It’s been some time since I came back to America since my 5 month long study abroad in Japan.
I think I adjusted quickly back into my normal life. I started my internship with less than a week back in the states and found a routine to fall into.
I still sometimes bow at cars when they let me cross the street in front of them, I write emails like a Japanese person (extremely long and with a lot of fluff thrown in), and I have come to be annoyed with driving. I miss the public transportation and consistency of it. I tend to wait for other people to let me into a conversation rather than interrupt or just “know” the time to interject in a conversation. (In America it’s not rude to interrupt and we often talk over each other, in Japan you wait until the other person gives you a chance to speak)
In my hometown a Daiso opened up, which is basically a Japanese dollar store. Granted thanks to import taxes and how things get overpriced when they’re labeled as “Japanese”, my hometown’s Daiso it’s more like a $3 store. I went to it, and it threw my brain for a loop. It was almost exactly like Daiso in Japan except everything was in English. I do have to admit that after I finished shopping I sat in my car and cried for 10 minutes. I had bought one of those “fireless incense” scent bottles they sell, the same type and scent I had in my dorm back at Kansai Gaidai.
Recently I had the chance to meet with a Japanese exchange student, we chatted mostly in Japanese, and it was relieving to know my Japanese hadn’t faded, it was just waiting to be used. I know I want to keep using Japanese and with practice I’m getting better and better each day.
I doubt I’ll forget my 5 month long study abroad and I feel like I fundamentally changed as a person because of it. Wish me luck as I head back to Alabama and begin taking masters classes!
皆さん、バイバイ
