Standing on the Bridge of Dreams
Finally I have got Internet Service connected and will be able to start updating this blog on a regular basis, I am going to change the posting frequency a bit and will not be able to post everyday like I used to do because of the type of connection that I have, but I will do my best to post as close to everyday as I possibly can. The place that I live is so remote that Broadband service is not offered here, therefore I am using an ISDN connection. For those of you who are not familiar with that type of connection, it is faster than dialup, but much slower than Broadband. My days of watching YouTube are pretty much over until ADSL is brought to the small village that I live in.
A petition has been created by the citizens of Shibinai here to bring ADSL to us, but we are not sure how long that process might be, so until then I will have to deal with ISDN. You don’t realize how dependent on technology that you become until it is taken away. Life here is at a slower pace and coming from a large city environment it takes some personal adjusting.
The good news is that we now have a vehicle and we now have Internet access, now the next step for me is to find a job. I am in the process of putting together a resume, for a local English School called Minerva, they only offer part time work but the pay is good and it should give me some good experience and also put me into the loop to make contacts for better opportunities.
Living here in Shibinai has been great so far, the people here have made the adjustment very easy by helping us in every way possible. Even before we received the items that we shipped, our whole house was completely furnished. My wife and I thought, what in the world did we ship and do we really need it. I think when the next opportunity to have a flea market, we will still need to get rid of a lot of things that we thought we needed, but after living without them realized that we do not.
We have taken the car out and just drove around our surrounding area, and the views I have seen are simply breathtaking. The picture above is me standing on a bridge at the base of an active volcano named Tokachi-Dake, the waterfalls below are the most beautiful I have ever witnessed, and the bridge is so high my wife’s legs were shaking when she crossed. If any of you are interested in seeing some pictures that I have taken here my Flickr account is Chamelon. Keep checking it because I still have tons of photos that I have to upload to Flickr, but I have to do it a little at a time because of my connection.
I have truly realized my dream by coming here, and cannot think of a reason at this point that I would want to return to America for any purpose other than to visit relatives. Send me some good intentions on finding employment, I need all of the help I can get. In the next few days I will publish a post that most of the readers are accustomed to from Charles Hamel.com
I truly apologize for the time it took for me to get online, for I had no idea it would take that long, but that is part of the slow life that I mentioned before, just a part of living here that I must get used to. Thanks to all of the well wishers, my email box was full of people telling me good luck and that they wish me the best, you all are one of a kind and very special to me.
Also Norman at Snowman Japan has been the best friend anyone could have, I wish that we could get together more often, and am looking forward to all of the great times coming up. I’ll be back with a post soon, until then take care my friends.
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Comments
Your journey is astounding. That view you share from the bridge reminds us of value in peace and tranquility. I am thrilled about your change of circumstances. Your heart is true and conditions will evolve in your favor. Continue to nurture unwavering faith. How often you post is less important than how you feel inside about yourself. We feel your joy. Spirit transcends borders and has no need for words.
Hello Again Charlie
It is really nice, to see you back on line again.
That bridge on the way to Tokachi Dake is awesome, isn’t it.
My favorite outdoor, 100% natural, all free hot spring, is just around the corner from there.
It is called FukiAge OnSen.
I think you have seen the slideshow of it on my website.
This weekend might be a good time for some mountain biking.
The weather forecast looks pretty good, as of today.
See ya again real soon.
Norman D.