On the fence

I just spent TWO HOURS on the phone with my parents and I still can’t decide whether or not to stay in Japan for an extra year.

I spoke to my dad for about 45 seconds. He gave me no advice whatsoever because he said he was too busy to talk. What was he so busy doing that he couldn’t spare five minutes to talk to his daughter who was having a major life crisis on the other side of the world? He was shoveling snow! My dad cares more about snow than he does about me! I was pretty mad about that.

Then I spoke to my sister, who is currently unemployed and living at home, for about 20 minutes. She said one year in Japan was long enough and that I should come back to Canada in August. She said I’d probably get bored if I stayed another year.

She also advised me to quit my job at the David Suzuki Foundation because she thought it would be “awesome” if we were both unemployed and living at home at the same time. I should have known better than to ask someone who is dating a guy with a bowl cut for help.

Since my sister was about as helpful as my dad in the advice-giving department, I spent the next hour and a half talking to my mom. My mom is a mental health nurse in downtown Toronto who is so good at her job the National Film Board of Canada made a documentary about her (to be released soon). I figured if anyone could help me make a decision it would be a woman who goes out on 911 calls for “emotionally disturbed persons” for a living.

But she wasn’t very helpful either. She had sent me an email last week encouraging me to stay in Japan. But when I talked to her on the phone today she said she changed her mind after reading all the comments on my blog. She said she especially liked the comment about “leaving the party 10 minutes early.” She thought that was really, really good advice.

She also said that she rented a couple of Japanese movies the other night and thinks that I should give up trying to find a Japanese boyfriend because the guys in the movies seemed to have trouble expressing their emotions.

So, yeah, not exactly the most helpful two-hour conversation I’ve ever had. I’m no closer to making a decision. And I only have six days left to decide. Argh!

Anyway, I’d love to keep obsessing but I’ve got to run because my new friend (the math teacher) is picking me up in 15 minutes and driving me to Kochi City for a night of bowling, eating and drinking. If nothing else, it will take my mind off the decision for a few hours.