I Fell Off My Bike

Seriously, I really did fall off my bike.  The incident marked what I'm
referring to as my "low point" in Ajimu.  The accident occured a week ago
Sunday after my first weekend in my tiny Japanese town when I was tired and
feeling a bit frustrated with my lack of phone, email, and transportation.

I had gone down to the "large" grocery store in town called "SELF ONO - Value
Price" to get dinner.  Why the store's name is in English I have no idea
because nothing inside the store has a bit of English on it.  Grocery
shopping is currently my second favorite activity in Japan (my first being
eating the groceries later) because of all the new and strange items on the
shelves and in the bins.  Some things I recognize: tofu, fish, apples (for
$2.50/each!)...other things are totally new (yakitori, hiyamugi,
wakame)...and still other items appear to be something I know, but end up
tasting quite different (normal bread?  no, that's sweet bean paste inside;
just a cookie?  no, it tastes like salt and garlic; refreshing water?  of
course not, that's carbonated with lots of sugar).

Despite all this confusion, I still manage to pick up both familiar and new
items to create a wonderful meal.

On this particular grocery outing I was feeling rather "genki" (happy,
energetic) however I was soon to discover that I did not have the money to
pay for my cart full of groceries.

Here's the scene: get to check out counter, smile, "konnichiwa", watch as
items are scanned, reach for wallet, realize wallet is not there, panic, try
to remain calm, try to explain situation, try again, try a third time using
lots of big gestures, run out of store, race home on bike (in the rain), race
back at top speed, wipe out 10 meters from the store's entrance, bleed, get
up, run inside, pay for groceries while being covered in sweat, blood, rain,
and dirt, leave feeling defeated.

Now this story does have a happy ending because life has only improved since
that day.  Ajium is a beautiful place surrounded by natural splendor and
slowly I'm getting use to life here.  In time I know I will discover all the
adventures that are waiting for me right outside my little sliding door.