It's been a bit since my last post, probably a good thing as my last few were definitely written in the pressure of the moment (needing 15 posts to complete my orientation), but now I am a free agent! Good news for all!
As have been all of my weeks in Japan thus far, this week has been really really great. I feel I'm really beginning to "get connected", in lots of ways. First, I think I'm going to be able to join a circle (club) at Waseda! I'd emailed maybe five or six different clubs seeing if I might be able to join or at least visit, but hadn't been having any luck getting a response. Then on Tuesday, I heard back from a club that practices and performs traditional Japanese music, specifically using singing paired with a shamisen, a guitar-like instrument with a very reedy sound. I am excited about this because I really enjoy singing, and I would love to really learn more about something very specific to Japan while I am here. Also, there have been some foreigners in the group in the past, which is good because that means they are open and receptive to people who don't speak Japanese fluently, but foreigners are not the staple of the group, meaning I will be able to really get to know the Japanese students, see what life is like for them, and practice my Japanese. I am going Wednesday to their rehearsal and am excited to see how things work out!
Last Monday, I was able to meet up with a friend from high school, Narumi. Narumi was at my school during my junior year, and while I did hang out with her a few times, I was not as close to her as some of her other classmates from Japan. We kept in touch though, these years, and I found out once I arrived in Tokyo that she goes to a school that is a fifteen minute bike ride from my house! I was telling her, when I knew her in high school, I never would have thought I would EVER be in Japan, speaking Japanese, but here I am today! Pretty amazing the way life works out! Also, today (I have every Monday off) I was able to actually go to her school and take some classes with her. ICU (International Christian University) reminds me a lot of my school in the States- about 3000 students, liberal arts, open and green campus. It was wonderful to be there. And the classes were so much more interesting than my Waseda courses have been thus far! Needless to say, Narumi has been so so kind to me since I met up with her and I feel so lucky to have a friend like her in this new place.
In other "connecting" news, I was able to skype with my dear dear sista last night! Not only was it wonderful to talk with her, but she got up really really early on a weekend so that she could meet my host family! They were so happy to talk with her, and afterwards kept throwing compliments my way about my familial gene pool! It was a really neat experience to see these two worlds collide- to show my sister this new family I am living with, to translate between the two groups, and to show my host family a bit more about my life.
Earlier in the week, I felt maybe my first bout of loneliness, but it wasn't really loneliness for my family or my old life, rather an acknowledgment that life here is different from my life at this time last year. I was struggling with the feeling that I wasn't able to spend time with friends the same way that I am able to in the states. It's pretty much class, see a few people for about an hour after, come home, eat dinner, and then pass a quiet night before going to bed early. I really love my family, but it's tough adjusting to living with a family again after two years of having complete control over my own schedule and being surrounded with people my same age. However, I think I'm adjusting to this quickly- I was able to spend most of Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday with friends, so that made me feel reassured that I will have a fulfilling social life, just one that is different from what I have grown accustomed to. My family and I have had a really great couple of days together, so I am now just as happy as ever!
I think I had more examples of how I am connecting various aspects of my life here, but this post is getting long and I can't remember them all right now. Another fantastic week in Tokyo!
No comments:
Post a Comment