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My Most Memorable Experience in Japan Andrew T. Protain My first impression from our first night wandering in Ginza was,“This is just like New York!” During the later part of the trip in which we toured as well as participated in community service activities such as helping handing out food for homeless people, I was able to understand the a common social problem that Japan shares with us, apart from the clean subway station and orderly street crossings. Very different from simply reading about Japan or watching my favorite anime on television, visiting the Meiji Shrine and the sacred places were key parts of the trip as I was able to appreciate the beauty of Japan as well as the roots of their culture. However, the absolutely best part of the trip, the part that
would have the greatest impact on my life was the home stay. As
I mentioned earlier, I had never been very far from my family
or for very long and so I was especially nervous, and particularly
about this portion of the trip. In fact I remember a constant
cycle of questions going through my head, How well will they be
able to speak English? Will they like me? Will I get along with
my host? What will they expect from me? while I anxiously waited
for my host family to pick me up the morning after arriving in
Japan. However I soon found out that I had had nothing to be nervous
about since they were so hospitable and caring that I felt right
at home. It was particularly touching when my host mother made
me lunch and wrapped it in the same way she did for her own children.
I loved surprising them by saying the few phrases I knew in Japanese
and especially when I demonstrated my skill with chopsticks. I
was glad to answer questions my host father had about life in
America such as how much homework we got as well as debunking
myths about New York, such as the crime rate. While it was a little
difficult, at first, to drink unsweetened tea, by the end of my
home stay I happily drank it as I chanted“Itadakimasu”at
every meal. At the end of the home stay, I knew that I had had
a profound impact on my host family as my host father, Yamashita-san,
expressed how happy they were to have hosted me and that they
looked forward to when I would come back again. In the beginning,
they were a littler nervous as well as they had pictured Americans
as being very arrogant and was not sure how I would react to their
culture, however as clearly indicated by the fact that after the
first day they stopped putting a fork next to my chopsticks, their
picture of Americans had changed. Even more special were the wonderful times I had with my host student and his friends in school and out. It is during these times I spent playing video games such as Dance Revolution and Final Fantasy IX that I realized I didn’t need to speak Japanese to connect with my host, Ryota. One moment that especially stands out is when I was playing soccer with Ryota and his friends during gym class and I scored a goal. The kids were so excited that they began throwing me up in the air! It was amazing how much energy and exuberance they had. They were so curious about every aspect of American life from dating to hobbies. Talking with them I learned how innocent they were as they didn’t have the types of parties that were common in the U.S. or were exposed to the drugs and dissolute facets. I never knew how famous New York was until I heard the kids talking excitedly about Broadway or Britney Spears. Another fun moment was when my homeroom taught me their dance
for the new students. It was to the song U-g-l-y and it was simply
so exciting to be with them. Here again, I didn’t have to
understand Japanese to have a good time. All in all, I had an
enormous amount of fun taking photos in the photo booth or what
they call print club (photos that I cherish to this day), looking
for my favorite J-Pop CDs on the street and just hanging out with
Ryota and his friends as we acted as normal kids. |
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