I Am Not Always Climbing Mountains

Thanks to a certain friend of mine (Maggie), I have had Jason Mraz stuck in my head for the last week. Luckily it is actually meaningful and connectable to what I am experiencing.

The Freedom Song- Jason Mraz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjTXosaNiCI

Living In The Moment- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUFs_1vKYlY

Everything Is Sound- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBCiN401ds

93 Million Miles- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WiqJFq2-o

The World As I See It- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjP7VTHUais

The last few days have been very relaxing. I have had most of this week off of school due to testing, I went in on Friday to take a math test but that is it. Next week my entire grade is going on a school trip to Taiwan so I will get that week off as well. If you know me at all, you will know that even though I have free time it is not going to waste. I attended kindergarten again this last Monday and I am going back tomorrow. The little kids are still fairly hard to understand but I was able to comprehend some of what they were saying to me, but it doesn't matter whether I understand them or not because they are just so darn cute! I also got another origami present from the security guard- he has some mad skill when it comes to paper folding. This time it was an entire jar of origami birds.

On Tuesday I was supposed to go help teach English at nearby elementary school but I ended up with some weird 24 hour stomach sickness and could not make it. I felt completely fine by Wednesday afternoon and even went on a 30 minute run in-between rain storms. My short term bed rest was good though because it gave me time to accomplish some things that I have needed to finish up with for awhile now- including reapplying to college for my deferral. Organizing my iTunes library was also on my big to-do list and I was able to finish that while I was laying around.

Since my week has been pretty mediocre I figured I would use this opportunity to blog about some day to day aspects of my life- the little things in life rather than the big trips and adventures that I've had. The easiest thing to start off with would probably be the food. Everyday for breakfast I either the Japanese version of Cocoa Pebbles or toast and pear slices, followed by a glass of apple juice. Lunch is almost always obento which is like a little lunch box- it is made up of rice, some type of meat, and either some fruit or vegetables. Dinner is the fun meal to discuss because I am not a picky eater and I will try anything at least once. Since I have been here for over two months now I have a pretty good idea of the food I really like and the food that is still a bit strange to eat.

My Favorites:
-Japanese curry
-Eggplant with melted cheese on top
-Japanese pears
-Fried Chicken
-Vegetables (carrots and beans) wrapped in pork
-Rice
-Fried Oysters

Some Of The Stranger Things I Have Tried:
-Tofu
-Whale
-Octopus
-Salmon Eggs
-Chicken Liver
-Squid
*I am also not a huge fan of anko (bean paste)- it is a sweet that they serve during tea ceremonies and inside of other little pastry treats for day to day snacking.

Another fun topic that I haven't gone into full description of yet (where most of my fellow exchangers have) is the driving. At night when you pull up to a red stop light, you turn your headlights off as to not blind the cars going the opposite direction. The scariest thing with driving is that some of the roads are so narrow because they were built way back before cars were around, when it was horses instead. These narrow streets really look like only one car should be allowed to drive on it but it is actually two way traffic! I have also gotten used to the driving on the left hand side of the road- I can now successfully cross the street by myself!
  
I have also caught on to some cultural things that other exchange students in Japan haven't. For example, the entry way to the house is for your shoes. You really aren't supposed to stand on it without shoes and you definitely shouldn't put you bags down on it because they see the area as dirty (you don't want to bring the dirt inside the house). Most of the other exchange students seem oblivious to this, so my Otousan was very proud of me for trying to explain it to them.    
  
Major topic change, this year has really opened my eyes to how different places and cultures define beauty. Back in my high school in Northfield, there was a group that really pushed this topic of questioning how we define beauty, who we see as beautiful. The point being that we, as a society, have a set definition for what pretty is- which is unfortunate because we will judge people on how they look first then get to know them. I don't remember the exact statistic but at one point I learned that it is only a matter a seconds upon meeting someone for the first time before we've already unconsciously made a judgement. Anyways, it has been very interesting for me to come to Japan and be thrown into a completely definition of what beauty is. As I have said in previous blogs, foreigners are considered pretty because there really aren't that many in Japan (especially out in the suburbs where I live). Unlike the US, where there is a mix of different races, Japan is made up of mostly Japanese who all generally look the same (dark hair, brown eyes, all about the same height). To try to stand out from the norm people will dye their hair- I have seen many blond Asians and a lot of older women like to dye their hair crazy colors like purple or red. They also wear colored contact lenses and there are a lot women that wear heals for no other reason than to make themselves appear taller. Asian women are also fairly flat chested, so that definition of pretty isn't as evident here. Some things that Japanese do define beauty with, that would never occur to us in the US, are how straight your legs are. Most Japanese either have 'O' or 'X' shaped legs, and if they don't they show it off by wearing shorter skirts (longer skirts if you do). I am told that I have very straight legs. Another interesting thing I have been complimented on is for having a small face, that is pretty here. Along with big eyes, curly hair, and long eyelashes. The last major difference in what our cultures define as beautiful, that I have experience, is that the paler your skin is the better. In the US people always want to be tan but here in Japan whiter is better. It is interesting that people always want what they can't have- Japanese have naturally darker so they want to look whiter, a lot of Scandinavians have white skin but they want to have darker skin.    

Going on my runs has become a pretty important part of my week. It is a way for me to not only get some extra physical activity but also have some alone time. Running up and down the hills around my neighborhood surrounded by trees and mountains has a relaxing effect. The temperatures have finally started to cool down so going on my 20-30 minute runs are more enjoyable now.

I have definitely taken advantage of the trees and the area I live in. I have had a couple of exchange students out to my house now and they have all commented on how many trees there are and how pretty it is. I am thankful for the fact that I can adjust quickly to new situations, like living in Japan, but with my friends saying those things about the area I live in I realized that I have definitely taken my good fortune too lightly. My neighborhood and surroundings are amazingly pretty and I am lucky to get the chance to live in a more "rural" area (by Japan's definition of rural) for one of my host families.

Almost everyday my homeroom teachers asks me how I am doing. He consistently tells me, "You must be stressed". To be totally honest, this is the most stress free and relaxing year! The last time I can remember being stressed was the first day of school and having to face the busy train stations for the first time. Since then life has been so easy going. If there is something that would normally stress me out in the US, like missing the bus I planned on riding to get home, now I have adapted more of "oh no big deal. I'll get there when I get there. I am in no hurry" type of attitude. It is amazing how hectic life used to seem compared to now.
   
Sheep are exotic here. Wild boars, deadly snakes, poisonous bugs, and lizards are no big deal to Japanese people but if you go to a zoo the sheep are exciting to see. Their exhibit is right in there, next to the camels and polar bears.

It might seem strange but I have two games that I love to play during the day. One is for when I am really bored at school. I periodically check the clock and figure out the times of where my friends are (college or on exchange in a different country) and wait for them to "catch up" to the date I am in- ex. Japan is the first to be in Monday, Taiwan will be in Monday one hour later, India three and a half hours later, France 7 hours, etc. The second game I like to play is for whenever the phone rings. My Okaasan normally answers it and whoever is with me, usually Shiho, we sit and try to guess who is calling. This is actually a really helpful way to practice Japanese because I have to pay attention to the form of the words Okaasan is using (formal is with someone important like Rotary and informal is with Otousan or a friend) and the words in general- trying to remember the vocabulary I have learned.

I literally make my bed every night. Never again will I complain about having to throw my comforter over my bed in the morning at home. Here I am sleeping in a traditional tatami mat room where I have to pull out a futon, comforter, and pillow each night to make my bed. In the morning I fold it all back up neatly, in the proper order, and replace it on the designated shelf in my closet.

The last topic I wanted to touch on is how it has become harder for me to define home and family. The way I see it is that I have two families and two houses. I have a dad, mom, sister, and brother that live in our house in Northfield but now I also have an Otousan, Okaasan, and sister that live here in Osaka (and a sister that is on exchange in Minnesota). To help explain this a little better I have a couple of examples of when I have struggled with this concept of two families (and struggled is not the correct word- having two families is wonderful! It just takes a bit of explaining some times). My first host family has been absolutely wonderful since the moment I landed in Japan. They have accepted me as their daughter and I have accepted them as my parents, my host mom told me right away to call her Okaasan (which means mom).

So the first example I have is when I was talking to my friends at school I told them that Otousan, Okaasan, and I were going to Nara. They got really excited and started asking me how long they had been in Japan. I was a little confused until I figured out that they thought my mom and dad from the US were visiting. I had to try to explain to them that I call my host parents mom and dad too.

Second example. I went to Mai's host family's house, she is the Rotary exchange student from England- we were supposed to go to Yoshino, up in the mountains, but had to postpone due to a typhoon. So instead we had a sleepover at her house. That night at her house I actually felt a little home sick, not for my house in the US but for my host family's! For the first time, in my memory, I felt homesick at a sleepover for my own room, my own shower, my mom's cooking, etc- and when I say "my stuff" I am reffering to the things at my host family's house. That was definitely a strange first and feeling to experience.

I hope this long blog helps give a little more insight into my day to day life and clarifies the fact that I am not always climbing mountains or visiting cool temples.

Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.