Time travel

I have made it to Japan now (and so has my luggage - yeah!). The trip was long but realatively easy. The firs leg of the trip was a bit surreal and felt like it wasn't really happening, like I was on autopilot. The entire trip, door to door took just under a day, but I arrived almost two days after I left (I took a short cut through a worm hole).

It seemed like Canada was just not ready to let me leave. The afternoon before leaving, the cable guy accidently knocked out the phone line in our living room so that left me scrambling a bit to try to get them to fix it. They never did. Sorry Shawn, yet another thing to add to the list of things for you to do when you get back! Then on the way to the airport the next morning, my car (which has never had problems in the past) started running very badly and the check engine light came on, I was imagining being stuck on the side of the road while my plane left. Ughhhh, sorry EP (she is going to have to deal with this nightmare or pass it off to Shawn). It sure is great to have supportive friends!

On the first leg of the journey from Victoria to Vancouver I sat beside a physical oceanographer who was just returning from a trip to China to meet about lowering oxygen levels in the oceans. We talked non-stop about his theories and the locations he has worked. I took that to be a good sign of things to come. He was very nice (and a bit surprised that I was heading to Japan without ever meeting my new boss... - personal note: this may all be a big mistake). He gave me some vetran tips on how to best avoid jetlag. His secret - don't watch the movies and close your eyes even if you aren't tired, sleep will find you.

The flight from Vancouver to Tokyo was refreshing. This is the first time that I have been on a flight where I wasn't the only one that had to stand on the seat below to reach into the overhead compartments! It was nice to be on a plane full of smaller stature people, we all fit into the seats perfectly and between me and the girl next to me, we both had room to stretch out and sleep. Chalk up one for the short people!

I heard from Shawn before leaving and he is having fun in Australia. He and KT spent some time on Moreton Island playing in the surf and kayaking with dolphins. I can't wait to see some photos! Shawn is now off to Airlie Beach and will plan a short trip out of there once he arrives. I would like to update everyone more about what he is doing, but we really haven't been able to be in touch all that much with the time difference and the remote places he has been going. He has had some typical travelling rollercoasters, but overall he sounds like he is having a wonderful time down under!

On reflection, I think being a bit isolated from Shawn has been one of the hardest things I have dealt with so far during this transition time. I can handle life out of a suitcase or a big move, but doing it without Shawn to talk to has been a huge adjustment. After over 12 years together, he is my home more than any other place or person can ever be.

It is now a sunny Sunday morning (I arrived late last night). I woke up without an alarm clock so I hope that the jetlag tips worked. I am going for a walk now to try to find some coffee or ocha (=tea). Then I will stroll over to the university for a look around.