By the way, the second paragraph may sound negative. That's because it is. No people group is perfect, but that doesn't mean that I am not having the most amazingly fun experience of my life.
I realize this paragraph in the last blog sounds quite close-minded. I was reflecting on the last part of the second paragraph, where I talk about the ways I've been singled out as a foreigner. It doesn't apply to the first part of the paragraph. I'd be a liar if I said I never feel frustrated by what I don't understand in the Japanese culture.
Ok. That's enough.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
On Japanese Etiquette and Other Ramblings of a Rambling Nature
Comments are completely acceptable, esp. from complete strangers (if you're reading this on blogspot.com, not on facebook)
One of the most frequently made generalizations about Japanese people is that they are incredibly polite. This assertion does have quite a sound basis that begins in the language. Verbs, adjectives, and even some nouns have different inflections to express certain levels of respect. At a restaurant, for example, one never asks for "mizu," (water), but "omizu" (rougly translated as "honorable water."). Asking a teacher's name could be translated into English: "As for the honorable master's honorable name, what is it?" The most common greeting is, of course, the bow. I bow to teachers, adults, and kendo opponents. However, one never returns bows to waitstaff or salespeople, because they are considered of lower rank. In social situations, the Japanese recite a litany of polite vocabulary. These words are difficult to explain, as I don't understand the reason fully yet. (so more on that later). But it's very common to hear formal conversations peppered with words such as sumimasen (excuse me, lit. "I don't escape.") and yoroshiku (lit. "be nice to me"). Japanese friends will apologize for faults that I have committed (i.e. missing the targeted body part in kendou). Addison and I joke that, if we tried to rob a bank in Japan, the teller would just say "HAI, DOOZO!" (Yes, here you are!)
However, according to American standards, the Japanese can also be interpreted as incredibly rude. They have no qualms about inquiring as to a complete stranger's age, weight, and salary. On a crowded bus, people wishing to get off simply shove through the other passengers without saying "Excuse me." Downtown or in the train station or in a shop also, the Japanese never say "Excuse me" when they accidentally bump into someone. The Japanese usually eat very quickly (if they're not staring at the TV) and sometimes don't leave it up to others' imaginations as to the contents of their mouth. They usually don't wait for others to receive their food at a restaurant to begin their own meals. The Western custom of wishing someone health after a sneeze does not exist in Japan, and I am still not used to the empty silence that occurs after a sneeze, always expecting to hear a wish for good health. Students scream, yell, or sleep in class; behavior that would invite an immediate instruction to leave back at St. Joseph High School in the USA. The Japanese often have a healthy curiosity towards foreigners, but sometimes they bear negative feelings. People on public buses looking for a seat would rather stand up then sit next to me; when waiting for Addison at his school, a bunch of students started screaming "GAIJIN!" (foreigner) from the window, to which I responded "GAIJIN DA YO" (You bet I'm a foreigner!"), and they laughed, which is good; at a school presentation about drugs, I am almost positive the speaker warned against speaking to foreigners because they all supposedly do drugs.
So what's the point? The point is that I don't really think you can say one culture is more __________ that another. It's all a matter of perspective and comparison, which I think is a bit dangerous. You could make generalizations that may aid in understanding a people, but I think an open mind is a much better possession.
By the way, the second paragraph may sound negative. That's because it is. No people group is perfect, but that doesn't mean that I am not having the most amazingly fun experience of my life.
In other news, today I am exhausted. School is becomeing much more fun as my Japanese improved, I grow more accustomed to the schedule, and making many new friends. I taught my friends in kendo club how to pop, lock, and drop it. I have gotten to the point in Japan where I can help other people in class. For example, this morning, someone asked where Bangladesh was, to which I responded "north of India" (indo no kita). Also today, someone asked the teacher where Airi was, to which I responded "Shes not here today; she wasnt here this morning" (kyou yasumi; kesu inakkata). Friends always want to asobu (roughly, "hang out") in downtown, but I always have kendou after school. I now make it a point to talk to my kendo friends for about ten or fifteen minutes, as they do, instead of just immediately going home, like I used to do. Friday I'm going to see the tea ceremony club; the participants will be wearing kimonos. I'll bring my camera. I may go downtown with Natsumi, Shinano, and Mio afterwards. Saturday I'm going to temple with Shiori and Okaasan, to pray for one wish. Shiori is praying that she will pass her university exam. I don't know what to pray for. I feel like that scene in The Glass Menagerie when Laura doesn't know what to wish for and Amanda says-- "happiness, good fortune... HAPPINESS!" Haha, I've become so much more literary now and when Laurent asks me to explain an English word (which is rare because we never speak English...), I often support it with a Shakespeare quote. (he asked me to explain lend, so guess what line from Julius Caesar I quoted...) I'm reading Ulysses now. I'm usually never paying attention and I really have no idea what's going on. I'm basically reading it so I can say I read it. I'm trying to hurry so I can continue on to something more fun. ANYWAY. School is getting a lot better. It's still weird being in a first-year class where everyone is 15/16 and I'm 17 and have the same maturity level as the third-year class (last year of high school in Japan), but I figure it's stupid to let that get to me. I can now participate fully in Spanish class, because the Spanish is so basic and I remember a lot more than I thought and I already speak French. I can even help my Japanese friends, giving them the Japanese equivalents for Spanish words (equipaje=nimotsu, bienvenidos=youkoso, venimos a hacer un corso de espanol=watashitachi wa speengo no jugyo o shi ni kimasu, etc.)
Now that the weather is getting colder, I get to wear the gakuran. Japanese boy's winter uniform, based on the Prussian navy uniforms of yesteryear. It's bath season! So after showering, I get into the bathtub for a soak. Everyone shares the same aromatic water. The toilet seat is now electronically warm. It now plays Liebestraum by Liszt, but I may change it back to Bach's "Air on the G String".
Heh. Being an exchange student is such an amazing experience. There are sometimes when you feel so homesick, and then five minutes later you are madly in love again with your host country. I have been in so many unspeakably difficult situations. I don't know whether it's pure insanity or incredible willpower that keeps me going, but I think It's a combination of the two. Exchange students, I think, are so much braver than they think they are. The experience is so rewarding, enjoyable, and life-changing.
Yeah. That's enough. That was pretty long Let's close with my favorite current song here in Japan... It's so KAKKOII!! (um. best translation, maybe, um... stunning? slick? Those words sound so corny in English...) Anyway, it's so chill and I LOVES it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VllmWQyZI2A
One of the most frequently made generalizations about Japanese people is that they are incredibly polite. This assertion does have quite a sound basis that begins in the language. Verbs, adjectives, and even some nouns have different inflections to express certain levels of respect. At a restaurant, for example, one never asks for "mizu," (water), but "omizu" (rougly translated as "honorable water."). Asking a teacher's name could be translated into English: "As for the honorable master's honorable name, what is it?" The most common greeting is, of course, the bow. I bow to teachers, adults, and kendo opponents. However, one never returns bows to waitstaff or salespeople, because they are considered of lower rank. In social situations, the Japanese recite a litany of polite vocabulary. These words are difficult to explain, as I don't understand the reason fully yet. (so more on that later). But it's very common to hear formal conversations peppered with words such as sumimasen (excuse me, lit. "I don't escape.") and yoroshiku (lit. "be nice to me"). Japanese friends will apologize for faults that I have committed (i.e. missing the targeted body part in kendou). Addison and I joke that, if we tried to rob a bank in Japan, the teller would just say "HAI, DOOZO!" (Yes, here you are!)
However, according to American standards, the Japanese can also be interpreted as incredibly rude. They have no qualms about inquiring as to a complete stranger's age, weight, and salary. On a crowded bus, people wishing to get off simply shove through the other passengers without saying "Excuse me." Downtown or in the train station or in a shop also, the Japanese never say "Excuse me" when they accidentally bump into someone. The Japanese usually eat very quickly (if they're not staring at the TV) and sometimes don't leave it up to others' imaginations as to the contents of their mouth. They usually don't wait for others to receive their food at a restaurant to begin their own meals. The Western custom of wishing someone health after a sneeze does not exist in Japan, and I am still not used to the empty silence that occurs after a sneeze, always expecting to hear a wish for good health. Students scream, yell, or sleep in class; behavior that would invite an immediate instruction to leave back at St. Joseph High School in the USA. The Japanese often have a healthy curiosity towards foreigners, but sometimes they bear negative feelings. People on public buses looking for a seat would rather stand up then sit next to me; when waiting for Addison at his school, a bunch of students started screaming "GAIJIN!" (foreigner) from the window, to which I responded "GAIJIN DA YO" (You bet I'm a foreigner!"), and they laughed, which is good; at a school presentation about drugs, I am almost positive the speaker warned against speaking to foreigners because they all supposedly do drugs.
So what's the point? The point is that I don't really think you can say one culture is more __________ that another. It's all a matter of perspective and comparison, which I think is a bit dangerous. You could make generalizations that may aid in understanding a people, but I think an open mind is a much better possession.
By the way, the second paragraph may sound negative. That's because it is. No people group is perfect, but that doesn't mean that I am not having the most amazingly fun experience of my life.
In other news, today I am exhausted. School is becomeing much more fun as my Japanese improved, I grow more accustomed to the schedule, and making many new friends. I taught my friends in kendo club how to pop, lock, and drop it. I have gotten to the point in Japan where I can help other people in class. For example, this morning, someone asked where Bangladesh was, to which I responded "north of India" (indo no kita). Also today, someone asked the teacher where Airi was, to which I responded "Shes not here today; she wasnt here this morning" (kyou yasumi; kesu inakkata). Friends always want to asobu (roughly, "hang out") in downtown, but I always have kendou after school. I now make it a point to talk to my kendo friends for about ten or fifteen minutes, as they do, instead of just immediately going home, like I used to do. Friday I'm going to see the tea ceremony club; the participants will be wearing kimonos. I'll bring my camera. I may go downtown with Natsumi, Shinano, and Mio afterwards. Saturday I'm going to temple with Shiori and Okaasan, to pray for one wish. Shiori is praying that she will pass her university exam. I don't know what to pray for. I feel like that scene in The Glass Menagerie when Laura doesn't know what to wish for and Amanda says-- "happiness, good fortune... HAPPINESS!" Haha, I've become so much more literary now and when Laurent asks me to explain an English word (which is rare because we never speak English...), I often support it with a Shakespeare quote. (he asked me to explain lend, so guess what line from Julius Caesar I quoted...) I'm reading Ulysses now. I'm usually never paying attention and I really have no idea what's going on. I'm basically reading it so I can say I read it. I'm trying to hurry so I can continue on to something more fun. ANYWAY. School is getting a lot better. It's still weird being in a first-year class where everyone is 15/16 and I'm 17 and have the same maturity level as the third-year class (last year of high school in Japan), but I figure it's stupid to let that get to me. I can now participate fully in Spanish class, because the Spanish is so basic and I remember a lot more than I thought and I already speak French. I can even help my Japanese friends, giving them the Japanese equivalents for Spanish words (equipaje=nimotsu, bienvenidos=youkoso, venimos a hacer un corso de espanol=watashitachi wa speengo no jugyo o shi ni kimasu, etc.)
Now that the weather is getting colder, I get to wear the gakuran. Japanese boy's winter uniform, based on the Prussian navy uniforms of yesteryear. It's bath season! So after showering, I get into the bathtub for a soak. Everyone shares the same aromatic water. The toilet seat is now electronically warm. It now plays Liebestraum by Liszt, but I may change it back to Bach's "Air on the G String".
Heh. Being an exchange student is such an amazing experience. There are sometimes when you feel so homesick, and then five minutes later you are madly in love again with your host country. I have been in so many unspeakably difficult situations. I don't know whether it's pure insanity or incredible willpower that keeps me going, but I think It's a combination of the two. Exchange students, I think, are so much braver than they think they are. The experience is so rewarding, enjoyable, and life-changing.
Yeah. That's enough. That was pretty long Let's close with my favorite current song here in Japan... It's so KAKKOII!! (um. best translation, maybe, um... stunning? slick? Those words sound so corny in English...) Anyway, it's so chill and I LOVES it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VllmWQyZI2A
Sunday, October 21, 2007
So Exhausted...
In kendo club, I've just been practicing my swing and stuff like that. Then I had my actualy first duel on Friday. During the first time, my kerchief kept falling over my eyes, so I couldn't see, and there was like this Japanese war machine guy just pounding me and I was like AHHHHHHH. Then the second time, Tama-chan tightened my men mask so I could see better and I WON. I WOOOOOOOON! I was so surprised! So I moved on to the second round, but I lost the second round.
Saturday morning, we did kenjutsu in kendo club. It's very old, stylistic martial art that looks a lot like a dance. It's very beautiful. Look it up on Wikipedia becuase i don't feel like explaining and I really had no idea what was going on. But it was fun! Miamoto-sensee taught me. He is so amazing; I love Miamoto-sensee. He's really kind.
Anyway, then I went downtown with Laurent, Max, Josefa, Adisson, and Fuyu. IT was so much fun. Then I went to a sumo restaurant for dinner.
Today I went fishing with Rotary. I caught a piece of trash and three fish. Yay. I'm so exhausted.
Saturday morning, we did kenjutsu in kendo club. It's very old, stylistic martial art that looks a lot like a dance. It's very beautiful. Look it up on Wikipedia becuase i don't feel like explaining and I really had no idea what was going on. But it was fun! Miamoto-sensee taught me. He is so amazing; I love Miamoto-sensee. He's really kind.
Anyway, then I went downtown with Laurent, Max, Josefa, Adisson, and Fuyu. IT was so much fun. Then I went to a sumo restaurant for dinner.
Today I went fishing with Rotary. I caught a piece of trash and three fish. Yay. I'm so exhausted.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Some Important Things
On Saturday, I went to a Buddhist temple with my host father and mother. Shiori, my host sister, was studying for her university entrance exam at school. We went to visit the graves of my mother's parents. So we cleaned them and put in new plants. Then we put in four sticks of insense -- four for each member of the family (that includes me). Then we prayed for a bit, and visited the actual temple building to light more insense and pray some more. Later, my host mom said "My parents must have been so surprised to see you there!" I have no idea why, but her saying that really touched me. I really can't find the words to explain how; but I assure it's a good thing. I guess I'll try: I felt really included in the family and as if my mother's parents were not only watching over their blood family, but also me. Eh, that didn't come out right. Whatever.
That evening I went downtown with Shiori, her best friend Lisa, Max, Laurent, and Yuka, a Rotex student. Fun stuff, but Shiori and I had to go back early because Okaasan made shabu-shabu for dinner. It was so good!
Sunday, Laurent, Addison, and I went to Numazu for some Rotary function. We saw Mount Fuji on the way there, but it was behind the clouds and we could just see the summit peeking through. Even seeing that bit--- I still can't get over how beautiful it is. Goodness, I'm so Japanese now...
Anyway, we expected Marcella and Kati (the other exchange students in this district) to be there, but they weren't. So we were quite disappointed. Laurent, Addison, and I wandered around Numazu for hours and hours and had to go to the outbound orientation at Rotary's offices. (An outbound is a student who is going abroad next year.) IT was really boring, but we had fun in the back of the room.
In November, Rotary has the district conference. That's when all the Rotarians in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures get together and do Rotary-like things for two days. There's going to be a panel discussion about Rotary's international and student programs. I was chosen from all five of us exchange students to represent the exchange program. Ahhh, I'm so nervous! I can barely do something like that in English!
Today, I went to school as usual. But we had to stay after a bit because we're planning a service trip to a nursery school. I was assigned to read to the children. I have no idea why. There's plenty of other things I could do quite easily, like feeding them playdo. But, alas, I am going to read the classic Barbapapa (I had no idea what that was until I came to Japan. Barbapapa is big in Japan. Except its BAABAPAPA, not BARBAPAPA). Anyway, it's in hiragana, so that will be easy. I practiced reading it today. I'm still kinda slow in hiragana, so I'll have to practice (aka singing karaoke and reading the hiragana on the screen. ;-)).
Iight thats all for now.
That evening I went downtown with Shiori, her best friend Lisa, Max, Laurent, and Yuka, a Rotex student. Fun stuff, but Shiori and I had to go back early because Okaasan made shabu-shabu for dinner. It was so good!
Sunday, Laurent, Addison, and I went to Numazu for some Rotary function. We saw Mount Fuji on the way there, but it was behind the clouds and we could just see the summit peeking through. Even seeing that bit--- I still can't get over how beautiful it is. Goodness, I'm so Japanese now...
Anyway, we expected Marcella and Kati (the other exchange students in this district) to be there, but they weren't. So we were quite disappointed. Laurent, Addison, and I wandered around Numazu for hours and hours and had to go to the outbound orientation at Rotary's offices. (An outbound is a student who is going abroad next year.) IT was really boring, but we had fun in the back of the room.
In November, Rotary has the district conference. That's when all the Rotarians in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures get together and do Rotary-like things for two days. There's going to be a panel discussion about Rotary's international and student programs. I was chosen from all five of us exchange students to represent the exchange program. Ahhh, I'm so nervous! I can barely do something like that in English!
Today, I went to school as usual. But we had to stay after a bit because we're planning a service trip to a nursery school. I was assigned to read to the children. I have no idea why. There's plenty of other things I could do quite easily, like feeding them playdo. But, alas, I am going to read the classic Barbapapa (I had no idea what that was until I came to Japan. Barbapapa is big in Japan. Except its BAABAPAPA, not BARBAPAPA). Anyway, it's in hiragana, so that will be easy. I practiced reading it today. I'm still kinda slow in hiragana, so I'll have to practice (aka singing karaoke and reading the hiragana on the screen. ;-)).
Iight thats all for now.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Gaijin ga ooi!
This week and next week, the students at Kitako are taking mid-term exams. Everyone rushes back home every day after school to study. Instead of twiddling my thumbs, I made it my mission to meet other gaijins (foreigners). I already knew three my age: Addison, Laurent, and Max. Addison and Laurent are two other Rotary students. Max is from AFS; Max and Laurent go to Kitako with me.
So this week, everyday afterschool, I walked to Kaiseikan High School to hang out with Addison because I hadn't seen him since the first Rotary orientation in September. Sometimes Max and Laurent tagged along, and we'd always run into people we know downtown and they joined us.
So, today, I had school cleaning. Taka and Mina and I cleaned the, um, well I don't really know what it's for, room. But it's a room at school. Then I was talking to Kei and helping her write an essay for her college applications. Anyway, I ran off to Kaiseikan as usual and Addison was waiting as usual. We usually head straight downtown, but today we decided to find Uminohoshi, an all-girls school that we had been told contained a GAIJIN exchange student. We had no idea where the school was (we knew only the general direction) or who the exchange student was or where she was from, but that's what made it the fun part.
I'm actually really proud of our achievement. We knew it was past Kitako, so we started walking back to Kitako. We took advantage of the fact that I know many of the people I pass on the street in that neighborhood and asked everyone where Uminohoshi was. Minori told us to make a left at the light and walk for ten minutes.
So we walked. And walked. And walked, for much more than ten minutes. We got to a downhill part, and Addison refused to walk down it for the sole reason that he didn't feel like walking back up. So we turned around and asked a random lady where Uminohoshi was. The only words we understood were "right" and "supermarket." So we made a right at the supermarket.
Wandering around the general area, we found a very worn out baseball field but decided it couldn't possibly be a private school's. We walked past it and saw a building with a cross on it. Then I had a sudden revelation... "Uminohoshi" means "Star of the Sea" in Japanese. Star of the Sea is a title for Mary, as in Mary the mother of God. (Yay for Catholic school back in the USA!) So we KNEW it was that building. We entered the school grounds and asked the first group of students we saw where the Gaijin was. Some random teacher popped out of nowhere and said, "Oh! Gaijin! Exchange student! What grade is she in? First grade? Second grade?" (Mind you, this is all going on in Japanese.) We must have looked so ridiculous saying, "It doesn't matter. We actually don't really know her."
So the teacher asked us to follow him and he found the gaijin exchange student. She walked up to us and the first thing she said was "What are you doing here?" (Ok, this is in English) All we could say was "Well we heard there was a gaijin here, and we wanted to meet you." In the next hour, we got to know the Chilean phenomenon known as Josefa. She is so much fun and SUCH a character. She also introduced us to Yufui, a Japanese girl who lived in North Carolina for most of her life. She was also a character... it was so funny to talk to a girl with such American gestures and attitudes again. We have plans to meet on Tuesday.
Ok. I have no idea why I felt it was my duty to share that story. But I have.
Sunday Laurent, Addison and I are going to Numatsu for some sort of Rotary thing. It will be so amazing to reunite with the other exchange students in this district -- Marcella from Germany and Kati from Austria.
Wednesday, I started Spanish at Kitako. My teacher is French, and she teaches in Japanese. It's a pretty trippy experience.
My homeroom teacher, Kamimura-sensee, has asked me to participate in a prefectural exchange student speech contest. Ahhhh!!!
Laurent, Max, and I went to the tea ceremony club last Friday. Maybe we'll go again next Friday. It's so amazing! All the movements are SO graceful and SO beautiful. There are so many rules -- what angle your hand must be at, how the cloth must be creased, how you stir the tea, how you drink the tea, EVERYTHING. We just watched, though. It takes years and years of practice to learn everything exactly. Well, that's what Laurent says. And he's usual right about these things.
Ok. That's enough. Wayy too long. Good night!
So this week, everyday afterschool, I walked to Kaiseikan High School to hang out with Addison because I hadn't seen him since the first Rotary orientation in September. Sometimes Max and Laurent tagged along, and we'd always run into people we know downtown and they joined us.
So, today, I had school cleaning. Taka and Mina and I cleaned the, um, well I don't really know what it's for, room. But it's a room at school. Then I was talking to Kei and helping her write an essay for her college applications. Anyway, I ran off to Kaiseikan as usual and Addison was waiting as usual. We usually head straight downtown, but today we decided to find Uminohoshi, an all-girls school that we had been told contained a GAIJIN exchange student. We had no idea where the school was (we knew only the general direction) or who the exchange student was or where she was from, but that's what made it the fun part.
I'm actually really proud of our achievement. We knew it was past Kitako, so we started walking back to Kitako. We took advantage of the fact that I know many of the people I pass on the street in that neighborhood and asked everyone where Uminohoshi was. Minori told us to make a left at the light and walk for ten minutes.
So we walked. And walked. And walked, for much more than ten minutes. We got to a downhill part, and Addison refused to walk down it for the sole reason that he didn't feel like walking back up. So we turned around and asked a random lady where Uminohoshi was. The only words we understood were "right" and "supermarket." So we made a right at the supermarket.
Wandering around the general area, we found a very worn out baseball field but decided it couldn't possibly be a private school's. We walked past it and saw a building with a cross on it. Then I had a sudden revelation... "Uminohoshi" means "Star of the Sea" in Japanese. Star of the Sea is a title for Mary, as in Mary the mother of God. (Yay for Catholic school back in the USA!) So we KNEW it was that building. We entered the school grounds and asked the first group of students we saw where the Gaijin was. Some random teacher popped out of nowhere and said, "Oh! Gaijin! Exchange student! What grade is she in? First grade? Second grade?" (Mind you, this is all going on in Japanese.) We must have looked so ridiculous saying, "It doesn't matter. We actually don't really know her."
So the teacher asked us to follow him and he found the gaijin exchange student. She walked up to us and the first thing she said was "What are you doing here?" (Ok, this is in English) All we could say was "Well we heard there was a gaijin here, and we wanted to meet you." In the next hour, we got to know the Chilean phenomenon known as Josefa. She is so much fun and SUCH a character. She also introduced us to Yufui, a Japanese girl who lived in North Carolina for most of her life. She was also a character... it was so funny to talk to a girl with such American gestures and attitudes again. We have plans to meet on Tuesday.
Ok. I have no idea why I felt it was my duty to share that story. But I have.
Sunday Laurent, Addison and I are going to Numatsu for some sort of Rotary thing. It will be so amazing to reunite with the other exchange students in this district -- Marcella from Germany and Kati from Austria.
Wednesday, I started Spanish at Kitako. My teacher is French, and she teaches in Japanese. It's a pretty trippy experience.
My homeroom teacher, Kamimura-sensee, has asked me to participate in a prefectural exchange student speech contest. Ahhhh!!!
Laurent, Max, and I went to the tea ceremony club last Friday. Maybe we'll go again next Friday. It's so amazing! All the movements are SO graceful and SO beautiful. There are so many rules -- what angle your hand must be at, how the cloth must be creased, how you stir the tea, how you drink the tea, EVERYTHING. We just watched, though. It takes years and years of practice to learn everything exactly. Well, that's what Laurent says. And he's usual right about these things.
Ok. That's enough. Wayy too long. Good night!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
What is it like to be an exchange student?
This is what it's like to be an exchange student.
I arrive in this place called Japan. I am exhausted; nothing makes sense to me. I have left everything behind me - my friends, my family, my language, my culture, even myself (for aren't these the elements of which we are made?)
I feel so helpless initially. I never know where I'm going, with whom I'm speaking, what I'm eating. Everyone stares at me, expects too much from me, expects too little from me. Nothing makes sense. Why doesn't my host family keep soap in the bathroom? What don't strangers say "sumimasen" (excuse me) when I bump into them? Why does the word for "buttocks" get an honorary prefix?
However, this country slowly starts to make sense to me. I start to learn the language, understand the culture, make new friends. But still, there are times when it's HARD. When I would give anything to be back at St. Joe's, or Menlo Park, or New York with friends. I realize, however, that if I were to go back to the USA, I would miss Japan just as much as I miss the USA now. This is when I must become my own best friend.
It's almost as if I have no home. When people ask me about my family, I must always ask them if they refer to my American or my Japanese one. I begin to refer to 1-28-5 Sumiyoshi Naka-ku as my home. This is when I must make my home within myself.
I call my American parents for my birthday, and I accidentally start speaking in Japanese. When I realize my mistake and switch to English, that language is actually physically exhausting to speak. I write things in English and I must use a dictionary because I understand the Japanese word but don't remember the English equivalent. Engrish (horribly incorrect Japanese English on ads, fashion, etc.) starts to make sense to me. But if my English is quickly deteriorating and my Japanese is far from perfect, I have no language whatsoever. This is when I must realize the importance of the smile.
This feelings of estrangement have become rarer and rarer as I grow more accustomed to life in Japan. I begin to question the USA's way of doing things instead of the other way around. I am, as the song says, turning Japanese. American desserts have become too sweet for me; I have started to imitate the current styles I see on the street; my mindset is shifting to favor Japanese ideals and priorities, and it just took me literally five minutes to think of the word priority. I am having the time of my life in Japan. Japan is fun, beautiful, crazy, mysterious, wild, surprising, complex, aggravating, rewarding, unbelievable, hot, delicious, life-altering. I am learning so much: that stereotypes, even if they're true, are disgustingly overrated. Sometimes the wisest answer you can give to life's tough questions is "I dont know." It really doesn't matter what you do or where you are, but who you're with that counts. Life is full of surprises- some are good, some are bad. But whatever happens, you'll be all right, in the Grand Scheme of Things. Because that's just the way It works.
That's what it's like to be an exchange student.
I arrive in this place called Japan. I am exhausted; nothing makes sense to me. I have left everything behind me - my friends, my family, my language, my culture, even myself (for aren't these the elements of which we are made?)
I feel so helpless initially. I never know where I'm going, with whom I'm speaking, what I'm eating. Everyone stares at me, expects too much from me, expects too little from me. Nothing makes sense. Why doesn't my host family keep soap in the bathroom? What don't strangers say "sumimasen" (excuse me) when I bump into them? Why does the word for "buttocks" get an honorary prefix?
However, this country slowly starts to make sense to me. I start to learn the language, understand the culture, make new friends. But still, there are times when it's HARD. When I would give anything to be back at St. Joe's, or Menlo Park, or New York with friends. I realize, however, that if I were to go back to the USA, I would miss Japan just as much as I miss the USA now. This is when I must become my own best friend.
It's almost as if I have no home. When people ask me about my family, I must always ask them if they refer to my American or my Japanese one. I begin to refer to 1-28-5 Sumiyoshi Naka-ku as my home. This is when I must make my home within myself.
I call my American parents for my birthday, and I accidentally start speaking in Japanese. When I realize my mistake and switch to English, that language is actually physically exhausting to speak. I write things in English and I must use a dictionary because I understand the Japanese word but don't remember the English equivalent. Engrish (horribly incorrect Japanese English on ads, fashion, etc.) starts to make sense to me. But if my English is quickly deteriorating and my Japanese is far from perfect, I have no language whatsoever. This is when I must realize the importance of the smile.
This feelings of estrangement have become rarer and rarer as I grow more accustomed to life in Japan. I begin to question the USA's way of doing things instead of the other way around. I am, as the song says, turning Japanese. American desserts have become too sweet for me; I have started to imitate the current styles I see on the street; my mindset is shifting to favor Japanese ideals and priorities, and it just took me literally five minutes to think of the word priority. I am having the time of my life in Japan. Japan is fun, beautiful, crazy, mysterious, wild, surprising, complex, aggravating, rewarding, unbelievable, hot, delicious, life-altering. I am learning so much: that stereotypes, even if they're true, are disgustingly overrated. Sometimes the wisest answer you can give to life's tough questions is "I dont know." It really doesn't matter what you do or where you are, but who you're with that counts. Life is full of surprises- some are good, some are bad. But whatever happens, you'll be all right, in the Grand Scheme of Things. Because that's just the way It works.
That's what it's like to be an exchange student.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Yakisoba ikaga desu ka?
So the title means "How about some grilled noodles?"
Yesterday, I went to Shiori's school festival. Laurent and my host parents came, too. Laurent and I arrived and were just milling around talking to each other as usual when some PTA members came up to us, and gave us school caps and aprons. We were quite thankful for the souvenirs and then we realized that they wanted us to help them make food. So the two tall gaijins followed a little troup of Japanese people to a food tent where they showed us how to make yakisoba, or Japanese noodle. Laurent and I made two batches by ourselves and then moved to the table and started selling them. IT was pretty trippy-- here we are, at the school festival, expecting to just walk around and have a good time, but we got put to work instead! It was so much fun though. The yakisoba sold really really fast because everyone wanted to buy food from the gaijins.
Today I went downtown with Laurent, Max, and Addison -- three other exchange students in Hamamatsu. We had such a good time.
Yesterday, I went to Shiori's school festival. Laurent and my host parents came, too. Laurent and I arrived and were just milling around talking to each other as usual when some PTA members came up to us, and gave us school caps and aprons. We were quite thankful for the souvenirs and then we realized that they wanted us to help them make food. So the two tall gaijins followed a little troup of Japanese people to a food tent where they showed us how to make yakisoba, or Japanese noodle. Laurent and I made two batches by ourselves and then moved to the table and started selling them. IT was pretty trippy-- here we are, at the school festival, expecting to just walk around and have a good time, but we got put to work instead! It was so much fun though. The yakisoba sold really really fast because everyone wanted to buy food from the gaijins.
Today I went downtown with Laurent, Max, and Addison -- three other exchange students in Hamamatsu. We had such a good time.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Kendou, School, and More
I have been in kendou club for the past few weeks. However, I have not been able to wear the traditional clothes and protective gear because I had to focus on swing and footwork. On Tuesday, however, I walked into the gym and Miamoto-sensee (kendo teacher) lent me some kendo stuff. First you have to put on the under-kimono. It's similar to wearing a corset. The pants are way too long and I feel like a 19th century woman gathering my skirts when I walk around. Anyway, enough with the fashion history analogies. Then you have to put on the dou, which is the shield for the torso. Then you have to put on the men, which is mask for the face. I can never get it quite right because the knots for the men are complicated and nobody ever really showed me how to do it, but Megu and Kaoru always help me out when I put on the men.
The first and second time, it took me about an hour to get dressed because they had to find stuff in my size, etc. But Rotary is going to get me a kendo uniform. Hopefully very soon because the one I'm wearing now isn't exactly the right size. The pants are too long, the dou is too small, the men is just whaaaaaaaat.
Kendou is so much fun. It's really interesting and pretty amazing. The only thing is that it's after school, and I'm always so exhausted by then. Ah well, that's life. Yesterday a bunch of people actually complemented me, and I don't think it was just them being polite. Yay!
Tomorrow I was goign to go downtown with some school friends, but then I rememberd that I am going to a shrine tomorrow night with my family. I don't know why we're going to a shrine, because my family is Buddhist, and Buddhists go to a temple. Whatever. They're very ecumenical here in Japan. I'll take pictures. Also, I'm going to try to get pictures of me in my kendou stuff. And of my neighborhood and stuff like that.
Btw, if you're not reading this on facebook, here are the links to my photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55805&l=d178b&id=674520176 (last weekish)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53031&l=107ab&id=674520176 (School fest and Yokohama. Recommended album).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49415&l=e8368&id=674520176 (Mount Fuji. Extremely highly recommended).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46588&l=2ac85&id=674520176 (just stuff. theres photos of a gorgeous temple garden in here).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46292&l=ef30d&id=674520176 (first week in Japan.)
The first and second time, it took me about an hour to get dressed because they had to find stuff in my size, etc. But Rotary is going to get me a kendo uniform. Hopefully very soon because the one I'm wearing now isn't exactly the right size. The pants are too long, the dou is too small, the men is just whaaaaaaaat.
Kendou is so much fun. It's really interesting and pretty amazing. The only thing is that it's after school, and I'm always so exhausted by then. Ah well, that's life. Yesterday a bunch of people actually complemented me, and I don't think it was just them being polite. Yay!
Tomorrow I was goign to go downtown with some school friends, but then I rememberd that I am going to a shrine tomorrow night with my family. I don't know why we're going to a shrine, because my family is Buddhist, and Buddhists go to a temple. Whatever. They're very ecumenical here in Japan. I'll take pictures. Also, I'm going to try to get pictures of me in my kendou stuff. And of my neighborhood and stuff like that.
Btw, if you're not reading this on facebook, here are the links to my photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55805&l=d178b&id=674520176 (last weekish)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53031&l=107ab&id=674520176 (School fest and Yokohama. Recommended album).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49415&l=e8368&id=674520176 (Mount Fuji. Extremely highly recommended).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46588&l=2ac85&id=674520176 (just stuff. theres photos of a gorgeous temple garden in here).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46292&l=ef30d&id=674520176 (first week in Japan.)
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