Wedding trip to the U.S.
Well I'm back from my brother's wedding in the States. I didn't want to go, but once I got there, I didn't want to come back. I have mixed feelings about Japan. I have mixed feelings about the U.S. I'm not sure where I belong right now.
It was a whirlwind tour. I had a really long plane ride. About 30 minutes into it, my heart started racing, everything went black, and I passed out for about 10 seconds, according to the man next to me. The flight attendant hooked me up to oxygen for an hour and wouldn't let me sleep so that they could keep an eye on me. I was disoriented, and I confused reality with dreams for a good three hours. This was NOT a good start to the weekend. Throughout the weekend, I had spells of light-headedness and a racing heart, but only temporarily. I ended up with a fever and a bad cold, so maybe they were just symptoms of getting sick. I didn't want to bother people with it at the wedding so I didn't tell many people. No problems since then, but I'll probably find a doctor here to get checked out.
I landed in SF for a brief running around for a few supplies and a quick lunch with a few people and then I was back on a plane toward Denver. I met up with Randy there, and we flew together to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. About 30 hours after I'd left my house in Kyoto, I had seen San Francisco and then was in the middle of the U.S. at a hotel with Randy. Talk about surreal!
It was great to see the vast majority of my extended family. I'm one of 5 kids, my mom is one of 6, and many of them brought their spouses, kids, and even their kids! I had a great time seeing them and catching up. Here is all of our immediate and some extended family on my dad's side (I'm on the far left):
It was difficult to get my perspective across that I like Japan and love living abroad, but I don't necessarily love Japan in and of itself. I think to some people it came across that I love it here and to others that I'm disappointed (mostly because I'm not doing aikido). They are both right.
Anyway, the wedding was very nice. I was one of the groomsmen, so I had to get fitted for a tuxedo, take part in the photo shoot, and sit at a big table in front of the reception. This meant I was apart from Randy for most of the festivities. Luckily, my brother Matt's girlfriend was in the same boat, so they hung out together a lot. Here's Randy and his "date," Chris:
At the reception, I gave a short impromptu speech about wishing my brother was a girl when he was born, and how he brought a sister into my life after all through marrying Lisa. It was quick and on the spot, and I may have accidentally upset my actual sister in the process by maybe implying I didn't already have one! Grrrr... Not what I meant at all. I love my sister to death. That's what you get when you're trying to be witty while having dizzy spells!
Here are the siblings who didn't get married (starting from the left...Andrew, Amber, me, and Matt):
The day after the wedding, I got the chance to get to know my new sister-in-law a little bit. She is beautiful, has a good heart, and they have a lot in common. She seems to be the right match for my brother. I think they have a solid relationship, from what I could tell, and I know he is happier than I've seen him in a while. Here they are, the happy bride and groom, Lisa and Nick:
In the morning, we went to see the actual Sioux Falls and then went for a BBQ lunch. That afternoon we watched them open a few wedding gifts (Randy & I gave them a kimono for her and a samurai sword set for him...it's what they asked for but didn't think I'd actually bring from Japan...surprise!).
Later that evening, some of us went to eat Mexican food (my first time since I left the States 7 months ago...it was great!) and then my parents took Randy & I to a drive-in movie theater in Minnesota to see Hairspray and the Simpsons Movie in a double feature. That was a nice treat. Plus, I finally made it to Minnesota and have now been to all 50 states!
Randy & I had very little alone time on this trip, and on the way back to Japan, he went through Denver to San Francisco with me. It wasn't enough. I miss him. I miss my family more than I realized. I miss San Francisco a little bit too.
But it's back to the grind. I've already had two days of work, and it feels like I never left.
My good friend, fire dancing teacher, and massage client (among other roles), Isa is coming to visit tomorrow for a few days, so I need to get some rest now.
For all the South Dakota photos, you can click HERE. You can click on any of the photos on that page or above to see larger versions or right-click to save them.
It was a whirlwind tour. I had a really long plane ride. About 30 minutes into it, my heart started racing, everything went black, and I passed out for about 10 seconds, according to the man next to me. The flight attendant hooked me up to oxygen for an hour and wouldn't let me sleep so that they could keep an eye on me. I was disoriented, and I confused reality with dreams for a good three hours. This was NOT a good start to the weekend. Throughout the weekend, I had spells of light-headedness and a racing heart, but only temporarily. I ended up with a fever and a bad cold, so maybe they were just symptoms of getting sick. I didn't want to bother people with it at the wedding so I didn't tell many people. No problems since then, but I'll probably find a doctor here to get checked out.
I landed in SF for a brief running around for a few supplies and a quick lunch with a few people and then I was back on a plane toward Denver. I met up with Randy there, and we flew together to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. About 30 hours after I'd left my house in Kyoto, I had seen San Francisco and then was in the middle of the U.S. at a hotel with Randy. Talk about surreal!
It was great to see the vast majority of my extended family. I'm one of 5 kids, my mom is one of 6, and many of them brought their spouses, kids, and even their kids! I had a great time seeing them and catching up. Here is all of our immediate and some extended family on my dad's side (I'm on the far left):
It was difficult to get my perspective across that I like Japan and love living abroad, but I don't necessarily love Japan in and of itself. I think to some people it came across that I love it here and to others that I'm disappointed (mostly because I'm not doing aikido). They are both right.
Anyway, the wedding was very nice. I was one of the groomsmen, so I had to get fitted for a tuxedo, take part in the photo shoot, and sit at a big table in front of the reception. This meant I was apart from Randy for most of the festivities. Luckily, my brother Matt's girlfriend was in the same boat, so they hung out together a lot. Here's Randy and his "date," Chris:
At the reception, I gave a short impromptu speech about wishing my brother was a girl when he was born, and how he brought a sister into my life after all through marrying Lisa. It was quick and on the spot, and I may have accidentally upset my actual sister in the process by maybe implying I didn't already have one! Grrrr... Not what I meant at all. I love my sister to death. That's what you get when you're trying to be witty while having dizzy spells!
Here are the siblings who didn't get married (starting from the left...Andrew, Amber, me, and Matt):
The day after the wedding, I got the chance to get to know my new sister-in-law a little bit. She is beautiful, has a good heart, and they have a lot in common. She seems to be the right match for my brother. I think they have a solid relationship, from what I could tell, and I know he is happier than I've seen him in a while. Here they are, the happy bride and groom, Lisa and Nick:
In the morning, we went to see the actual Sioux Falls and then went for a BBQ lunch. That afternoon we watched them open a few wedding gifts (Randy & I gave them a kimono for her and a samurai sword set for him...it's what they asked for but didn't think I'd actually bring from Japan...surprise!).
Later that evening, some of us went to eat Mexican food (my first time since I left the States 7 months ago...it was great!) and then my parents took Randy & I to a drive-in movie theater in Minnesota to see Hairspray and the Simpsons Movie in a double feature. That was a nice treat. Plus, I finally made it to Minnesota and have now been to all 50 states!
Randy & I had very little alone time on this trip, and on the way back to Japan, he went through Denver to San Francisco with me. It wasn't enough. I miss him. I miss my family more than I realized. I miss San Francisco a little bit too.
But it's back to the grind. I've already had two days of work, and it feels like I never left.
My good friend, fire dancing teacher, and massage client (among other roles), Isa is coming to visit tomorrow for a few days, so I need to get some rest now.
For all the South Dakota photos, you can click HERE. You can click on any of the photos on that page or above to see larger versions or right-click to save them.
posted by Spencer Douglas at
3:30 AM
1 Comments
