Years before I moved to Japan, my parents were themselves brand new expatriates. They came to the U.S. in 1975, newlywed and broke. My mother cried when she saw the run down Brooklyn apartment they were going to live in. My father flipped burgers in a hospital cafeteria. After my brother and I were born, […]
Author: ieatmypigeon
Like a Prayer
Walking to the 6 train, I pass a falafel cart and notice that its owner is face down on the sidewalk. At first, I think he’s looking for something – maybe loose change that rolled underneath the cart – or that he’s sick. Then I see that he’s shoeless and crouched prostrate on a flattened […]
Slàinte
So there are certain things one does when one is preparing to move abroad. I’ve been told by quite a few people in the past 2 years that they wish they could do what I’ve done – “simply run off” to a foreign country. Well, while I’m flattered by the admiration, moving abroad is far […]
The Next Big Thing
Time to update the ol’ Facebook Education Info: Crystal River High School, 1998 New York University, 2002. B.A. in English; B.A. in Physical Anthropology Trinity College 2010. Master’s of Philosophy in Creative Writing* *a.k.a, The Next Big Thing Come this August, I Eat My Pigeon: 私のハトを食べる New York Edition will flap its wings across the […]
Girls Girls Girls
I’ll tell you something else that I missed when I lived in Japan; something huge, bigger than cupcakes or couscous or Letterman or Marie’s Crisis. Women. I missed women. Or, more accurately, female friends – we had plenty of women prancing around Osaka, just none I was able to emotionally connect with until last few […]
Nihonjin, I presume?
There’s a Japanese grocery store just a few blocks away from my brother’s apartment. I’ve been eyeing it since before Sean left. Every time I pass it, though, it happens to be closed. It doesn’t help, of course, that I rarely leave the apartment before 8 these days. I’m inside, avoiding the siren call of […]
For Better, For Worse: Ways I’ve Improved Thanks to My Time in Japan
Great success – Diego has, in fact, noticed that I am the New and Improved Liv with Increased Sudsing Action! Not only did he high-five me several times on Cleaning Sunday, but I even overheard him telling his girlfriend on the phone that I am “earning [my] keep.” This pleases me greatly; I did so […]
Your 321-Word New York City Mini Culture Lesson
I’ve never understood why people claim that New York City can be a lonely place; I’ve always found it extremely simple to foster new relationships here. Note: acquaintances, not friendships. But who needs more bothersome full-fledged friendships when you can make a new, red-hot acquaintance that feels like a life-long friendship every few blocks? In […]
Tango at Home
While I lived in Japan, my trips home tended to be exhausting marathons of breakfast, lunch and dinner dates. Rush, rush, rush, don’t leave anyone out. Pack every available time slot because the chance won’t come again for another year. Though these visits were always soul-nourishing, I invariably came away feeling somewhat disappointed. The disappointment […]
Last Dance
On my last day in Japan: It is glorious weather – cool, bright and breezy, smelling of new green life. I am hungover from the previous night’s hot sake bomb marathon It is a Good Japanese Day; I can conduct my final bank transfer with ease and ask appropriate questions at the Post Office Bleary-eyed […]