Soon, I will be a Foreigner

Aco and I often talk about and consider our plans for our life together. I am planning to move to Japan by the end of 2011. 

When I returned home last night, I was pleased to find a parcel from Aco containing the books we found about living in Japan as a foreigner. The books cover many topics, from visas, nationalization, the rights of workers, opening a business etc...

ありがとうございますあこ！

I hope I can be accepted as a foreigner in Japan. I have an affinity for the country, it's cultural mannerisms, its topography, and for its finest human, Aco :)

I am Home ただいま！

ただいま。
I am home, after one month at work... Last night I had the best sleep I have had in over one month :)
At this moment I am drinking Sapporo and listening to a mix of music, The cure is currently playing. I have also just completed an order for the first part of Aco's Birthday present. I'm tipsy and becoming excited about the shopping for Aco's Birthday. I almost never drink during the day. I very rarely drink at all. But today, I am feeling impulsive, I feel good, reminiscing about Aco, and the thought of her receiving a nice gift on her Birthday is putting a smile in my heart.
Actually, this year, there are a few gifts which I am happy to buy for Aco. A few months back, I had bought an airline ticket for her to have a holiday with me in Australia, over this New Year, Since an airline ticket is not item which can be wrapped and opened by her on her Birthday, I want to send a few gifts :)

This morning I woke up at 7:00 am!!
This is a special event. I very rarely ever wake up before at least 10:00 am when I am on break. Each time I wake up late, I think I would like to have the energy to get up at an early hour, to enjoy the waking world in the early hours. Usually I go to bed quite late, so I also sleep late. Today, this morning I felt so well rested, that staying in bed seemed unnatural. And now it is almost mid day, I have already been to the grocery store, pharmacist, bought Aco a Birthday present, and now I am tipsy haha... I plan to enjoy this break as much as possible, I'm off to a good start.

Last night, I told Aco that I would be online, Skype and MSN, when she returns home from work, and that I would sleep until the time when she arrives home. What actually happened was I fell asleep hard and quick, without realizing that I left my computer on my bed unplugged. I guess within a few hours my laptop went to sleep as well, since there was no power plugged into it. I had only just arrived home last night and I hadn't thought things trough thoroughly. I nodded off, and I missed an opportunity to greet Aco online for the first time in one month. I am truly sorry for that Aco :( I will plug in my computer next time.

1 month @ work

Since the 1st October, I have been working everyday. 12 hours a day, 24 days, roughly 288 hours. Just today I called the office to find out if they have considered sending me home anytime soon. Before making the call, I hadn't heard anything from camp management about going home, I felt I would be out here for perhaps another week, which would make this hitch the longest I have ever worked, and would definitely be testing my patience. While finding out that I am going home, I also learned that I would only have 6 days at home instead of the usual 16. The good thing about having such a short break is that I will have less time to spend money, and I'll be back at work making rather than spending money, before too long.

I'll be going back to Lucas 94, where I first started working for Eastern Well Camp Management (my employer). It's a smaller camp, averaging 20 - 25 workers. CB2, Cooper Basin 2, a Santos camp, where I am working now is much bigger, more organized, and generally more enjoyable. The culture of the workers is noticeably more refined... only by a margin, but it is noticeable. I wonder how I will get on back at Lucas 94... I certainly have learned a bit since I last worked at 94. So, in theory, I should be well prepared which will make my work more enjoyable... no?

As a chef, working twelve hours day after day, I do find myself feeling a bit tired of the same old routine after about ten days. I know it is only my mind that is worn thin by the routine. There is nothing actually wrong with the work or my job. Only my patience and will, my perception and sensory experience is where the problem starts... isn't it? I tend to try to develop a more accepting attitude toward work, and life in general. At times it is hard to simply accept the circumstances of my life. There may be some pain in my back or hip while I work, I may be physically or mentally tired, and this causes the feeling of being, "tired of," or "fed up with." Anyway, I am only human right? Being far from perfect. I can only try to do my best, and put as much of my effort as I can gather into my work and into training myself to accept the less desirable circumstances in life.

I'll be home in two days :)
Can't wait to open Skype and see my dear Aco's sweet smile and hear her voice.

ピンチ！ Crisis at work

東京で独立してやっと2年目となるのに、最近ピンチに立たされています。

突然だったので、なにがなんだか自分でも状況が把握出来ていませんでした。

周りの反応から、「これは事態が深刻なんだ」と今になってだんだん感じてきています。

なんとか、この試練を乗り越えたい！

いままで、逆に「のほほ～っん」とやってきたので、天から自分に課された課題なのかもしれませんね。

今から準備すれば、なんとか乗り切れるかもしれません。

あとは、我慢大会、根気強く最後まで、粘るしかありません。

がんばらねば。

遠く離れた　Adam　にも励ましてもらってます。

ありがとう。

By Aco

Dreaming about you, Aco.

Last night I dreamt of you, Aco.
We were together, it was your home town, but the location was completely unlike the place in which you really live. In my dream, not far from your home, we walked by a cliff side. Long, vibrant green grass and vines grew in thickets and hung over the edge. A chain fence ran along a footpath through the grass to a flight of stairs which lead to where your apartment was.  Over the cliff side, a deep valley chasm, mist rising before a waterfall at the other side. The colors were deep and dark green, around the waterfall was colored by rich brown earth. Enormous tall trees grew along the river banks on the far side.  Vines hung down like necklaces from the branches. It was amazing, the feeling of being by this valley.

During the dream we seemed to be stuck in a perpetual loop of arriving at this cliff side. Each time there was a different aspect of the area which stood out noticeably. At times, we were confronted by danger, other times I had to protect you, Aco, from people who wished to harm you. And at other times we simply stood by the cliff in awe of the beauty and the tragedy.
In one instance, there was a lot of pollution. Papers in the grass, and papers, wrappers, scraps of human waste were being carried by the wind and hung in the mist like ascending white birds. I remember feeling shocked by this sight. I was moved by the beauty of the natural world, and at the same time mournful over the pollution which seemed to be at battle with the purity to the natural world... As if the wind not only carried the papers, it was fighting to be rid of them. The wind could not clear it all away... the papers span around and back down, circling and scattering around the land. I felt a sadness which seemed to be the sadness of the world itself. I could feel the sadness and longing of the earth to be free from the harm which the human world imposes on it, and the sadness of witnessing something pure and beautiful fall into darkness.

We returned time and again to this cliff side path. It seemed as if that was the only setting for the dream, I can't recall us being anywhere else. I remember you, Aco, were so beautiful in my dream (as you are in real life). You felt so special to me, you were pure as the earth was. I wanted to save you, as well as the earth from the cruelty of men, of humankind. I believe this was the theme and mood of my dream. I wanted to preserve the purity I felt in you as well as in the chasm of the valley, and witness the end of harmful ways.

Adam @ Cooper Basin

I just finished my first shift at Santos Camp #2 in the Cooper Basin, South Australia.
This is the third camp at which I have worked, since starting this job in February this year. After just one day, I am confident in saying that this camp is by far the easiest and most enjoyable camp I have worked at.
I had a number of compliments on the lunch I had prepared, which was: Beef Scallopini, Chili chicken legs, BBQ chicken wings, and all the sides... steamed vegetables, pasta, boiled potatoes with herb butter, salad, fruit. All very simple foods, which is just what they want to eat out here.

Here is an example of a simple meal that was even too fancy for a workers who exclaimed: "just throw it on the plate, I'm about to tear it up anyway"
It was, Braised Lamb, Sweet Potato Mash, Steamed green Vegetables and Gravy. Most of these workers just want meat, gravy, bread, potato, and a few vegetables frozen or fresh doesn't seem to matter. I have to be careful not to make the meals too refined for this causes fear in the grunts who are like eternal infants, or a sort of red neck of the outback. I must remark that some of the rig workers are from overseas or grew up near a culturally rich area and they enjoy a variety of foods. But since they, like me, are part of the minority in such remote locations, we get on by following the ways of the country bumpkins. Speech must be course, rough, and crude, even when speaking positively. The more curse words, the better you fit in. By ignoring any higher intuition and reasoning, one gets on and can exist here without too much tension.

There is no mobile internet or mobile phone signal at all where we are.
I'm fortunate to have an internet connection in my bedroom, via the camp satellite. This way I can keep in contact with Aco. I send Good Morning! and Good Night! emails or messages os MSN. If Aco and I are both online at the same time we can chat. Happy :)

Adam @ Work

Hi Aco, and readers.

Adam here, I'm supposed to be working at the moment. I should be baking a cake or preparing some other type of dessert. Just now, for a few minutes, I want to write about how I feel day to day, about my job. My job is enjoyable, most of the time. I work as a Chef for a catering company that services the mining industry. The workers that we cater for can be quite rough and can be hard to deal with, which adds a bit of pressure to my job. I'm a bit shy, so I find the abrasive nature of some Australian country folk to be quite challenging.

There are always two chefs working here, on separate twelve hour alternating shifts. Day after day, keeping the kitchen open around the clock. I am responsible for my own menu planning, food preparation and kitchen management. There are days when I am proud of what I cook, and days when I am out of ideas...  

Every time I go to work, even the night before I have to take the bus to out of town, I start to miss Aco. When I am home, on break, which is usually 16 days, Aco and I communicate everyday. I love it. She is my comfort, and my fresh air.

I am always thinking of my dear Aco. Especially when I come to work out here in the wild Oz, surrounded by wild animals. I feel a deep appreciation for having her in my life. When I think of her, I remember that there are good qualities in human kind. Aco is the most gentle, lovely, admirable, and adorable person that I know. I feel a bit more gentle myself, when I remember her kind smile, her voice, her touch. I realize how fortunate I am. Meeting her, has changed the way I feel, about myself, about relationships, about my future. Being by her side is my motivation for keeping up this hard work. The money I make, and save, brings me a little closer to the goal, to be by her side as soon as possible.

About Our Blog

We are Adam and Aco. Hello! こんにちは！ We are a happy couple, who successfully maintain a long distance relationship. This is Adam writing, I thought it might be nice for Aco and I to make a blog for ourselves, for fun, and to perhaps share a bit of our story to others who are also in a long distance relationship. Aco gave me the thumbs up, so here I am writing the first entry. I am English, I live in Australia at the moment, and Aco is Japanese, and she lives in Japan.


Adam's Update November 2011: awaiting a Japanese student visa. If I am accepted I will be in Japan in December, living with Aco :)

Welcome to our blog.

こんにちは　Adam とAco です。　最初、私は自分たちのブログについて書くなんてとても恥ずかしくて気が引けましたが、自分達の思いを気軽に綴るのもいい記念になるかなと思い、ブログを書くことになりました。

二人で書くなんて初めてなのですが、世界の中で遠距離をされてらっしゃる方達にもひょっとして読んでいただく機会があるかもしれません。

どうぞよろしくおねがいします～。

Hello this is Adam  & Aco's blog,  I'm Aco.

To be honest I was so shy at first , to publish our blog  on the net.  But I thought it might be nice for us to share something about us with others and that this blog would be a commemoration  for us in the future. I would like to write about daily topic, something we think, feel...

It's first time for me to write about my relationship...I think there might be people who have a similar experience, like us, having long distance relationship, with different cultural backgrounds. They might have chance to find this blog and read this.

Nice to meet you :)