Foul-weather Friends

Some expats bemoan the loss of friends when their compatriots move back home. I don’t mind at all when friends come and go from my life; it seems quite natural. I think I’m well suited to being a long-term expatriate.
Despite that, it’s comforting to have a few friends who I know will stick around. I don’t see them all that often, but I know they’re there.
I had dinner tonight with Greg, who is actually a newish friend, but has been in Japan for more than a decade. He’s applied for his permanent residency, so I think he’ll be sticking around for a while. We talk about creativity and organizing our lives. We swap movies. Greg introduced me to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and loaned me the Edward Tufte book that I hadn’t read. He came to Design Festa in November. We made nengajo together. I taught him about CSS and Movable Type templates.
Also among my long-term resident friends is Elizabeth Andoh, who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, teaches Japanese food culture and writes for the New York Times and Gourmet. Various colleagues from Tod’s office and MJ, of course, are here for the duration because they’ve married Japanese nationals.
Which is something that I wish I could do, too. Not that I want to give up darling Tod (never!), but couldn’t I have a Japanese husband, too? Sure would make the visa issues easier…