In Nara now, writing from my hostel. Japan has been incredible and trying thus far. More than anything, I want this trip to be something special, to show me something I don't know, or to heal me, but really what I am learning is how trapped and caught up my ego is with that experience.
Yvette and I had a rough day. We got lost 2x on the warmest day since we've been here, right in the middle of cherry blossom viewing. But at the end of it all, we found the temple we were looking for, with a giant (maybe 5 story?) Buddha and beautiful grounds to stroll in. Not surprisingly, it made me feel very small, and, at the same time, connected to all the people around me: the tourists, the gawking westerners, the crying children, as well as the ancestors, the monks who walked the halls, the warriors in the 13th century. It was all very humbling.
I miss home. I have been having more vivid dreams here, or perhaps I just have the time to wake up in the morning and remember them. It makes me feel more connected to a place and people that are very far away.
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