Tiny
I feel very small these days, but that's probably a good thing. My world here in Kashima is also very small. It consists of my room, the living room, the streets, a few turns offs on the street, and the main road that I travel on everyday with my host sister. We get food, borrow DVD's, and go on dates with her friends on this road. Her house is the center of my world.
So my world is very small, but I'm taking pride in this small world.
I know how to get to the Konbini (convenience store), I know where to get good ice cream for cheap, I know where I need to go in an emergency, I know how to get home, I know how to go shopping for pain medicine, I know where the best café in town is, I know how to buy just about anything from the stores, and I can do all of this on my own.
There may be charades involved when I order food, but I can still do it.
So I take pride in these little steps of mine in my small world.
I don't think I could have handled a bigger world, so for now this is perfect. Just enough space to spread out and try my hand at new things, but still small enough that I feel safe doing it. Tokyo would have made me into a NEET (Japanese hermit that smells funny according to the stereotypes)
It also takes a weight off my shoulders. I know where I can buy things, how to buy things, and that I don't always need to rely on my host family for every freakin' thing I need. Yes, I need their help with a lot of things, but I no longer need to rely on them to buy me food, products, or anything else because I know how to do it myself.
Now that I have a phone, a Japanese one my host sister helped me translate into English, and contacts I can call in case of trouble, I feel better venturing out into the world. I'm not scared that I'll get lost, in a place that I can barely understand the language of because of the dialect, and that I won't be able to make my way home.
A quick call to one of my good Rotarian friends and counselors, and I will be safe. That is more than a relief.
So I am now able to go out on my own without fear, without true worry. Japan is an amazing safe country. I mean... seriously safe. My host sister and I walk the streets and I see four year olds walking together down the street. They don't have to be afraid, no one is going to take them even in a back alley. It's almost scary how safe it is here.
Thee biggest crimes; stealing a bike, stealing an umbrella, and being impolite.
Compared to America... petty offenses that really don't matter in most cases.
So to say I feel safe here is an understatement. I'm at ease here is a better way to put it.
I have also noticed that parts of my language in English are slipping, slowly but surely. My skills in Japanese grow as I lose touch with English.
On another note, I love that I understand more than half of what the kids and teenagers say, but adults... nope. My Pet-Chan's as my host sister and I call them affectionately, speak and play word games with me freely. They don't seem to care that it's broken, in the wrong dialect, or that it' past when it should be present. They just don't care and make a game out of it.
They make a game out of teaching me everything, from cooking to bathing.
So to all of you out there, think about this. You see that toaster on your counter? It's pretty easy to use right? Not to someone who has never seen one before or even heard of one before. You see your stove, with all the English written on it. Simple English.
I'm basically illiterate here in Japan. I can't read the simple Japanese, like off or on. I can't read the directions on the microwave.
When any of you host someone, first thing you should do is explain how to use the stove and microwave. Explain to them how it works, even if it is in charades.
I can't tell you how grateful I am for my host sisters showing me how the stove top works. (I made pancakes for breakfast!) I learned how to use the toaster... oven,.. thing... by watching my host sisters older sister making breakfast for her kids the other day.
It's been a lot less panic in the morning for me now that I know I can feed myself without having to worry about someone else making my food for me.
Lesson of the day; please teach your exchange students how to make their own food. They may enjoy your cooking, but I don't think you always want to drop what you are doing and cook for them at a moments notice. It's easier for both parties if they know how to operate the simple stove, toaster, and microwave.
See You Soon
Mata chikaiuchini
また近いうちに
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