JULY 20
Despite the thinness of the mattress, I actually slept
well last night, except for my neck. I really need to get a good pillow before
anything else. Akane took me out shopping around Donki and the Daiso were I
bought the essentials for new living: a wonderful micro-foam pillow, garbage
sorting bags, a dust mop, and some food. I didn’t buy all that much because
much of my kitchenware was still back in Nagoya. Moreover, I was going to be
receiving various items from the other exchange students before they returned
home, too. In the past, the students used to be able to leave items for the
next round of students; however, for some reason we were no longer allowed to
do that. So, the plan was that I would hold on to the extra things, take what I
needed, and pass the rest on to the new students when they came in September.
Shopping took a little bit longer than expected. It
was already past five by the time I returned to my apartment. Tonight, I had
made plans to meet with the other exchange students down in Gamagori for the
fireworks festival. I had to hurry, but I also had to get dressed in my yukata.
If I hurried, I thought I could make it in time to meet the others at the
station before six. That’s what I thought, but then Akane suggested having her
grandmother help me with the yukata. I didn’t want to impose, but I also
didn’t want to make a mistake either. Thankfully, they only lived a few minutes
away by car, and her grandmother was more than willing to show me how it was
done. I’m more than grateful that she did, too, because I hadn’t realized that
I would need so many strings to hold things in place. She lent me all the
necessary straps and ties, as well as an undershirt and a little bag to carry.
The process took about a half an hour, but most of the time was spent by the
grandmother asking questions or making comments: my sleeves were a bit short,
but she could let them out a bit. Then, surprisingly, as she placed the obi
around my waist she noted that it was small— my waist, that is in comparison to
my hips. For the average slim build of a Japanese woman, a yukata can
easily be wrapped. However, in order to accommodate for my size, the fabric
needed to be rotated so that the top layer reached my side, leaving little to
overlap with.
Alterations could be done at another time. It was past
the meeting time, so I needed to hurry still. Akane dropped me off at the
station, and I shuffled my way to the platform on my geta. I expected
some looks, some acknowledgment that a foreigner is wearing a yukata,
but if there were any then I didn’t notice. Often I heard about people getting
stared at, but I guess my dark hair and eyes aren’t as interesting as the
characteristic blond-haired, blue-eyed American.
After a short time, I finally arrived in Gamagori and
met up with my friends before the huge mass of people swarmed the area. From
the station’s exit, all the way out to the port side, crowds of people, both in
yukata and western wear filled the streets. Food stalls lined one side,
creating huge lines of people as well. I wish I had eaten beforehand, but we
all were a little bit hungry. We broke up into groups to grab drinks and snacks
before the show started. Little did we know that the first line we entered
would take us over an hour. Right before we ordered our food, the fireworks
countdown started.
(We watched the fireworks as we were in line for our “waffler corn” crepes.)
The fireworks were presented in rounds, each sponsored
by a different company, or part of the city. The few of us still standing in
line watched the fireworks from there as we sent the bulk of our group off to
snag a spot to sit. In the end, we spent most of our time in line, and then
searching for our group amongst the hundreds of people that we, or at least I,
barely saw the fireworks. The ones that I did see were as good as they can get,
and the musical accompaniments were very suitable.
The show ended around 9pm, but we made the mistake of
staying until the end. When we walked back toward the station, we soon saw that
the line for the trains was winding around outside the station. It would move
in chunks, but it was incredibly long. I’ve had enough of lines to last me a
lifetime!!
JULY 21
I don’t think I have mentioned it, but as part of our
grammar and reading class final this semester, we actually have to do a
presentation. That presentation had to be something related to the school
system’s in our home country. This wasn’t like our survey class, where we were
simply comparing the differences, nor were we going to present this in front of
our own class. It all started when we were told to look up an article and bring
it to class. One thing led to another, and the topic of education came up.
That’s when it was decided that we would give presentations on education to
Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class.
The topic that I chose was homeschooling. It’s hardly
ever practiced in Japan, but in America and other parts of the world, it is an
increasing alternative to attending regular school. Personally, I was
home-schooled when I was in the 7th and 8th grade. I learned a lot about
responsibility and motivation at that time, and it was also when I started to
really practice drawing. I don’t remember much of the daily schedules, but I
can recall hands-on experiments, field trips, and time to expand my own
interests. These are only a few of the benefits of homeschooling which I
presented to the seminar class. None of them had heard of it before.
I haven’t thought much of it before, but I suppose the
Japanese education system is incredibly standardized. It doesn’t seem to
promote much individual growth either. Part of that is due to the society’s
group mindset, which as a whole I don’t think is a terrible thing. I can
understand why it’s hard for many people to have unique ideas if they are
brought up in such a society. Yet, at the same time, I have met many incredibly
unique and gifted people in the past year. They’re still individuals, even if
they walk the same path as others.
JULY 22
Our final survey class today ended with a small
interview from our professor’s daughter. Though only in middle school, she is
incredibly motivated. Currently, she is doing research on skin color and
prejudices, and she’s going far beyond her school assignment to do so.
Interviewing us exchange students from America was only a fraction of her
report. After months of answering questions like, ‘What’s your favorite food?’
‘How did you study Japanese?’ and other surface-level questions we were taken-aback
when she asked us ‘Have you ever seen or experienced prejudice in your life?’
Remember what I said about those unique and gifted people? There you go.
JULY 23
Today was another prime example of meeting someone you
should have met months ago. Through a friend’s introduction, I met Anisa, an
exchange student from Indonesia. She is also Muslim, like me, so she was also
participating in Ramadan. We only spoke briefly today, but we are going to try
to plan something for this coming Monday, which is Eid, the holiday at the end
of Ramadan.
On that note, I actually couldn’t fast today, which
was convenient because today was also the day of the Farewell Party put on by
the University. It wasn’t quite as grand as last semester’s, since there was
less food options on the table. Instead, we had a buffet of sushi which
is a feast in itself. A couple people cried as they gave their farewell and
thank you speeches. Overall, this time the occasion felt more unfortunate.
There wasn’t as much laughter as before, and that feeling seemed to be felt in
the new students as well. We were lucky enough to be part of such a great
group, everyone got along, and we were all friends…an international family. Why
is our time so short?
Well, we can’t wonder and mope about it all day. I had
to go to training, so I took another load of luggage (round 2) down with me.
Most of my stuff is now at the new apartment, but I haven’t received anything
from the others yet. Hopefully it’s only a couple more trips.
JULY 24
Let’s forget about the grammar exam we had this
morning. It wasn’t horrible, but I made a good handful of silly mistakes,
particularly on the last section. I studied that section in particular, but I
went ahead and made the same mistakes. Hopefully the rest fared better.
After dance practice, I met with Rachael at the cafe
for Open Mic Night rehearsal. We sung outside the cafe to warm up as others
went through their own rehearsals. When it came to us, our music came from an
MP3, so it was just the two of us standing there singing a duet. Should he turn
up the microphone’s volume? I don’t know. I’m not thinking when I’m standing up
there.
OK, not panicking. I have the lyrics down, and by some
form of magic confidence I have broken down the initial barrier that would
otherwise prevent me from even speaking in front of a crowd. Still, I could
probably do better. Tomorrow’s the big day after all.
JULY 25
Final presentations for our culture class started off
our morning. I was anxious to leave because I needed to catch the train down to
Gamagori to meet with the company I had been training with. We were finally
going to go to the embassy to hand in the visa request forms. If you haven’t
guessed already, I got the job! Now, all we need to work through is the visa
process. They say it can take as little as two weeks, or up to three months. I
hope it’s the former.
(Waiting at immigrations…)
Once the paperwork was turned in, and no problems
seemed to be at hand, it was already well into the afternoon, nearing on 5pm.
Without delay, I caught the train back from Toyohashi (where the immigrations
office was) and headed towards Nagoya.
By the time I reached the cafe, rehearsals were coming
to a close. Rachael and I briefly went over the lyrics one last time, and then
I broke my fast and waited. The song that we had chosen was called Summer
Paradise, and it seemed fitting due to the fact that my closest friends would
soon be returning to Hawaii.
I was nervous, but in spite of myself, I tried to open
up our performance with a lively greeting and introduction in English and
Japanese. I could feel the tightness creep into my throat, but I fought to keep
it at bay. For three minutes, I stepped out of myself and trusted my actions.
Soon our duet was over, and I left the stage to Rachael for a hula dance
performance. I sung, I laughed, and I had fun. It wasn’t perfect, but I did it.
We did it. If Rachael hadn’t been there, I would never have even dared to try.
Maybe that’s what I’m missing when it comes to dancing— someone I can trust and
lean on, no matter what.
JULY 26 - JULY 27
Oh my goodness. This sickness came out of nowhere. I
could only bear to sleep on Saturday, and Sunday was much of the same. Then
again, I was so tired; I think I needed the rest. Hopefully I’ll be better
tomorrow~
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