Modern world

Tetsu and I lead a pretty quiet life now that the kids aren't around. Often people ask me if I'm not terribly lonesome and don't I regret that my children are on the other side of the world. Well, no. For one I'm proud of how they've kicked in and seem to be studying HARD and playing HARD. I mean they seem to do both and realize that there are opportunities and times for both. I think if they had continued their education in Japan they wouldn't have been able to adjust that balance. That's not to say that other Japanese kids can't, just that Takumi and Leiya seem to be incorporating both Study and Fun equally in their American lives and I don't think they would have if they'd stayed in Japan. Both kids have really become responsible adults. (Don't mean to brag here.... Happy mother you know....)

I don't know about Tetsu but I can hardly complain about having my two children in another country since I did the same thing to my parents and left America to start a life in Japan. My parents seemed to survive so I don't see why Tetsu and I can't too. And it is interesting because when I went away to Japan my mother often said,

"The modern world is so wonderful. You're grandmother left Japan NEVER to return and in her days there were no airplanes and telephones etc. She REALLY left! It doesn't feel like you are so far away because you come home every summer, we have air mail and can talk on the phone whenever we feel like it."

And compared to 30 years ago when I came to Japan, now there is e-mail, chat, digital photography and visual chat. I can get on this computer and have a conversation with Takumi and see him in the school library and wave to his roommate's mother who is in China through the two boy's computers (the other guy was on visual chat with his mother too.)

Yesterday Tetsu and I were "chatting" with Leiya and we had the computer camera on. We were ready for lunch and were going to sign off but Leiya wanted to watch us eating ramen noodles in the living room. How fun is that...? And since she does have a digital camera (but doesn't use it as much as Tetsu and I would like) she "sent" pictures of herself for us to enjoy.

Tetsu hasn't worked out computers quite as well as I have but he has figured out how to capture pictures from my blog to put on his computer screen at work. So at Tetsu's request I'm posting a couple of Leiya's pictures here.

Takumi doesn't seem to have a working digital camera so Tetsu hasn't captured pictures of him for months... Takumi! Would you please send some pictures!

The modern world is so wonderful!