Getting Started...

It's hard to believe, but I've been in Japan for five days. That's almost a week! Maybe it's because I dont have any distractions here (schoolwork, internet, friends), but time has been passing so slowly. It honestly feels like I've been here for so much longer. So far, it's been pretty good. I'll admit, there were some things which really irritated me, and there are some things that were really unfortunate. However, on the whole, things have gotten off to a wonderful start.

I think this was the first time I ever cried at the airport. I've been lucky to go on many trips: to Washington DC, New York City, Texas, and Japan. However, this is the first time that I was so sad to go, and actually cried. I was very happy that my mother, sister and her husband, and Curtis were there to see me off. If I had gone to the airport alone, I probably would have started bawling. That hour before departure was so comforting to me, even if all we did was stand around and talk about aimless, boring things. As I was passing through the security checkpoint, I saw less and less of my family and Curtis. It was at that time that it really hit me: I'm not going to physically see them for almost a year. Holy fucking shit. This is what mainly made me cry off and on during the plane ride to Narita Airport.

(The following story about the flight to Tokyo may make you think twice about flying on a plane. And I dont blame you. Perhaps this is one of the things that you shouldnt think much about.)

The flight to Tokyo took about eight hours. And it was so boring. Like, amazingly, incredibly boring. The only interesting thing that happened to me was the random nosebleed I got halfway into the flight. I woke up from the nap I was taking because my nose was really runny (or so I thought). But I only figured out that it was blood, and not hanabata flowing from my nose when I realized that hanabata is usually viscous, and doesnt flow like water. Sure enough, I started tasting the blood in my mouth. In retrospect, it probably looked like a murder scene: Blood drying on my mouth; some blood on the fold out table; and a huge blotchy spot with a few drips of blood on the blanket. Shout out to UHM Dining Services: if it wasnt for them, I wouldnt have had anything to stop the flow of blood besides the blanket. I quickly shoved some napkins up my nose and put pressure on the vein. (In retrospect, I cant imagine what the Japanese people around me were thinking. What do you do when someone two inches away from you starts bleeding? What about when you see the blood on the blanket?) After what seemed like ages, it finally stopped. While it is pathetic that the only interesting thing on the flight was bleeding, it is a good story, with a good moral: Ask the stewardess if they sanitize the blankets. If it's a no, there might be blood on it.

After arriving at Narita Airport, I took the bus to Haneda Airport. At Haneda Airport, I checked into a Japanese flight by myself for the first time. And what a time it was. Mostly because I apparently had overweight baggage. The poor clerk at the counter didnt speak fluent English, but from what she did speak (which was much better than the average Japanese), the max weight limit on All Nippon Airways (ANA) flights is twenty kilograms. I had twenty one. Somehow, that meant a ￥7500 fine. I paid it, but only because I needed everything in my suitcases (incidentally, that's not even all of the stuff I wanted to bring). And I'd like to say this for Japanese travellers: HOW DO THEY TRAVEL. The tiny bags most Americans just carry onto the plane? That's what they were checking in. I even saw some old guy check in an umbrella. How do they do it?! I'm lucky if I can fit a weekend's worth of clothes in my smallest suitcase. Curtis' suitcases could eat those suitcases for breakfast. That is apparently another thing I need to learn while I'm here.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had our Hiroshima University Study Abroad (HUSA) Program orientation. It was the longest, most grueling, orientation that I've ever been to. While I suppose I did learn a lot about what to expect, and it was good to meet my fellow HUSA students, there were some times that I was like "OMG I WANT OUT". There were so many forms to fill out! We had to fill out the Alien Registration Card form, another one for the National Pension Plan, and yet another for the National Healthcare thing. It was only three forms, but it felt like more. Maybe it was because of all the kanji that we had. Or maybe it's because, with the exception of the first one, they (hopefully) dont apply to me. That is, I dont plan on living in Japan long enough to withdraw from the national pension, and I hope to stay healthy the whole time I'm here. I wonder if it's difficult to become a registered alien in the United States?

I think making new friends is the hardest thing for me right now. One of my new friends is Kawauchi-san. He's my tutor, appointed by the HUSA program to help me with whatever I need while I'm here in Hiroshima. He's actually a grad student in cultural anthropology. And he's been super helpful. Even though he doesnt speak much English (he likes to say "Okay", "Sorry", and "Let's go!"), he makes up for it with enthusiasm and the amount of help he gives me. On the first day, when I had to go buy the basic stuff for my dorm, his car was so helful in carrying all the stuff I bought. Especially because it was raining. I can only imagine how difficult it was for those who's tutor only has a bicycle or something. But yeah, he says that I can call him at any time if I have any difficulties or questions. His car's mobility is also quite attractive, as it means that I can get anywhere I want to go pretty quickly. I'm trying really hard not to abuse this. One of these days, I'm going to try out the bus system in Saijo.

His friend Yuko-san is also another friend that I've made here. She's also a cultural anthropology grad student. From what I gather, she's done the whole tutor thing many times before. She speaks so good English! If there's something I dont understand in Japanese, or something Kawauchi-san doesnt understand in English, she translates, which means we have only a few communication problems. Her experience as a tutor is also wonderful because she knows more or less what to expect. She said that last year, she waited five hours to help the HUSA students get a cell phone, because everyone arrived and tried to get their phone all at the same time. On her advice, we went to the phone store (softbank, in case you were interested) a few days before to learn what different phones they have there, how much they cost, and how much the plan is. We waited only about two hours today, one of which was the actual act of buying the phone and plan.

I realize that buy staying inside and not socializing with the otherHUSA is really not helping my friendless situtation, and I will try to remedy that after this week. I feel that I have little in common with the other HUSA. The Korean and Chinese students stick together, and I would have a hard time talking to them because our common language is Japanese, which is spoken at various levels of fluency. For the white people though, I feel like I have little in common with them. The ones who have not been to Japan before are amused and enjoy the smallest things which I barely bat my eyes at. Plates full of rice, excellent service, and tea are what I've come to expect from Japan, but are amazing to them. The ones who have been to Japan before, though, I feel as if they're still amazed with the culture. That is, the food, language, culture, it's all still alien to them. It's not a part of them, like it is with me. I mean, I'm not 日本人 (and I will probably never be), but honestly. Oyako donburi, chicken katsu, taking my shoes off? Yeah, I do that already. Nothing special. But for them, it's still "Oh wow, I dont do that at home!" Having said that, I'm trying to strike up conversations when I can. In particular, I've talked to two girls that came from Minnesota University quite a bit. And on Tuesday, I talked a lot with the Austrian girl, and the China girl. And the French guy that speaks better Japanese than me? Whenever we run into each other, we talk. So I guess it's not a hopeless cause. But it is still something to work on. If I dont have friends, I'll end up only talking to Kawauchi-san and Yuko-san, and will probably miss out on doing something fun and learning more about other people. One of the things I wrote in my application essay was how I havent really been exposed to many cultures. Yes, I live in Hawaii, the mixing pot of the Pacific, but realistically, we're all "Local". How many American mainlanders am I friends with? Do I know anyone in Europe? I have no Korean friends. The only way I can truly learn about these peoples is if I make friends with them, and talk to them. It's difficult, but I will try to do this. It'll probably be easier once classes start, and we'll have something obvious in common.

Homesickness hasnt fully kicked in yet. I honestly do miss my friends and family in Hawaii, but I'm still enjoying the crisp air, the endless rice paddies, and the constant Japanese. The beginning has been rough, but that just means it can only get better. I still dont know if I'm ready to experience a Japanese university, but I am ready to try.