Wow! What a year!
Yes, that's right... I've been in Japan California
And when I really stop and think about it, I can only come to one
conclusion: I (and all the other foreigners in Japan
I moved to Japan
In Japan
Japanese people speak Japanese.
Let's just give that some time to marinate...
Did you soak all that in? ...No?
Of course you didn't... because I still haven't!
It's so stupidly simple and obvious... of course Japanese people
speak Japanese! Just like English people speak English! And Spanish people
speak Spanish! The same way that Canadian people speak Canadian! Hey! Wait a
minute...
My point is: We all know this. The fact that different countries
and people speak different languages is so fundamental to the human experience
that we don't need to think about it. And we don't. People in other countries
live so far away... of what concern are they to you and I? When was the last
time you stopped to think about the life of a nomadic sheep herder in Mongolia Sweden
What I'm saying is: of course I knew, upon coming to Japan, that
Japanese people speak Japanese. But at the same time I didn't know. It's not
until you step off the plane and that wall of foreignness slams into you
like a freight train and your brow begins to perspire and you look around and
realize that you can't tell which bathroom is the men's and which is the
women's and suddenly the beat of your heart begins to quicken and it's in that
moment that you realize:
I moved to Japan
In Japan
Japanese people speak Japanese.
So why did I do it? Is it the challenge? The thrill? The wonder? I
don't know why I'm asking you these questions... for I don't have an answer.
The best I can do is say that despite the fact that I can barely
speak to 99% of the people around me, despite the fact that I am now a part of
a glaring minority, despite the fact that sometimes I want to rip my hair
out because of cultural differences, despite the fact that I voluntarily chose
to become illiterate, despite the fact that sometimes it seems as if all I do
here is complain, and despite the fact that I am so far away from my friends
and family... I'm still having a blast here.
One year ago I made the
choice to move to the middle-of-nowhere in a country I knew little to nothing
about. But given the chance to go back in time and do things differently, and
knowing what I know now, I would still make the same choice.
In fact, I would even go as
far to say that it was, far and wide, the best choice I’ve probably ever made
in my life. That choice, unlike any other before it, has drastically changed
how I view myself, how I view others, and how I view the world. I’m not going
to waste my (and your) time by telling you what that choice has taught me and
what I have learned from my experiences while here. All I can say to you is get
on a plane, go somewhere, and see how other people live, work, and play.
You’ll learn something about
others – and more importantly – you’ll learn something about yourself. You’ll
see the differences, vast but few. And you’ll see the similarities, stunning
and plentiful.
In short (too late for that, chief), all I will say is, “Here’s to
another year in Japan
Hopefully.
