The Constorium of Greater Minds

yo! back in japan, back home, back in the apartment with a view of the sea. it’s been about six weeks since we set sail and a lot has happened in the days between then and now. nagasaki was our first port of call. a city with a tragic past. being an american and visiting the site of such a horrific act perpetrated by my fellow countrymen was humbling. the atom bomb museum provided a glimpse into the horrendous events of august 9, 1945 from the perspective of the japanese. my visit to the museum was with a group from the ship, we passed through the various rooms elbow to elbow with japanese visitors. before arriving i thought there could be an uncomfortableness to the experience, i thought perhaps as americans we would be made to feel unwelcome. not the case, i’m sure everyone in the museum, viewing the graphic and appalliing photographs and video footage of the event, japanese and american alike, felt the same sense of shock and horror. the events of that date are long past, and while there are still some alive who lived through the pain, on both sides, i did not feel any animosity in the air, just an overpowering sense of dread for the power for destruction we as human beings poses. it is truly awesome, the devastation we can wreck on one another. atomic weapons, weapons of mass destruction are horrible and should absolutely be banned by all countries. without getting into the varying arguments justifying the bombing of nagasaki, let me just say that i hope no one ever lives to see the use of a weapon so devastating again.

moving on to subjects less dreary! next stop was manila, phillipines, a favorite of all aboard. a large percentage of the ship’s crew is originally from the PI as it is known and so it is always a great homecoming for many. manila is a wild and exciting city. as in many developing nations, one can find abject poverty right alongside astonishing wealth and prosperity; manila is no exception. red light districts spring up against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers. luxury hotels are positioned up the block from slums of corrugated metal shacks and decrepit storefronts. vibrant markets sell fruits and vegetables, fish and live animals, bootleg movies, copy rolexs and fake louis vuitton. the city is filled with the thrill of a place in the throws of development, the passion of a people, animated, generous, passionate and full of life as well as the corruption, crime and conflict of a nation battling all the ills that beleaguer a country striving for progress. the first night in town our ship hosted a “big top” celebration on the main deck. nearly 500 were in attendance including the american ambassador to the phillipines and all the top ranking brass from each of the phillipinos services. i met old friends whom i knew years ago in italy. he is an army major working at the embassy and his wife is a wonderful mother of four young children. they took a friend and i out to dinner one night – a great experience, to run into old acquaintances from so long ago in such an unexpected place. another night was spent in the shang ri la with fellow junior officers. we lived it up, getting massages, relaxing by the pool and drinking in the hotel bar. sometimes you have to treat yourself to a fancy night out after weeks sleeping on board a ship!

next and final stop was a familiar one; busan, south korea. how i was not looking forward to this one – and how i was pleasantly surprised when we arrived. our ship pulls into south korea more than any other country throughout the year and quite honestly it is my least favorite port of call. to be fair we only see a limited view of the country, however, what we do see is not terribly interesting. however, this time around i discovered a small two or three block area in the city that was quite nice. it was full of coffee shops, bars, restaurant and boutique type shops. so each time i was offered the chance to get off the ship in the evening or on the weekend a group of us would head to this same area with books and our laptops to drink surprisingly good cappuccinos and read or soak up the free wifi. i think i finished three books in our two weeks in port and spent hours sitting in the coffee shops of busan. busan was a pleasant surprise this final time around.

so that was it for port calls. after busan it was three nights home to yokosuka where i sit now. besides the port calls two other very interesting events took place while we were gone. first, i was promoted to lieutenant junior grade which means a hefty pay raise, it also means i have been in the navy two years, almost half of my commitment. all of which will be put away in savings, mom and dad. the second event was the issuance of my second tour orders. it’s now official; i will be moving to san diego this summer, probably the first week in july. i can feel that i will really miss japan a great deal but, as always, look forward to change.

alright, people. that about sums up the past couple of months. i hope this latest post finds you all in good health and positive spirits. sayonara