties presented by cultural differences we were encountering, but just recently we have both come to realize how much the other means to us. Yet at the same time neither of us is worried about the impact the distance will have on our relationship, simply the fact that not seeing each other except maybe twice a month will be really difficult. Both of us are brought low simply thinking about it.

Also please no comments about "oh you're young, long distance isn't so bad, etc" because while I may only be 23 I'm not emotionally handicapped nor is long distance easy as I've done it before and it honestly only gets worse with time. I'm sure as of now many of you are beginning to think, "My god Chris is actually turning into an adult and dare we say it...a man?!". I'm sure the shockwaves will run through family and friends for weeks to come. I just wish you all the best of luck with this astonishing news. However Ayuko would resoundingly assure you that I am still the same immature, yet strangely lovable, person you all knew and loved before I came over here. Anyway I'll write more later, but for now I have a Japanese girl I need to cuddle while I can.