Sayonara, Nick.....

My friend, Nick, from Minneapolis USA!, is leaving Japan on the 11th. I feel bad, 'cause in the short time that I knew him, I became good friends with him. Unfortunately, Paulzie was never able to meet him, since he's been studying. They would've liked each other, too.... Anyway, at the same time, it was four months--such a minute amount of a lifetime--and it wasn't like meeting ghandi, no offense to Nick, he was just a really kewl guy (no great influence on my life or anything in other words). At some point when you get invited to these Sayonara parties, you need to think to yourself, 'well hey, we hung out, shared a lot of conversations, but am I ever going to see this person again?'
Nick and Mel (another friend/co-worker)

I remember talking to one of my science colleagues, once, about how it's sorta difficult to work in these kinds of jobs where there's always people coming and leaving. Hmm....for me, anyway. I think that's around the time I decided how important it is to value my life over my career. Maybe it's not for you, but....I want to care about whether I'll see someone again, and I want them to care about me.

Anyhow, you may not find this totally relevant nor understand how my though process works arriving here, but because of all these thoughts (and others, probably), I live by principles. These include not wasting your time being rude or trying to make someone else's life difficult. There are not so many, but a few people that are hard to work with at my work, and I just think to myself, poor you, it must be exhuasting living your life like that. It's so much easier to wear the same face you have to wear for the students, and probably wear for your friends, for you co-workers....even if you may not agree with them.

A co-worker told me that the way he stays at Nova without going mad from these sort of senarios--friendships and enemies--is by "having a chat" with people. I have noticed since then, too, that that co-worker does just chat with everyone about nothing. Isn't one just small talking all the time, then? K....so maybe, I'm just ranting, but I guess I'm questioning how people don't get lonely never keeping relationships more than an average of 9 months and at that, keeping relationships at the level of small talking co-workers!