Lost IN Translation

So, every now and again I realize....Oh, my goodness--I am IN JAPAN! Like everytime I set foot in a bathroom- I wonder... will I luck out and get a western toilet (which lights up, plays music and operates like a videogame!) Or will I be subjected to the squatty potty which would never meet OSHA standards in the ghettoest of ghettos (rarely do they have toilet paper or hand sanitizer at the sinks, and never a paper towel dispenser). So which one is it going to be? Gee, let me think...This particular squatty potty was probably in the Top 3 cleanest ones I have used so far (my feet didn't even stick to the urine glazed floor!) Cheap thrills!

I thought I would write a bit about what that realization is like and give a couple of examples that might offer inkling into what life is like here:

Well, first and foremost, every morning I am awakened by the incredibly bright sun around 4:45 AM. So, my first realization is when I have to remind myself to go back to sleep! This technique usually works until about 6:30 AM when I finally get out of bed around 6:30, just in time to hear the "morning exercises" over the town's loud speaker. These are very interesting...a man and woman play overhead for about 15 minutes...shouting: OHAYO GOZAIMAS!! All the while, counting...ICHI! NI! SAN! at the top of their lungs. Yep, that is always a great daily reminder that I am in the wonderful land of Japan!
During my lunch break, I typically head to the local grocery store or a conbini for a quick mid-day snack. Everything around me is foreign, the foods-the Kanji-the people....IT'S FANTASTIC! When I walk through town, I am guarenteed to see a zillion new faces! And the faces that I have previously seen, always greet me with a smile and friendly "Harrow! Harrow!". It is wonderful, everyone is always willing to lend a hand and they want you to feel a part of the group...something that unfortunately, just doens't happen in America.
In the evenings, I spend time with the community, with new Japanese friends and I try to squeeze in studying japanese and cooking! I could walk you through my home and describe some of the major differences between here and there, but I might run out of room on the website! My kitchen appliances, washing machine, tv and fax/telephone all provide enjoyable challenges to a non-native speaker of Japanese!
We have taken tours of most of our schools through out the past week. Getting to schools in the mountains are going to be so scary! The driving rules, coupled with the inability to read a road sign...YIKES! Good thing I bought a ketai (cell phone) today! Re: cell phones- amazing capabilites on the phone, but horrendous PLANS! Man, 35 minutes of outgoing calls a month! No free nites and wkds, no free cell-to-cell plans! However, there are FREE INCOMING calls...so i guess i will just wait for others to call me! Only kidding.
I know I have made it seem that Japan is way different than the States, but really there are many similarities! One, there is ENGLISH EVERYWHERE! Just today, on the way to Hachinohe, I heard Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry". Tons of commercials and merchandise with English slogans and songs. While I am not a huge Alanis Morrisette fan, I wonder if anyone else in the train/bus is lip synching along like I am. Clothing is covered in English, but do they know what it says or means!?! It seems that the Japanese community is quite keen on English, but they can't speak it! Crazy! Just the other day I went into Hachinhohe--the neighboring LARGER city of about 400000 people. While I was there, I saw Levis Jeans, Polo Cologne and Snicker bars(insanely priced at almost 2 US dollars!)

It is interesting to see the old traditions and customs of Japan-past, collide-bump-crash into the powerful, industrial nation we now know it to be! The old and new Japan are juxtaposed in such a way that I never know WHAT to expect next! For example, we have the most amazing toilets here! Totally electronic, it does practically everything for you (ahem...except,....) and is programmed to perform several functions--it plays music and lights up upon use! On the other hand, we have the Japan-past version, which is nothing more than a hole in the ground. Using a *squatty potty* requires some coordination and ambition to make it work...but it does suffice. There are many such polarizations within Japan and it has made for a most educational experience.

I have tried to pick up the language, and really thought that it would come naturally with immersion.....but, it really hasn't been that easy! I can probably catch about 1\10 of the conversation, key vocab words mixed in with some body language. But in Japan, they have an entirely separate means of communication: nonverbal language and MANY ritualistic conversations (I think of these as tape recorded conversations) as the same set phrases are used ovER and OVER and over and oVeR again, and I am not even sure if the Japanese know why they are saying them!!?? This is difficult to understand and harder to explain, but basically there are different levels of communication. (I am going to steal the Meet the Parents line about *the circle of trust* ----- well that is how it is here too. There is certain information, conversations that I will never be a part of as I am not in the *circle*. Attitudes, personality and overall way of communicating are altered depending on your relationship to the *circle*. Hmmmmmm, sound confusing? Yeah, it is. But that is Japan and that is what makes it so profound and complex! I find it all to be so interesting!