Long Stop Home

The Budweiser wagon at the Ohio State Fair
(they had the Clydesdale horses too)

After finishing up our West Coast road trip I only had a couple nights in San Diego before flying to Columbus, Ohio, my home town. I haven't lived in Ohio for nearly 8 years, but on account of how often I hop from place to place and country to country, it's still the closest thing to my home. It still feels like home because my parents are in the same house I lived in during middle and high school--so when I go back, in some ways it's like I never left.

My parents outside of a restaurant in Kent, Ohio

This time around I planned to stay in Ohio until mid August, when I'd be moving to Tokyo. In the spring I applied for a one year position with a Japanese company; they have hired a new graduate from our masters program each year for over a decade, and this time around I got the offer! Part of the position is drafting and revising letters addressed to investors and their overseas subsidiaries, although I'm not entirely clear about my day to day duties. The employee who interviewed me said they'll come up with some projects, so I'll just wait and see what they have in store!

I am writing this update on August 29th from my parents' house. In other words, I didn't start the third week of August. Earlier in the summer the company decided it would be best if I started at the beginning of the month, which means September 2nd is my first day. Tonight I fly to Dallas, and then tomorrow I'll be off to Tokyo! My plan is to do a separate post about my new job in Japan (along with updates on my apartment, the city, culture, etc), so this post is a quick review of my time in Ohio.

I started studying Japanese while at home,
but I'll still be a fish out of water!

All told it's been seven weeks since I flew back to Columbus from San Diego. In some ways, staying at home with my parents in the suburbs without a car or a job is boring. I also don't keep in touch with many high school friends who stayed in the area, so it's not like I've been catching up with old buddies. But at the same time, it was great to spend most of July and August with my family and with few responsibilities. When I'm in South Korea, or Australia, or wherever else, it's naturally hard to stay close. Sure, we can Skype or call on Whatsapp, but it's not the same as being together in person. Thankfully over the years I've had summers off or extended gaps where I can come home. This summer was one of those breaks where I could spend quality time with the folks. I certainly love to travel, but as I get (slightly) older I appreciate seeing my family even more.

During spring quarter at UCSD I also arranged for some part-time work during my break; a professor who is writing a book asked me to help edit. As luck would have it, she is writing about Japanese business and wanted a fresh set of eyes--someone who has some familiarity/interest in Japan but is not a subject matter expert. I was happy to take a look over her draft and make some extra money in the process. Originally it started out as 40 hours, and then I added another 40, and now I have the option to do more, time permitting. We've spoken a couple times over the phone but for the most part we communicate by email, and I edit the draft on a shared file.

I did some work for Professor Schaede, who
is coming out with a new book on Japan

I forced myself to get most of the second 40 hours done by the beginning of August because from the 11th to the 18th I was in Cincinnati. For the past seven summers my aunt and uncle, who live in Cincinnati, have volunteered at the pro tennis tournament held in August. In 2015 and 2016 I joined them for the week as a volunteer usher. As an usher, we closed the gates during points and (if on center court) checked tickets. It was a great way to see tennis up close and hang out with them, and when work pushed my start date to the beginning of September, my schedule opened up.

This year it was not as fun to be an usher, since I was assigned to the center court for all but one shift. At the outer courts, all you have to do is shut the gates until a changeover (when people are allowed to walk in and out). You're also close to the action--sometimes only a few feet from the players. When you work on the upper level gates at center court, people are allowed to walk around anytime, but you also need to check their tickets. Some tickets are only grounds passes and don't have access to the main stadium. If there were a bunch of open seats I didn't stop anyone, but I still spent a lot of time checking anyone who presented their ticket and helping people find their seats rather than watching tennis.

View from one of the gates where I worked

I did get to watch some of the matches--which included names such as Djokovic, Venus Williams, and Nick Kyrgios--so it wasn't all that bad. Outside of volunteering at the tournament, I also hung out with my aunt and uncle, who have been close with me since I was a kid visiting them for Xavier basketball camps over the school holidays. My uncle and I went on a bike ride along a stretch of the Ohio to Erie trail, they took me to Over the Rhine, a trendy neighborhood north of downtown, we visited the Cincinnati Art Museum, and we tried a great Korean restaurant over the river in Covington, Kentucky. One night after our evening shift at the tournament, along the way home, we stopped at a local bar near their house. Our shift didn't end until nearly 11, so after we drove there and had a beer the bar was closing down (midnight on weekdays). Now I can say I closed down a bar in Cincinnati with my 60 something year old aunt and uncle.

Our pajeon appetizer (should have taken it when all the
food and sides were out)

The museum had a burning man exhibit

Aside from Cincinnati and a weekend trip to Kent State (my parents' alma mater) I stayed put in the Columbus area. Many afternoons I went to the gym with my dad and then spent the evening with my parents. Sometimes we were joined by my sister and her husband, who just moved into a house nearby. In late July we went to the Ohio State fair, and this past weekend my mom played taxi and drove my dad, sister and I to a beer festival downtown. That's pretty much the extent of the excitement. If I didn't have a job and another international adventure lined up, maybe it would have felt more boring. But to me it was mostly a relaxing summer break!

My dad and sister at Kent State

I do love Ohio prices

My mom (and dad) at the fair

Oh, and I almost forgot. We also went to the Japanese consulate in Detroit for my work visa application. We had the afternoon in Detroit and spent the night in Windsor, Canada. So I guess I did get out and about. Here are a few pictures: