The First 2 Weeks

I have to admit that I plagiarized the title of my blog; I took it from the label of the hand towel I got at the 100 yen store on campus (one of my new favorite places). I had to buy a hand towel because many bathrooms here have neither hand dryers nor paper towels. You're required to bring a hand towel along, or walk along wringing your hands, or wipe them on your pants or the nearest dry surface (not the most attractive options). The 100 yen store has an assortment, most with rainbows or butterflies or little bunnies. Mine is actually quite plain, white with a small green clover in the corner; I think I mostly bought it for the label. Like many things in Japan, it strikes me as cute, a little random, and part of a custom I don't really get but I go along with as an attempt to assimilate into the culture.

As a whole, I've adjusted pretty quickly to my life here. It helps that I work for a super-organized company, that my housing was arranged and furnished (well, by Japanese standards!), that I was escorted to city hall and the post office to take care of all the necessary 'living abroad' paperwork, that I have a very short commute by train, and both live and work very near the train station. Nonetheless, the language barrier has proved more isolating than I was expecting; having lived abroad only in countries where I spoke the language (i.e. Spanish), it still came as a bit of a shock. I was expecting it, but expecting and experiencing are two different things! Of course, there's always a way to get by, but a feeling of helplessness comes from not really being able to communicate anything. For example, sitting and looking at a menu and having not a clue of either what foods or prices are listed, and the waiter doesn't speak any English, or being at the market and having the cashier ask a question and I've got no idea what she said or how to answer. So I nod and smile and stare blankly and bumble through the best I can. My Japanese is VERY limited, so basically I say 'good morning' and 'thank you' a lot...even when it may not be appropriate (like saying good morning at 7 p.m.) but I don't know anything else! I'll tell you, also, I see the value of menus with pictures now -- they're not just for Denny's! Try pointing to some kanji and not knowing if you're getting a drink or some pork skewers or fried octopus or something you've never heard of and would rather not try! Luckily I have co-workers who speak some Japanese, so generally I let them do the speaking when we go out. I feel like I don't get the same perspective on the culture, though, as I might if I could speak more to people...I'm limited to those who can speak English to me.

As far as my job goes, it's been a pleasure teaching Japanese students. They're polite to a fault, curious about other cultures and eager to share their own, and very motivated to learn. The biggest difficulty is that they tend to be a little shy, not speak until spoken to and that sort of thing, so sometimes it takes a little work to get them out of their shell. Which isn't to say I don't have outgoing students, but as a general rule they're much less likely to speak out than, say, American students. This isn't a criticism of either, just a cultural difference. Also my Japanese students seem younger than Americans the same age (19-22 or so); the girls are often very giggly, and think everything's 'cute', and get very shy if you ask them about their boyfriends! I've been impressed by how well-traveled they are. I think the majority have been to other countries, and quite a few study another language besides English. I actually have one student who lived in Mexico for a year on an exchange, so we can trade Mexico stories.

Basically, I'm enjoying my life in Japan thus far...after a couple weeks I feel like I'm getting to know people and see some more places, and hope to have the opportunity to meet & see many more while I'm here.