Well, I didn't see that one coming...

So just as I'm posting about how boring my life at Columbia is, things get interesting in a hurry.

I'm sure you remember how last year I managed to meet the famous Debito Arudo at Columbia. I seem to remember the comments at the time, particularly from my JET friends, to the effect that that was 'pretty cool'. Well, this is going to knock your socks off. Next Friday, I'm going down to Washington, D.C., to meet none other than Shinzo Abe. Yes, I'm talking about the Prime Minister of Japan. I'll be going down there, at the Japanese taxpayer's expense, to meet with him at the residency of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (crazy name, crazy guy) from Japan to the United States.

<- The man himself. It's not quite as awesome as that sounds - it's not like he personally requested me so we could go out for a few beers and maybe tip over a cow or two (though that would have been fun). He's in the US that week, and apparently wants to meet with some ex-JETs in the USA while he's here. As I'm the President of the largest JETAA chapter in the US, the honour falls to me, among others, to drop by and see what's up. So I'll be like, "Hey, Shinzo, my man! Dude - the comfort women thing? What the hell were you thinking?" Or perhaps not, since I do actually want to have a career in the Japan-related world for the rest of my life. But still. While it'll likely be no more than a photo op, since the meeting is only scheduled for half an hour (and there's always the chance it'll get cancelled...), it's still kinda cool, no? Watch this space for photos and commentary...