You can take the girl out of Canada...

Thanks to the power of the internet (and free clips on CBC's "The Hour" website) I've been managing to keep up with Canadian politics, and I just thought I'd mention that I've decided (were I a Liberal, which I'm not, really) that I would vote for Michael Ignatieff if I could.

Sure, he's a rookie in politics. But if this means that he hasn't yet learned how to squash all his strong opinions and nobler impulses into a bland shell of non-offensiveness, then I consider that a good thing. I don't think I agree with either of the things he said about the Lebanese-Israeli war of this summer, but at least he said something. Bob Rae, the consummate politician (and Ignatieff's former roomate, in the small world that is Canadian politics) has perhaps more wisely kept his mouth shut, but that means I'll never really know what he thinks.

I like politicians who are real people -- who have opinions, who aren't so bloody well stage-managed down to the tie clips they wear. I like it when they say what's on their mind and actually do the things they say they're going to (even when I don't agree with them -- which is why much as I hate his politics I do respect Stephen Harper). I think Michael Ignatieff would be that sort of leader, would bring a fresh dose of reality to a Liberal party that literally collapsed under the weight of it's own boring beaurocracy. Would Ignatieff make mistakes? Yes. Would he get Canada in trouble on the world stage? Maybe. But would he get regular people interested in politics in a way that they haven't been since Pierre Trudeau? I think so, and that's a good thing.

[On a final, somwhat geekier note, I have to admit that I'm enticed by the idea of Michael Ignatieff as Prime Minister simply because having a man who is as academically intelligent as Jeb Bartlett (from the West Wing) would make me happy. Plus, it would make Democratic Americans green with envy... ;)]

A (slightly sappy) Thought

I remember there's a quote in Firefly (I think in 'Heart of Gold') about what happens when you get connected to people. Basically Inara is saying she needs to leave the ship because she's seen what can happen when people can get attached, that you "are dragged down and pulled under by the web of love, and you can't leave, and you don't want to".

I can identify with that quote, I think. I love my friends and family, all of them. I love their quirks and their problems as well as their kindness and generosity and willingness to admit me into their complicated lives. But since I'm so far away from all but one of those people I would consider close to me, I've come to realize how much work it is to love (and be loved by) people. I sometimes see other teachers here who have no real connections in their land of origin, who seem so much freer to go where they want and do what they want without reference to anyone 'back home'. I envy those who aren't driven to spend hours a day answering emails and updating blogs in a hard-fought attempt to stay connected despite the distance.

And yet, I know I wouldn't ever give it up. To just sever myself from all of you lovely people who have accepted me (hairy chin and weird memory and all) is unthinkable, despite the hardship involved, despite the fact that it means I am no longer free to really enter into my Japanese life wholeheartedly. Because you see, even in the middle of all my exciting Japanese experiences I am always aware that my home is not here -- my home is where you all are. I have been sucked under the current and I'm drowning in it. I may sometimes envy those who never waded out into deeper water in the first place, those who remained as islands (to mix my metaphors utterly) unto themselves, but I love my life and I couldn't (and wouldn't) change it.