I am the luckiest girl in the world and just got back from a wonderful week in Hong Kong with my dear friend from high school, Jiwon! It's really a very daunting task to write about all the things that happened, so I think I will make a detailed list instead.
Traveled to Hong Kong by myself- I was afraid it would be a bit tricky or confusing but I had no troubles at all. The only bad thing is that it takes about three hours to get from my house in Tokyo to the airport, as I take the cheapest (and thus slowest) means of transportation. Other than that pretty easy breezy!
Met Jiwon at the airport! It was about eleven pm by the time I got through immigration, but I was so energized at the sight of my friend. It has been about two and a half years since I last saw her, and it was such a great reunion!
Went to her university, Chinese University of Hong Kong- a beautiful university on a mountain overlooking the ocean. We didn't stay in her dorm the first few nights as her roommate made a change in plans and didn't leave for home when she had originally planned, so instead we stayed at "I-house". It was really fun as there were students from America, Korea, China, HK, Japan, and even Sweden living at i-house, and really neat to talk to them. On Christmas day an American girl threw a big Christmas party, complete with roasted chicken, stuffing, meatballs, mashed potatoes, and even mac' and cheese. Needless to say, lots was eaten by moi! I had such a wonderful time getting to talk to all of the CUHK students at the party. Even more than I have felt in Tokyo, Hong Kong is a very international place. I can't place exactly what it is that makes me feel this way- perhaps because Tokyo is so homogeneous, perhaps because I was in the international dorm, but I really felt a sense of a true international community in Hong Kong.
Got to explore Hong Kong- really fun, especially one market in particular called Tai Po market. Lots of beautiful and colorful fruits, vegetables and meats (along with the occasional pair of chicken feet or ad for turtle soup!) and had so many cheap cheap CHEAP shops and stalls. For example, I bought a hat for about a dollar and a pair of shoes (I still can't believe they had my size) for about four. There was also lots of delicious street food- dim sum (dumplings..), bubble tea (cold tea with tappiocia pearls inside), and egg tarts (small tarts with an egg-custard filling) to name a few. So great!
Biggest thing that happened- I was surprised by Jiwon with the arrival of our two other Korean high school friends, Jiyoung and Hyungi! The arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, and I had absolutely no idea they were coming! However, they were originally supposed to have come the night before, but due to poor weather in Seoul their flight left late, and they missed their connecting flight in Beijing, so they had to spend the night and leave for hk the next morning. This was a traumatic experience for both girls as Jiyoung was got sick and Hyungi couldn't sleep, so when they arrived in HK Jiyoung went to bed and Hyungi and Jiwon and I took our time walking around hong kong. I couldn't believe they came to surprise me though! It has been so long since we were all together- it was really wonderful!
I have a few other things I want to write about Hong Kong but right now my hands are very cold as I'm sitting in my host family's living room with no heat on because we're leaving in a few minutes to go to Machico-san's parents house for the new year. I'm really excited to go and will write about it when I get home!
Happy new year!
よいお年を！
12/30/10
12/21/10
I may have just met the Great Gatsby.
I just came back from literally the most surreal experience I've had in Tokyo thus far. Which really is saying quite a lot. I have things I was planning on writing about tonight, but they are getting pushed to the back in order for this story to make it's way into the open.
So, my host dad was invited by one of his bosses to a Christmas party being held at his house, and I was especially invited, along with Machico-san and Kojirou-kun. I was very excited about this, as I really like learning about "normal" life for Japanese people and was excited to see what a Christmas party in Japan was like. It turned out Machico san and Kojirou kun couldn't come, so it was just me and the host dad, but then I found out this morning he would be coming THREE HOURS LATE, so I was on my own. I was a little bit nervous about this but it really ended up being no problem. Kenichi sent his coworkers my photo so they could meet me at the station (although really it's not very hard to spot me), so we met up and walked to his boss' home where the party was being held. My first impression of his boss, Watanabe san, was just a normal Japanese man and really didn't talk to him much during the first portion of the party. As I got to know him a bit more I found him to be the typical alpha-male type- very successful in his professional life and thus carried himself with that kind of authority in his private life, a bit pretentious perhaps. I had a great time though and was really able to engage in conversation and get to know Kenichi's co-workers better.
The first crazy thing that happened was relatively tame, but set the tone for the rest of the night. At New Year's time, Japanese parties usually incorporate cake-eating into the celebration. This was no different, only literally I have never in my life been served and actually expected to eat a larger piece of cake. These were HUGE HUGE HUGE pieces-- and so over the top with berries and cream. I had never seen anything like it. Really really, it blew my mind the monstrosity of this cake! Shortly after the cake was served, my host dad arrived along with another colleague. He was obviously well liked by everyone and we had a nice time socializing and chatting. I've never been in a party scenario with him, and I was amazed at how freely the alcohol was flowing! He'd had a long few days though, so I was glad to see him relax. Alcohol is a huge part of Japanese socialization, and my host dad was using that to his benefit!
A bit after this, Watanabe's wife came into the room. Until this point I hadn't met her yet, and my first impression was a that of a shy, quiet, elderly woman. She only spoke a few words to me and went on her way. Later a woman I didn't know came to me and said there was an international student from China that they wanted me to meet. I had only just met this person and, because I was enjoying my time spent with my host dad and his co-workers, I didn't really want to go. Being "international" in Japan is sometimes a bit of a burden because some Japanese people find you to be "fascinating"- Indeed that was the reason I was invited to the party and why I was receiving so much attention from the host. I was able to graciously back out of the meeting, postponing it to an unmentioned and vague future, and went back to the party.
Next Watanabe showed Kenichi and I (the other party guests too, but mostly Kenichi and I) his various hobbies: Collecting vinyl records and being a music sound-system connoisseur, his passion for mountain climbing, his collection of books on business, his collection of watches, etc etc etc. I was a bit bored by this man's sense of self-importance, but he really liked showing us and from talking to Kenichi I learned he and his boss didn't socialize much and he was really excited to get to spend time with him, so I kept up the show of unfaltering interest.
I was feeling ready to go when again Watanabe's wife came and asked me to come with her to meet the Chinese student. Apparently wherever this person was, it wasn't in her house, so we walked across the street to another home and ascended to the second level. When we opened the doors, there was a room full of young people in their 20s having a full-blown party! Watanabe's daughter was among the 20-somethings present and introduced herself. Here is where the surreal experience began. Imagine following someone you've known all of ten minutes and who is 40 years your senior to a different location, whereupon you meet 10 young men and women in their 20s eating and drinking and obviously having a great time. Too great of a time apparently as the noise level became too high and we had to move back to the main house (other house? i don't know who the second house belonged to..) From there I had an absolutely wonderful time getting to know these people- talking about a really wide range of topics. I just wish I could better explain the absurdity of the whole thing.
I just came back from literally the most surreal experience I've had in Tokyo thus far. Which really is saying quite a lot. I have things I was planning on writing about tonight, but they are getting pushed to the back in order for this story to make it's way into the open.
So, my host dad was invited by one of his bosses to a Christmas party being held at his house, and I was especially invited, along with Machico-san and Kojirou-kun. I was very excited about this, as I really like learning about "normal" life for Japanese people and was excited to see what a Christmas party in Japan was like. It turned out Machico san and Kojirou kun couldn't come, so it was just me and the host dad, but then I found out this morning he would be coming THREE HOURS LATE, so I was on my own. I was a little bit nervous about this but it really ended up being no problem. Kenichi sent his coworkers my photo so they could meet me at the station (although really it's not very hard to spot me), so we met up and walked to his boss' home where the party was being held. My first impression of his boss, Watanabe san, was just a normal Japanese man and really didn't talk to him much during the first portion of the party. As I got to know him a bit more I found him to be the typical alpha-male type- very successful in his professional life and thus carried himself with that kind of authority in his private life, a bit pretentious perhaps. I had a great time though and was really able to engage in conversation and get to know Kenichi's co-workers better.
The first crazy thing that happened was relatively tame, but set the tone for the rest of the night. At New Year's time, Japanese parties usually incorporate cake-eating into the celebration. This was no different, only literally I have never in my life been served and actually expected to eat a larger piece of cake. These were HUGE HUGE HUGE pieces-- and so over the top with berries and cream. I had never seen anything like it. Really really, it blew my mind the monstrosity of this cake! Shortly after the cake was served, my host dad arrived along with another colleague. He was obviously well liked by everyone and we had a nice time socializing and chatting. I've never been in a party scenario with him, and I was amazed at how freely the alcohol was flowing! He'd had a long few days though, so I was glad to see him relax. Alcohol is a huge part of Japanese socialization, and my host dad was using that to his benefit!
A bit after this, Watanabe's wife came into the room. Until this point I hadn't met her yet, and my first impression was a that of a shy, quiet, elderly woman. She only spoke a few words to me and went on her way. Later a woman I didn't know came to me and said there was an international student from China that they wanted me to meet. I had only just met this person and, because I was enjoying my time spent with my host dad and his co-workers, I didn't really want to go. Being "international" in Japan is sometimes a bit of a burden because some Japanese people find you to be "fascinating"- Indeed that was the reason I was invited to the party and why I was receiving so much attention from the host. I was able to graciously back out of the meeting, postponing it to an unmentioned and vague future, and went back to the party.
Next Watanabe showed Kenichi and I (the other party guests too, but mostly Kenichi and I) his various hobbies: Collecting vinyl records and being a music sound-system connoisseur, his passion for mountain climbing, his collection of books on business, his collection of watches, etc etc etc. I was a bit bored by this man's sense of self-importance, but he really liked showing us and from talking to Kenichi I learned he and his boss didn't socialize much and he was really excited to get to spend time with him, so I kept up the show of unfaltering interest.
I was feeling ready to go when again Watanabe's wife came and asked me to come with her to meet the Chinese student. Apparently wherever this person was, it wasn't in her house, so we walked across the street to another home and ascended to the second level. When we opened the doors, there was a room full of young people in their 20s having a full-blown party! Watanabe's daughter was among the 20-somethings present and introduced herself. Here is where the surreal experience began. Imagine following someone you've known all of ten minutes and who is 40 years your senior to a different location, whereupon you meet 10 young men and women in their 20s eating and drinking and obviously having a great time. Too great of a time apparently as the noise level became too high and we had to move back to the main house (other house? i don't know who the second house belonged to..) From there I had an absolutely wonderful time getting to know these people- talking about a really wide range of topics. I just wish I could better explain the absurdity of the whole thing.
12/7/10
December
Ah, my posts are starting to slow down! For that I am sorry-- I was afraid I would someday reach this point, but I really do have lots to say and need to recommit myself to saying it!
Well, I would like to talk a bit about December thus far, but before I do I want to spend a bit of time talking about the end of my November, specifically Thanksgiving!
Obviously there is not a Thanksgiving celebration here in Japan, so while the rest of my fellow Americans were loosening their belts and carving their turkeys, I was busy finishing just another Thursday in my Tokyo life. Actually, I remember I walked to the nearest KFC to see if they had any mashed potatoes, but alas they didn't! So I really did nothing very out of the ordinary to celebrate the holiday at that time. However, I am very very lucky to be a part of a study abroad program that remembers it's poor American students during holiday times and was able to celebrate the following Sunday with not only my fellow Japan Study friends, but with all of our host families! Just about everyone came to Waseda on Sunday afternoon with their host families to share a "Thanksgiving" meal (Turkeys bought from KFC garnished with fried chicken bits and french fries, mashed potatoes comparable to bad school lunch memories -but I really didn't care I was craving mashed potatoes so much at that point!!). It was so so fun to not only spend time with the whole group (it's amazing to think when we were all undergoing orientation together not even three months ago-- ah so much has changed!!), but also to be able to meet the host families. It was interesting because some host families have literally been hosting students for upwards of twelve and thirteen years, so some families have ties to one another that do not necessarily correspond with the friendships their homestay students have developed with one another. My host parents were excited to meet my close friends, and it was really neat to meet the families of my friends as well. Many of my friends were surprised at how young my host family is- they are in their late 30s, which is a stark contrast to most of the families who are of retiring age or older. A really really fun event and I am so happy I was able to be a part of it!
Moving on to December-- Things I have been able to do in December in Japan I can't do in Minnesota:
Sleep with my windows open
Walk to school without a coat
Wear shoes without socks
Be worried about sunburn
Haha in summary the temperature here is pretty phenomenal! The fall leaves have peaked and are finally falling (haha, "fall"!), but the weather as of late has been so mild. I thought I would miss snow and the coziness of Minnesota winter, but, for this year at least, I am thoroughly enjoying the warmer climate!
I had a lot of tests and projects a few weeks ago for midterms, so all is pretty quiet on the school-front here. Which is good as I am busy as of late with tutoring (I promise to write about that experience soon!), ballet circle, outings with my host family and Christmas parties with friends! I have a Christmas party to go to this weekend plus I was invited to another party with my host dad's co-workers the weekend after. I also got to see Harry Potter in theaters which is actually news worthy as my friend and I waited a few weeks to see it. In Japan theaters are really expensive (upwards of 18 or 19 dollars), but on the first of every month the ticket prices are reduced to 1000 yen (maybe 12 dollars). Pretty fun- I haven't been to a movie yet in Japan and it was nice to be able to go a little bit on the cheap!
Ah, the more I keep typing the more I remember I have to write, but as I would like to keep this kind of coherent I will stop here for now.
Happy December!
Well, I would like to talk a bit about December thus far, but before I do I want to spend a bit of time talking about the end of my November, specifically Thanksgiving!
Obviously there is not a Thanksgiving celebration here in Japan, so while the rest of my fellow Americans were loosening their belts and carving their turkeys, I was busy finishing just another Thursday in my Tokyo life. Actually, I remember I walked to the nearest KFC to see if they had any mashed potatoes, but alas they didn't! So I really did nothing very out of the ordinary to celebrate the holiday at that time. However, I am very very lucky to be a part of a study abroad program that remembers it's poor American students during holiday times and was able to celebrate the following Sunday with not only my fellow Japan Study friends, but with all of our host families! Just about everyone came to Waseda on Sunday afternoon with their host families to share a "Thanksgiving" meal (Turkeys bought from KFC garnished with fried chicken bits and french fries, mashed potatoes comparable to bad school lunch memories -but I really didn't care I was craving mashed potatoes so much at that point!!). It was so so fun to not only spend time with the whole group (it's amazing to think when we were all undergoing orientation together not even three months ago-- ah so much has changed!!), but also to be able to meet the host families. It was interesting because some host families have literally been hosting students for upwards of twelve and thirteen years, so some families have ties to one another that do not necessarily correspond with the friendships their homestay students have developed with one another. My host parents were excited to meet my close friends, and it was really neat to meet the families of my friends as well. Many of my friends were surprised at how young my host family is- they are in their late 30s, which is a stark contrast to most of the families who are of retiring age or older. A really really fun event and I am so happy I was able to be a part of it!
Moving on to December-- Things I have been able to do in December in Japan I can't do in Minnesota:
Sleep with my windows open
Walk to school without a coat
Wear shoes without socks
Be worried about sunburn
Haha in summary the temperature here is pretty phenomenal! The fall leaves have peaked and are finally falling (haha, "fall"!), but the weather as of late has been so mild. I thought I would miss snow and the coziness of Minnesota winter, but, for this year at least, I am thoroughly enjoying the warmer climate!
I had a lot of tests and projects a few weeks ago for midterms, so all is pretty quiet on the school-front here. Which is good as I am busy as of late with tutoring (I promise to write about that experience soon!), ballet circle, outings with my host family and Christmas parties with friends! I have a Christmas party to go to this weekend plus I was invited to another party with my host dad's co-workers the weekend after. I also got to see Harry Potter in theaters which is actually news worthy as my friend and I waited a few weeks to see it. In Japan theaters are really expensive (upwards of 18 or 19 dollars), but on the first of every month the ticket prices are reduced to 1000 yen (maybe 12 dollars). Pretty fun- I haven't been to a movie yet in Japan and it was nice to be able to go a little bit on the cheap!
Ah, the more I keep typing the more I remember I have to write, but as I would like to keep this kind of coherent I will stop here for now.
Happy December!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)