the characters

i started something like this back in october but never really got around to finishing. it'll be kind of an ongoing post. so without further ado, i introduce to you...

the girls

Chelsea: my partner in crime. if there's mischief to be made, shops to be shopped, food to be eaten, or places to be seen, we're there. we met when we were both exchange students to saitama prefecture back in 2002. we've kept in touch, visited each other in our respective countries and then somehow both ended up back in japan. she moved to tokyo in april of 2007 and moved back to australia in april 2008.

May: we met at the end of my study abroad in tokyo in the summer of 2005. the next year, she and Tack (see below) came to my university in ohio. we returned to japan (her to finish university in tokyo and me to work) in summer 2006. she graduated from university in march of 2008 and is now a graduate student at tokyo university. we've been good friends since our time in ohio and i realized how much i count on her when she was the first person i thought of when i had to put down an emergency contact name and number one day.

Cheer: a coworker turned friend. lots of fun, outgoing and bubbly. she doesn't really speak english but is a great listener and usually understands what i'm trying to say in japanese. she gets along with Bee and Style too.

Gum: a japanese girl i met during study abroad. she lived in ohio for several years growing up and she's part of The Group.

Wind and Nana: friends of Bee's. Wind is a really interesting japanese girl, interesting in a good way. smart, funny, loves to have a good time. Nana is a japanese pop star. no joke. i heard her third single on the radio in the american sandwich chain, Subway, today (may 2008).

Sky: my best friend from when i was an exchange student in high school in japan. she's as tall as me and we always joke that we are twins. she can speak english very well, but we always speak japanese. she's now a flight attendant for a big japanese airline company.

the boys

Bee and Style: my american guys. we met during study abroad in university but we all ended up back in tokyo. Bee works for a company in the fashion industry and Style is a research/graduate student in tokyo. along with Chelsea, they are my family away from home.

Yokohama: another name on the list of past crushes. he works at a fancy hotel in, you guessed it, yokohama. (what's up with me and hotel boys??) we went on a couple dates in early 2009 but then he declined one too many invites for me to bother asking again.

Carr: my japanese ex-boyfriend. we met at a club in november 2007. i usually don't expect club acquaintances to go anywhere but we went to dinner and hung out several times after that and we really hit it off. we dated for about three months before he stopped texting or returning calls in feb 2008.

Koshi: a classmate from when i was an exchange student in high school in japan. along with Sky, Koshi is sort of like my family away from my family. he's kind of shy and doesn't gossip much but when Sky, Koshi and i get together, good times always ensue.

Tack: i met him when i met May (see above). he is still finishing university in tokyo and acting on the side.

CB: we met through Tack and then reconnected in march 2008 at May's graduation, after the ceremony. he works in tokyo. we flirted most of april and may, finally had a date in the middle of july and another one at the end of august. we sort of crossed the "friend" line but he (literally) bolted. i sent a couple texts and called a few times in the weeks following the whole thing, with no reply. (anyone else seeing a pattern??)

Ty: one of the guys in The Group. he was an exchange student to the US and is finishing up university (super senior) to start work in april 2009. he's a really nice guy and conversation flows easily. i think i like him, but after bringing it up (hello awkward!) we discussed how the group is like family and agreed that we want really value our friendship, but that's it.

Parker: a friend of Ms. Ohio (coworker). he went to middle school and high school in ohio and now works at a fancy hotel in tokyo. he asked Ms. Ohio for my number and we've been on a few dates but are just friends.

Will: a japanese guy i met during my university study abroad in tokyo. we kept in touch over the years. he graduated in march 2006, moved to australia in april 2006 and then went to bali for a year and worked at the hilton hotel. i visited in july 2008 and he came back to japan in october 2008.

Zara: a japanese guy that was an outbound exchange student in 2002 on the same program that brought me to japan. we met at the end of my year, just before he was leaving. i found his exchange student "business card" when i was home in august 2007 and randomly emailed him. he's studying to hopefully get a job working for an airline company out of dubai. we've gone out for coffee several times. his english is so good that we speak english almost exclusively. though i haven't talked to him in probably over a year...

Captain: a guy i met while in canada for work in february 2008. i was a chaperone for a bunch of students from school who were staying with families and going to a canadian high school. we went out for dinner/drinks/pool a couple times.

Des: an australian friend of Chelsea's. he was a dancer for Tokyo Disney. he played several parts (i think) but most notably, Price Charming opposite Cinderella. (and the smile to prove it!) he left japan in april 2008.

Newbie: a guy from my college in ohio. he's two years younger and moved to japan in fall '08. Bee and Style seem to like him and he's come out with The Group several times.

Mackie: a japanese guy i met on mixi, who seemed really sketchy at first. i dodged a few invites initially but we finally went out to dinner in november 2008 in a group.

the others

coworkers: under the label "roll call" and have Mr. or Ms. names.

The Group: a group of seven friends from university in japan. me, Bee, Style, Gum, Ty, another girl and another guy. most of us have already graduated and are working and two others will graduate in march 2009. starting in january 2008, we've been trying to get together once a month for dinner, drinking, and general merriment. the four japanese in the group have all studied or lived abroad and speak english so our evenings are usually an odd combination of primarily japanese with healthy doses of english, when convenient or appropriate.