I had just stepped out of the train station when my cell started to vibrate. I stopped immediately, blocking the flow of commuters (how gaijin of me!) to answer the call I had been praying for. On the other line was my cautiously excited and practical husband, “Well, how do you feel about Florida? I got the job!” We had been living in Japan for six years and were finally heading home.
Heart racing, jaw dropping; I immediately did a u-turn to jump back on the train– I had some research to do. “Florida…” I said. “I’ll be right home. I have GOT to start looking for houses and researching schools…”
Several weeks and a ridiculous amount of online Florida related research, an international flight, a couple of road trips, one packed-to-the-brim u-haul and two cranky kids later, we pulled into Jacksonville, Florida at 4:00am on an early Saturday morning in July.
And now, about five months since we first made the acquaintance of the fair city of Jacksonville, it’s finally starting to hit me that we actually LIVE here. It’s no longer an idea; it’s our reality. The thing about international moves that no one tells you is that you will have several months where you feel like you live in a snow globe; just when the dust seems to settle and you have a handle on where everything in your life is, an over zealous toddler picks up the tempting toy and shake, shake, shakes. Bits of your life floating here and there, never knowing where they will settle.
But that’s the thing about life. You can plan and guess and speculate where the dust will settle once your snow globe is no longer shaken up, but the only way to KNOW is to ride out the shake. And I feel like I’m finally starting to embrace the shake of Jacksonville.
As eager as we were to move back to the States from Japan, we still find ourselves homesick for the land of the rising sun. Before we knew it, Japan had turned into our home and we had our routine. The culture, Japan’s people, the nature juxtaposed with the vast cities; all so foreign yet all so familiar. We lived in our own little family bubble over in Japan and when we did break out to explore, we were in one of the safest, cleanest and welcoming countries in the world. Life was predictable and easy. Yet, when we were there, we were homesick for the States and its familiarities.
And so, we are trying to apply the things we loved about living in Japan to living in Jacksonville. It certainly takes a bit more effort, but if Japan eventually felt like home, then Jacksonville will, too! Just like we found our favorite spot at Zushi beach in Japan, we will find the place along the coast of Jacksonville Beach where we know every dune; where we smile and wave at the other regulars. And the barista from Bold Bean will eventually know us as locals, just like the coffee roaster down the street from our apartment in Japan knew which beans to suggest to us this week.
After our early morning arrival in July, it struck me just how accustomed I had become to being a foreigner. I was used to being the only American at the market. I was used to speaking to absolutely no one when I was out running errands, and I was used to driving on the left hand side of the road. The day after we arrived I decided to try and find a grocery store to stock up on snacks for the kids. I was white-knuckled for the entire two-mile drive, repeating ‘keep the yellow line to the left!’ in my mind as I drove. At checkout, the bagger actually spoke to me and I actually understood every single word that he said. I had been so used to silence while shopping, I completely overdid it with the niceties. Actually, I might have high-fived the bagger after discussing a common love for chocolate almond milk. I walked away, shaking my head and laughing to myself ‘Get your act together; everyone around you can understand you, it’s NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.’
Now, after five months, I am back in the swing of speaking to employees at the market like a normal person and holding back the urge to high five. Our bags and boxes are unpacked, and I’m craving the routine and normalcy we had as a family in Japan. Jacksonville, you’re now my address; let’s turn you into our home.
