Ringtones

I had been living in Japan for four months when I first heard this song. I had been feeling completely cut off from the Western world, living in my own little bubble of sushi and karaoke, of long nights and misunderstood communications. One day, I recieved an email from one of my best friends back in the U.S. She was getting married. It suddenly made me feel much more connected to my old life. I knew that life was still going on without me, and that exciting things were happening. The world was not standing still.

I didn't talk on the phone much while I was in Japan because of the cost and the time difference. But what warrants a phone call more than the knowledge that your friend is getting married? When I called, she didn't answer. But instead of a normal phone ring, I heard Sean Paul's "Temperature" playing. I had never heard the song before. I'm not much for ringtones, but I know that my friend is. Hearing that song was like a small but detailed, significant, connection with her life, which I was so far away from. Not only was she getting married, but new songs were coming out across the ocean. And this is what she was listening to. I fell in love with the song immediately, and it will always remind me of friends across long distances.