Long time! Game Review

For those who just want the review on Child of Light, skip the first paragraph.

I desperately need more motivation to write to this blog. My time in Japan proved to be the most fruitful for blog-writing-motivation, even though my time in Japan was no more or no less exciting than my time in France (I slacked big time when I was in France ...). I have attempted many times to create a schedule for my blogs, such as having Monday be Writing-Prompt Monday. I would like to do this but perhaps more of three times a week. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know in the comments through Facebook (or through here if you have an account at any rate). The topics I would enjoy covering would be writing prompts, folkloric beings, video game reviews, movie/book reviews, and/or food. Of course, I will occasionally update about my life if anything fascinating happens.

Today I will be doing a video game review. Mostly because I want to and because I like to critically analyze media. I will try my best to avoid spoilers, but in the instance I do spoil something, I'll put spoiler brackets.

This game is called Child of Light and is done by Ubisoft Montreal and published through Ubisoft, the company that is famous for Rayman and Assassin's Creed. It is a 2D side-scroller with a turn-based strategy battle formation. It is available on the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, XBOX 360, and XBOX One. I personally played it on the PC. 

You play as the daughter of an Austrian Duke who has been pulled into a fantasy-esque world and must gather the sun, the moon, and the stars. On her quest, she meets helpful companions to aid her in her return home. 

The game is very unique. Its watercolor animation, with a few cell-shade exceptions, is very beautiful and appealing. In its entirety, the game is very artful, especially the music. 

I have played my fair share of strategy/turn-based RPG's (they are some of my favorite game styles to play in after all), and this game is delightful for those who enjoy the mechanics of this gaming genre. In most turn-based RPG's, everyone's attack is determined by speed or simply the player characters and then the enemies. Child of Light employs a speed mechanic as well; however, there is a neat bar at the bottom of the battle screen that shows all of the characters and when they can cast or wait. Once one of your two characters reach the casting section, you may choose a move but must wait until the end of the casting section to actually cast. If your character is hit by an opposing force within this casting period, your character will be "interrupted" and thrown back into the wait period. This unique approach to turn-base is very active and forces the player to pay attention.  

Of course, while the player can only have two characters in battle at once, there are plenty of characters that join your plight that can be chosen from and switched into battle easily. One of the downfalls to this game is that there is no monster encyclopedia. In many RPG's, there are often monster encyclopedias that track all of the monsters you have battled and defeated throughout the game. Tracking down enemy weaknesses are generally obvious in this game since they are color coded (ex. blue=water/ice and is weak to lightning, red=fire and is weak to water, et cetera); however, there are few enemies where their weaknesses are not obvious and after trying all of the elements on them it was presumed that there are enemies that are just assholes.

My complaint on no monster encyclopedia is actually very petty since the game is fairly easy (note: I did play on casual for my first play-through, so I may have to come back to this after a second go around - though, Child of Light forums are filled with people bitching about how easy this game is even on expert). Not once did I lose a battle. There were only a handful of times that even one of my characters fainted, but it was not really a problem since it is very easy to revive fainted characters. 

There is also the little firefly guy. He is controlled by the mouse and will blind opposing characters, slowing their speed down if you hold him over them. If he is held over a player character, he will heal them. While it is a cute gimmick and he is useful, he is very easy to spam. Take that as you will, whether you find that a good or a bad thing. There were times I found him to make the game incredibly easy, but there were other times when I thought he was useful. 

Perhaps bittersweet, the game is relatively short. It makes for a good, quick game that doesn't take too much time out of your schedule. On the other hand, it could have really benefited from a longer plot, and maybe some after-game quests. It really does feel like a full game, though, and that is important to the overall experience. 

This game has several upsides:

1. My favorite part of Child of Light was the battling system (albeit the missing monster encyclopedia). The battling is enjoyable and not quite as monotonous as other turn-based games. Maybe it was thanks to playing on casual, but I did not have to grind very much between boss battles to level up efficiently. Most of the turn-based strategy games that I have played I have spent hours (days/weeks/centuries/forever *cough* Disgaea) grinding. It was refreshing. The game may not be hard, but it is fun and simple enough. 

2. Atmosphere. This game has an incredible atmosphere that sets the tone and makes everything so unique. I know that I said that the battling system was my favorite part of the game, but without the atmosphere I'm not sure I would have managed to play all the way through.

3. The stunning artwork and the beautiful music is also one of the major upsides to this game. If you are the artistic/musical type, you will enjoy it!

4. Underlying themes. *WARNING* spoilers. Growing up and becoming a woman of your own instead of relying on everyone else while dealing with death and betrayal.

Besides the monster encyclopedia, (which is incredibly petty, I know) this game does have a few downfalls. However, I found that the upsides outweighed the downsides. The downsides did not hinder my play through very much. 

1. The first downfall is the incredibly lame dialogue. Let me go more in depth about this before anyone gets too turned off by that as I know dialogue can be very important. The dialogue is written in a rhyming fashion. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and there were times I found it very charming actually. Unfortunately, the rhyming keeps us at a distance with the characters and it is very difficult to sympathize with anything that is happening. Although that may not be the only reason it is difficult to sympathize as ...

2. The plot is so basic. You are Child of Light. Light is good. Dark is bad. Beat Dark. Win Game. Still cute at any rate. Luckily, the game's atmosphere and the underlying themes makes up for this even though I felt as though this game had a lot more potential. It was a great game, but it could have been even better.

3. I know that I previously stated that how short it was wasn't necessarily a bad thing but making it longer could have forced them to make a better plot. Though, there is a replay option, and perhaps that will quench my thirst for more.

4. *WARNING* spoiler. Massive spoiler. This is also kind of petty but it is a major pet-peeve of mine in video games. I absolutely detest when you get a team of characters and one (or more) of them either permanently die or betray you (unless it is in the rogue genre of gaming). So I level up a character, spend time and care into this character and then I get a betrayal out of the deal and can no longer use said-character. Ever. Even though it was kind of obvious, I just don't enjoy being teased like that. I am possessive. Once you are a part of my team I never want to let you go.

There is my review on Child of Light. Overall, I would give it an 8/10. Its upsides greatly outweigh the downsides and it is really worth a play if you like these kind of games. 

Toodles

Spring Break

Unfortunately since I have been back in the U.S. I have been slacking on my blog posts. This semester has been a lot less stressful than the last, though still stressful enough. I have taken a semester break from my psychology minor as that was what had been so stressful the semester before. Instead, I focused on my philosophy minor (even though the two courses I took don't actually count ...) and of course doing French and Japanese. I'm also continuing yoga, something I picked up in Japan that really is great for so many reasons.

I recently picked up German as my fourth language. Mostly, I am doing it through an app but have some dictionaries and make sure to practice everyday. It seems with each language, the easier they get (not to say that languages are easy by any means!) My uncle had lent me a Rosetta Stone for Spanish, so I should pick that up as well since I have been slacking on that too! The one language I really want to learn is Russian, but the app I got didn't offer it. Really, I just want to learn as many languages as possible.

This week is Spring Break so I hope to spend all of my time doing hobbies. Also, I recently learned that I have allergies so bought a humidifier and other OTC allergy relief medicines to test and try out through the break. I don't know what I'm allergic to, though since I am perpetually sneezing and have perpetual eye goop and runny nose among many other things I assume it is dust. Everything gets worse in the spring so maybe also pollen or a tree or something. When I was in Japan, my allergies would get awful when pollution levels were high, so that is probably another thing. With all that, I must assume that I am allergic to everything.

About the allergy medicine, I had some and it said non-drowsy but it has made me a little loopy honestly. I told myself I would write a blog post tonight since I slacked the night before, but I am already confused!

Toodles!

First Semester Back

My first semester back at the University of Alaska has finished. I am sure there are a lot of interesting things to write about, but this semester has been one of the most stressful semesters I have had. Dealing with constant pain, heavy work-load in my classes, and other stresses have not made for an easy semester. I do enjoy being back in Alaska, though the weather is far warmer than it ever used to be. There was definitely some reverse-culture shock for the first couple months, and sometimes I still get it.

I finished my last final today, so am not sure why I do not feel as relieved as I should. Perhaps I have gone to school too long and am unsure of what to do afterwards. I do have a plan, but it's more of a back-up plan instead of a definite, "This will be my career".

For this update, I think I will write ten things I miss about Japan and France (some will overlap).

1. (Japan) Convenience stores: they had easy food options, an isle for health, an isle for office supplies, an ATM, and you could pay your bills there (well, depending on your billing situation).

2. (Japan/France) Food: seriously fuck American food. Even the damn bread and meat here tastes like it's been injected with sugar and plastic. Also, it is no wonder everyone is obese here because when I first came back I thought everything tasted terrible. I had no appetite but the more I ate it the more I actually became addicted to the food here. The more fruits and veggies I eat, the less I want it. It is fucking crazy! When I was in Japan I almost never had anything with sugar in it. In France I did, but the food there is just ... different.

3. (Japan/France) Trains: they are the perfect mode of transportation.

4. (Japan/France) Seasons: well, except winter really ... but fall and spring actually existed, and Japan has a fantastic fall and spring. France a little less so, but I enjoyed the rain.

5. (Japan/France) Eco-minded: Why is it so difficult to turn off lights if you are leaving the room? Also, don't turn the thermostat up past 70! It is so wasteful! My host parents would have lectured me for hours if I did either of those things. I actually thought France was a little more eco-friendly than Japan ... especially after experiencing acid rain and pollution so bad you couldn't see the next street over.

6. (Japan/France) No Anti-vaxxers/anti-evolution/climate deniers: I can't even stand to argue about these things with Americans anymore. It is a waste of time.

7. (France) Ma and Pa Business Appreciation: Personal shops were everywhere. It was pretty difficult to find stores that were chains or whatever.

8. (Japan/France) More respect towards those who don't believe in what you do: Also, they tend to consider religion to be dangerous and private/keep-it-to-yourself. I agree.

9. (Japan/France) Walking/Health Respect: I mean, there are health nuts in the U.S. it is not quite the same ...

10. (Japan/France) HEALTHCARE: I have ranted about this so many times that I don't think I have to anymore. If you know me, you know that I am all for universal healthcare.

Since I am back in the U.S., I will now do a few things that I missed and am glad that I can now do again.

1. No debit card charge fees ... or exchange rate conversions ... though sometimes I still find myself trying to do some math then realizing I don't have to.

2. Snow. Even though it isn't as cold as it should be, I missed winter and snow. I need the cold and snow.

3. Northern Lights ... except Fairbanks has dirty air so I can only see them in my hometown where the air and water is very clean.

4. Alaska lingo. I no longer have to explain what I mean by "going outside", "northern lights", "snowmachine", "10 below/above", or "Lower 48". Now if someone doesn't know what I am talking about it just tells me that they are an Outsider, haha.

(At this point I had to google "Reasons to Like America" for inspiration ...wonder what that says about me.)

5. My family and cats are here.

6. Barnes & Noble and the prices of books. Why are books (other than manga in Japan) so expensive abroad? It is so absurd to me. Books are knowledge! Well, unless we're talking about textbooks, then we have another situation entirely. Video game prices are also better here, and I don't have to worry about voltage/plug-in nonsense anymore (or region locked gaming, ugh!)

7. Racial diversity. Didn't really see much for racial diversity in either Japan or France ... there was a little more France but not as much as here in the U.S.

8. Personal bubbles. When I was abroad I felt like people were always breaking my bubble ... I don't think that my personal bubble even existed abroad. French people are naturally very close and Japan is super crowded ... also, if you barely become friends with Japanese girls they are very clingy physically (in my experience).

9. More respect in classrooms ... when I was abroad I would see students from other countries constantly on their phone texting, on the internet with no punishment or asking to put the phone away. Students were always late or did not turn in homework. Some students would argue with the teachers and get into fights with them. These things do happen at my university, but not the frequency they happened when I was abroad. Plagiarism is a serious problem if you do it here, where in France and Japan it was kind of like a slap on the hand.

10. Classlessness ... I do think it kind of exists in the U.S., but I think that for the most part, everyone is on the same page. Contrary to popular belief, there is a formal and informal language in English. It is just not as intense and class-related as French formal/informal and Japanese formal/informal language. In Japan and France, you cannot speak to your teacher the way they would speak with you. Not that I think I should speak super casually with my professor, I always try to speak formally with my professor and I would expect them to speak formally with me. That is not the case in French and Japanese. For an English speaker, it seems as though you are being spoken down to, I know that is not what is happening but it really does feel like it.

That is it for now, though I do want to throw in that I hate tipping. France and Japan don't tip and I don't think we should either. Waiters and waitresses should be paid enough to where tipping is not necessary.

For now, that is all. Hopefully I'll write again soon. I'll try not to keep a seven month break between!

~Toodles

Life

I am back in Alaska, have been for almost a week now. I spent the week before in Hawaii, which was an experience in the least. Of course, leaving Japan has hit me harder than France did, though I'm finding better ways to cope this time around. I'm actually in a good mood right now so I don't plan to get emotional over explaining how my trip to Hawaii then to Alaska went.

I will say a few things about Hawaii. I went snorkeling for the first time, something that was honestly exhausting but not as terrifying as I had previously imagined. I fell asleep on the beach, received a nasty sunburn on my legs of all places. I used so much sunscreen except on my legs because I had a brain malfunction and figured legs would handle themselves. Lesson learned. I also went to a luau and learned a bit about Polynesian and Hawaiian history, or culture anyway. Hawaii truly is a paradise but next time I'd like to visit someplace other than Honolulu and its commercialised "paradise". I was a bit melancholic in Hawaii but have been making sure to keep in touch with my friends that I made in Osaka. They were some of the closest friends I have ever made in my life and I wonder if I will ever be able to make such good friends again. I miss them every day.

I have been "climatized" (not sure if that is a real word but it is for now) so Alaska is really cold. I can't seem to give up Celsius and still keep my phone and computer synched with the metric system. Anyway, Alaska is beautiful but very inconvenient. I am so far away from everything. Even the buffalo herd that was a twenty minute walk away has been sold apparently. I live in the middle of nowhere. I told myself I'd appreciate it when I returned ... I do like the clean air, fresh water ... but solitude didn't seem to mean the same to me as it once did. Don't get me wrong, I am the type who needs their solitude but there is something lonely about it. Loneliness is not often a word muttered by a good chunk of Alaskans, and I never said it (if I had I wouldn't have meant it) prior to going abroad.

Well, that's enough of that. Let's just say that at this point in my life I am meant to travel. People are always giving me suggestions for future careers and whatnot ... I recognize the kindness but I have thought of many things to do and every single one does not fulfill my inner desire. I'll figure it out on my own. It's always "when will you get married", "when will you graduate", "what job/career will you do", "you should be this, you should do that". I simply don't know nor do I care right now. I'm going with the flow. Shit will happen when it happens. I'll figure out my career/future whatever when I do. I don't need pushing from my family and friends, thank you very much.

Okay, I think I'll be done for now. Enough of my ranting. I'll return to Writing Prompt Monday, if I don't forget anyway. I'll update more when I feel like it!

Toodles!

Farewell Japan!

Tomorrow I will be on a plane to China where I will sit in Beijing Airport for nine hours, clutching my bags and probably feeling really depressed. I remember when I had a ten hour layover in Germany after leaving France and how absolutely morose I felt the entire time. So far, getting ready to leave Japan has been far harder than leaving France. Perhaps it is because I have stayed in Osaka longer than I stayed in either Angers or Grenoble. Or maybe it is because I have met so many friends who I have had with me for the past eight months. Either way, I have bawled my eyes out last night and this morning, which is very out of character if you know me and my "I only cry maybe five times a year" policy. Even when I do cry it is usually only for a few moments then I am done, but this time it has been a constant, hour long cry fest. I don't know what to do with myself. Who is this person?

All jokes aside, I am very nervous to leave Japan and very emotional. I have anxiety, and I have come to learn how to manage it; however, these last few months in Japan my usual methods simply have stopped working. Breathing exercises work for a few seconds, but then the anxiety comes right back. It is miserable and painful, but I will find new ways to find relief.

I think that I have covered this before, but whenever someone asks me about how my time abroad went I am always faced with a conundrum. It is like trying to comprise everything that you have done in eight whole months together and give them one word about it. I have found out a way to get the point across by mostly saying, "There was everything, good, bad, happy, sad ... but that's what makes it the whole experience." I think people are usually surprised by the answer. It seems as though most people just want to hear you say how fantastic it was, since I guess most people associate bad with miserable and something you don't want. But when you go abroad, sometimes the bad is good. It is all a part of the experience. Without the bad, how do you fully appreciate the good? Sometimes it's nice to look back at how bad things went and laugh a little.

I'm not the type to have any regrets, but I do have one regret. It is a bit of a personal regret, but I think that I will be able to accept it eventually. I still have one day to maybe fix the regret; I will find out.

In Japan, I fell in love. No, really. I thought I had but when i "fell out" of love I realized that it hadn't been love, just strong crush feelings. However, there was someone else that I had fallen in love with, but it took me a long time to realize that. It is complicated. I haven't admitted anything but maybe I should before I leave. Then I will have no regrets left. Love is complicated. People are complicated. I am not usually a romantic or the type to fall in love, but I guess it took me by surprise. As someone recently told me, "Sometimes you meet the right person at the wrong time (place? I can't remember now)." It hurts, but what can you do?

Anyway, away from that ... Japan has been everything. I have experienced too much, and I don't think words are satisfactory enough. I love the friends I have made, and I love Japan. I can't choose between France and Japan because the experiences were so different. I love both countries. This is the end of my two year journey, and I thought I would have a lot to say, but I don't. I don't have words.

My host mother was so fantastic. She was like a real mother to me, just as my French host mother in Grenoble was. All of my host families have been fantastic and I can't choose between them.

Before I cry more (Zeus Almighty! What has happened to me?) I'll end this blog post with some of my favorite things about Japan and France:

1. French Healthcare. I've said it before and I'll say it again.
2. Trains! Trams!
3. Japan's obsession with cute/small things.
4. Both countries have such a long history.
5. Architecture.
6. French sense of humor.
7. Osaka's uniqueness in strict, serious Japan.
8. Japanese television.
9. Good food.
10. Game Centers in Japan (maybe the Lower 48 has this but Alaska sure doesn't ... maybe Anchorage but I'm not going to drive for six to seven hours for a Game Center).
11. Real spring.
12. Real autumn.

For now, that is all. This ends my two year journey. I have new journeys to experience, such as Hawaii and then rediscovering Alaska!

Farewell Japan!

~Until Next Time

The Best Decision of My Life

Was to go abroad, but my second best decision was to buy a brand new, fancy razor for the first time. I usually always buy disposables, but I will never go back. Here are some reasons you should stop getting disposables and stop torturing yourself.

1. Disposables are cheap, and I am pretty cheap (and poor) ... however, cheap means low quality, low quality means spending more time to shave yourself with satisfactory (but not great) results. Non-disposables, on the other hand, great quality, less time, awesome results.
2. Expensive, non-disposable razors are better for the environment.
3. Non-disposables last longer.
4. They feel heavenly.
5. You will be confused as to why you tortured yourself for so long, but that's okay because now you have freed yourself.

That is today's quick blog post! I only have one week left so I've been busy and haven't had time to post my regular writing prompts!

Toodles

Long Time No Blog

I suppose it's not as long of a pause as I have had in the past, but I didn't realize I had missed last week until halfway through the week. I missed yesterday as I was extremely tired and even went to bed around 8:30 pm. Not too much has happened over the past two weeks, though I did go to Nara this last Sunday. It is one of Japan's oldest capitals and is known for its abundance of deer. I went with my student's family. Every Saturday I teach English to four kids. It is nice. This week there is a poster presentation that I worked most of last weekend and this weekend on, so I have been terribly busy. Other than, that most of the week blends together and I can't recall everything I've done even though I know there is more.

Today is Earth Day, so Happy Earth Day! I am very big on environment so I think Earth Day is pretty important. Although, I really think every day should be treated as Earth Day.

I only have two and a half weeks left in Japan. Since that is the case, I am going to give a list of the things I will miss when I return back to Alaska.

1. High-tech toilets. Everyone seems to be terrified by them but they are so convenient. Also, they have pictures on them so I don't understand why people think they are difficult. I mostly just like them for the warm seats and the sound button (makes a flushing sound or nature/birds chirping sound that is louder than you). I absolutely cannot use public restrooms when other people are in there at the same time for fear that someone will hear me. It's irrational but comes with so much anxiety it is stressful. Thank you, Japan. I will greatly miss your innovation to make bathroom time anxiety-free. Honestly though, I'm not sure how Green the warm toilet seat is ... though I know they added the noise button because Japanese girls are apparently like me and would flush the toilet every time just so people couldn't hear them. The sound takes less energy and wastes less than flushing the toilet so ... yeah.
2. Trains. I have a whole blog post on trains about three or four posts back. I love trains.
3. Food. American food sucks. The idea of returning to eating greasy, sugar-pumped, plastic-tasting food makes me cringe and want to weep. Every American needs to get a passport and get the hell out of the U.S. long enough to realize just how awful the food is so that it can change and become healthier. When I return I am going organic only.
4. Being able to walk to places. Five minutes and there is a supermarket ... in Alaska it would take me maybe two hours to walk to the nearest store (I don't know, I live in the outskirts of an already small town that is about fifteen minutes by car and I am a slow walker ... town only has one grocery store ... the bigger city is two hours to drive to ... so ... yeah... goodbye convenience).
5. For the most part, the idea that religion is rather 1. dangerous, or 2. very personal. Even if they want you to convert to their religion, Japanese culture is very passive and respectful. You can always say "I'll think about it ..." which pretty much means "no thanks." and they'll leave you alone. In the U.S. if you are not a Christian you will have people tell you nice things like, "you're going to hell", "you must not be happy", and ... yeah, there is a lot more but I'll leave it at that.
6. Did I mention food? Okonomiyaki ... tacoyaki ...
7. Farewell good internet ... I will miss you. Though apparently some people think that Japanese internet is the best, which is a complete lie. South Korea has the best internet in the world. Japan is ... so-so. Mine likes to shut off occasionally. France's was better.
8. Healthcare. Yeah, after experiencing paying only 1500 yen (15 bucks) for a doctor visit and five different types of medicine, antibiotics included ... I will totally pay taxes for that. I kind of really do not understand how that is a bad thing. Also, it is actually more expensive for a foreigner than it is for the Japanese. I mean, Japan's taxes are only 8%, which isn't like say ... Sweden or Iceland ... 24% and whatnot. Still ... cheap healthcare, cheap schooling ... hmm ... after all, the U.S. comes to about number 37 in the world for healthcare and health outcome. France is pretty high up on the list, I think France may be higher than Japan, though I find Japan to be cheaper. Perhaps in emergency situations France is better since I have heard that the Emergency Room in Japan can get frustrating. It is probably because of paperwork.
9. The history that exists for Japan. It is a very old country and has old religions, old architecture, old everything.
10. I will miss using Celsius and some bits of the metric system. I have gotten used to it since I've been using it for two years (I don't know the metric system too well, but I don't really know the imperial/standard system that well either [I just think it is hilarious that it's called the standard system when the only country that uses it is the U.S., how the hell is that standard]). I suppose I can still use them but Americans get all weird and offended about it. Not that I really care about offending people ...
11. Convenient stores. They are everywhere and have just about everything in them.

Disclaimer: I don't have an opinion of which system is better than the other regarding metric vs. standard. I simply do not care which is better. Use whichever one you want. They both have pros and cons.


Things I will not miss!

1. Pollution. Yeah, it's not as bad as China, blah, blah, blah ... so I guess if something is not the absolute worst that means it is okay? For some reason not being able to see the stars at night, coughing and wheezing all the time, people getting sick and having asthma at higher rates thanks to pollution, and acid rain is okay as long as it's not China!
2. So I have had a lot of experience with different cultures and I have to say that the Japanese, so far, are number one with the excuse of, "But it's our culture!" in order to defend really racist, sexist, and overall, shitty things that are not acceptable to the rest of the developed world.
3. Sexism. It's worse in Japan than in the U.S. and France. It is obviously worse. Also, xenophobia. Unfortunately, Japan's xenophobia is predicted to only get worse, but we will see in the future how that goes.
4.  Too many people.
5. People staring at me.
6. You cannot pay bills online or with a card. It must be cash and it must be at the post office or city hall.
7. Paperwork. Ugh. Just ... yeah ... the amount of paperwork to do anything is completely absurd.

Bonus: This one doesn't really count because Alaska also has this issue ... but why the hell does fax even exist still?


Things I look forward to in Alaska!

1. American food is terrible, however, in Alaska there are a lot more organic choices. I really prefer river fish to ocean fish. Japan mostly does ocean fish while interior Alaska does more of the river types. Also, Alaskan salmon and crab is significantly better. Halibut is so expensive in Japan, it is almost cry-worthy.
2. Nature. Ugh, nature. Except that bad or no internet thing ...
3. Winter. Two years without snow that sticks or real winter is so depressing.
4. Clean air. The city with my university has some air pollution, mostly because of wood burning and car exhaust, but it is nothing compared to Japan or France (in turn is not even compared to China, I guess). Nothing tops my hometown, though. The air is great, except when there are forest fires or strong winds that make dust storms.
5. Wildness. Alaska has a wildness that I don't know if I can explain.
6. I can use the term "below" for temperature without people becoming confused (seems as though most English speakers and the English taught to foreigners is "minus"). I can also use Lower 48 to reference the contiguous United States. "Outside" to reference anything outside of Alaska, "Break-Up Season" to reference spring ... Alaskan slang.
7. No more having to worry about exchange rates.
8. Carefree attitude. Little stress, slow-pace lifestyle. Alaskans usually are pretty difficult to offend compared to Lower 48ers ...


Things I do not look forward to in Alaska!

1. Dryness. Interior Alaska is a subarctic desert.
2. Forest fires.
3. The sun in summer. It "goes down" for maybe an hour, that hour being mostly a dark blue and not really "darkness".
4. I hear that this is a very common issue with people who have travelled abroad and gone places in the world, but I feel like people back home are very uneducated about the world/close minded.
5. American politics and "America only" mindset. American politics are not the only politics in the world. They are not the only messed up politics in the world either. Other countries are worse or better than the U.S. regarding politics.
6. Bread ... France really, really spoiled me in the bread department ...

For now, I will end this blog post. No Writing-Prompt Monday (though it is Tuesday for me ...) today. Since I am getting ready to leave Japan, I will be very busy and a bit stressed out as I try and do things I want to do before leaving.

Until Next Time~