Nippon ni modoritai

Perhaps it is because so much of my life has been focused around work lately, but I have been increasingly nostalgic for the life in the States and Japan recently. The latter feeling was intensified yesterday when I payed a visit to a local fishery in Westlands, called Aloha. Every Tuesday and Friday they get shipments of freshly caught fish straight from Mombasa.Yesterday being Tuesday, I was able to purchase SUSHI GRADE tuna for the very affordable price of 350 shillings. Inspired by the mere idea of having access to sushi grade tuna in AFRICA, I rushed off to the home business of a Japanese friend of mine in order to purchase nori (seaweed), wasabi (horse radish) and Ugandan rice (the closest thing Kenya has to the sumptuous short-grained, sticky rice of Japan). My Japanese friend seemingly hadn't spoken in Japanese for a while and gladly chatted on and on with me for, ohhh, I'd say a good 30 minutes! Surprisingly my Japanese skills are still very much in tact, even after a year and a half away from Japan. It felt so GOOD chatting away with her. Not that we talked about anything that interesting, but the stereotypical mannerisms she has as a native Japanese seriously made my heart pound with pure joy! I really miss Japan. I miss the people, the food, the culture, I miss the little things that made up my life there. I left in March 2010. Wonder when I'll finally get a chance to go back again?