I was replying to a message that Mari sent me and I thought it might be a good thing to post: I wouldn't say i really enjoy traveling alone as much as I thought I did. It's probably because of you all. I find myself thinking, sometimes out loud, ah Mari would freaking love this or, AILEEN! or I'll want to turn to blazey and say something about homegirl that just passed by or how hilarious that sign is. So no, it isn't as fun as traveling with my friends especially since we've been on some amazing trips together. I've started to get used to experiencing the best times with all of you NYC kids, but that isn't to say I get lonely. Why? It is because i have my camera.

Every time i take a photo i'm thinking about somebody back home. Honestly, next to me just wanting to see japan i really came to photograph it for folks who couldn't and maybe will never make it over. So when i'm going around town getting lost it's cool 'cause all along the way i'm talking photos with people back home in mind. I did the same thing in Zurich. I kept thinking about how I wanted to show loren and ebony everything i experienced. Now a new huge motivator is all the random folks i've met and keep in touch with via this world wide web.

Yeah, it is really difficult to get around here and not know any japanese. Several of the locations are in English but none of the directions are spelled out to you and very few people speak English. Once i met up with Kate and her friend it allowed me to not think about how to get places and how to do things and it freed me up to just have a good time and enjoy myself. It also gave me some time to get used to things and learn a bit more about the country so today when i leave kate's house in a few and ride her bike to the city it won't be that bad. When I head out to the next city and then to Tokyo I will be a bit more prepared. I'll be back to traveling around and taking photos and not worring about what or where i'm going.