American Culture Shock

I have heard that people that don't get culture shock when they enter a country will most often have some pretty bad "reverse culture shock." I would say that this is the truth. Before I went to Japan I had heard the term thrown around quite a bit but didn't realize how intense the experience would be! As weird as it sounds, for me reverse culture shock almost feels like a break-up! I find myself reminiscing about all of the good times that I had in Japan. But every time I think of my experiences I get an odd mixture of happy and sad. Since Japan is so far west jet-lag was also a big issue when I returned back to the States. This of course didn't help the reverse culture shock much either. Not being able to sleep well tends to make people grumpy! It is an odd feeling when your home country seems strange to you. Almost stranger than the country you returned from. It is a shock when you go from this. . .  

To this. . . 

  I've been back in the US for a little under four weeks and I am starting to acclimate. I am surprised at how much culture shock I experienced when I reentered. Everything seems new; It is an interesting experience. It is cool getting to see your own country in a new light. I am noticing things in the US that I have either never noticed or took for granted before. Since I have studied abroad I have found that I am more interested in traveling in the United States and around the world. I want to go to places that I haven't seen before. I would also say that studying abroad has changed me for the better. It's given me confidence and a drive to pursue my dream of teaching English in Japan even harder.I can't wait to go back to Japan and have a new set of experiences! 

Isaac Morgan

We'll meet again Japan

 This post was actually written maybe a few weeks back, but I knew the days were getting nearer, so I prepared  the post!


It is now almost midnight.. and I’m just working on my studying for now. I have been quite productive and have been straightening up, since time is almost running out.

 Coming to think of it, I don’t know where time left. It seems as if it was just the other day that I was here, and now it’s almost time to go home. There are not many things left to do, and as eager as I am to go home, I’m a teensy sad as well. Honestly, I never knew this opportunity would come for me, but it did. I expected for the days to come, and now it’s ending so fast eh? I think I was slowly getting to use to the way of life here as well~ Yet, I believe that there is no ending unless you choose to say goodbye. 

 I still have two weeks left, but I know it will zoom by before my eyes.. I had to honestly admit that when I first arrived here, I was really homesick and I really missed my family and friends, the daily, mundane activities. I felt sort of frustrated with the language barriers and the fact that I couldn’t express myself enough.. :(Not to mention I got lost numerous times. I felt frustrated with time differences and the lack of wifi.. :( 

 As much as I tried to adapt, I tried my best to find the positive in things. Yu, my buddy was someone I really appreciated during the times I was troubled. She was there for me when I arrived, and no matter how sad I was, she was always there for me. I am so lucky to have her as my buddy. I will miss her so~ 

 Now, I’m sitting here and pondering on how I’ll miss bits and parts of Japan when I leave. I’ll miss the enthusiasm and super effort from the buddies .. I’ll miss my exchange buddies as well. I think it may seem as if I was sort of cold in the beginning, but as time went by, we all started to grow and attach to each other- like SHROOMS!! ahahahaha.. We were together most of the time, like little ducklings.. I will miss them so much. Who knows when we’ll ever see each other again~ But I’m not being pessimistic, the world is much smaller than it is. We’ll see each other somehow, someday again!! 

 I know some people are counting the days for me, the days where I’ll be home for Christmas. This year’s thanksgiving I know my parents will miss me so, or not. hahaha My friends will miss my weird, strange presence as well. This is my first year away, and since Thanksgiving is not a known holiday in Japan, the closest family I could have for Thanksgiving. Yet, I don’t mind, I’m thankful everyday for having the opportunity to be here, and being able to be a part of them. :) 

 When I return to the states, I know many things will change, and I will slowly go back to the ordinary things I usually do. I will meet my beloved friends, person, people who constantly kept in touch with me as I was away. I really look forward to seeing you all again, I really miss you all so much- you don’t even know! As much fun as I am experiencing here, you all are always on my mind. :) 

 This was my first time overseas, and sometimes, I think it’s all like a dream as the ending is getting nearer. Before I came here,  I wonder what my initial purpose was for coming here. Besides the learning and the experiences, why was I here. In the beginning, I thought the answer was quite obvious.. Yet, I think God place me here for a reason. Through my 4 brief months here, I came to realize my potential purpose. I’ve realized that I have changed in many ways- for the good. Maybe I will not display the changes on here, but if you meet me again, you will clearly see. 

My flight departs at 7pm in 2 weeks or so, and as I depart from Japan on my 13 hours flight, the ending will remain as a beautiful memory. Yes, I cannot say that it was easy adjusting to certain things, trying to learn the language, and all. After all, I have to admit that I am still not にほんごをじょうです, yet I can proudly say that I have improved much more than I would ever have had in the states. I am so happy and grateful to be given the chance to explore and experience the things I would have never had the chance to in the states. I will definitely miss some things in Japan~

Everyday as I ride the trains, besides sleeping, I always like to think about things. I cannot do that while I’m driving- I hate driving!! Hahaha, if only we had legit train systems where I could go anywhere and anytime I want to.. Just need my passmo card! haha I will also miss the convenient sizes that are perfect for me such as pants, shirts.. MM, American sizes never fit me.. The snacks and less amount of calories too hehehe, yeah those little things. 

Well, thank you Japan you have been good to me. Until then, farewell to you, I’m sure we’ll meet again. 

Almost time to return

It is almost here! It is almost time for me to return to Arkansas. I am a little bit surprised because I really don't want to go back to the United States. I love it so much here in Japan. I have had such a good time.

I feel like I have only been here for a few weeks. I can't believe that it has almost been four months. This week since I have already finished school is my last free week. All of us exchange students are planning what we want to do. I'm looking forward to playing all around Japan one last time before I come home. It is amazing how much Japanese you can learn if you just come to Japan. I've noticed that as time goes on I can retain Japanese so much better and learn much faster than before. I just wish I had more time to stay! The next blog post I write will most likely be in Arkansas!

Isaac Morgan

Lasting memory lingers

 I glanced at my calendar and the days being marked off for each event.. It's almost time to go home.

Last week, I went to Kanto Gakuin Middle School, and it was such a delightful day! We were able to experience making mochi- one of the most well-known Japanese sweet snacks! Yet, it was our last time to see them as well. As we bid them farewell, they asked us for our signatures and pictures with them. I felt as if this would be how Justin Bieber would feel among the young fellows. ;)

 It's already November, and I know that I won't be home for Thanksgiving this year with my family, not to mention there will be no Turkey Dining feast here in Japan either. Yet, it will be ok, because I already feel very grateful for wonderful people here, it's almost as if they are my family!

 Today, I went to Kanto Gakuin elementary school, and I toured the school and how its system works. It's very different compared to the US school systems. The teachers were much stricter, but this could be due to the situation being that this was under

 

a private system. Yet, the kids were still very lively and they were too precious. They were all elated to meet foreign students like us. As we played with them, they asked us to sign their papers as if we were stars once again. :)

 As I bid them farewell, I made a promise to myself that I will return to Japan for sure one day, perhaps  not as an exchange student but as a native American teaching English. I had always loved kids, and I think that if another opportunity was being given, I would go once more. I miss them already! I

 Furthermore, I realize that perhaps my Japanese skills has increased much more than I was back in the United States. Yet, I feel the need to improve it much more.

Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and I know that there isn't much time left in Japan~ 3 weeks left! There are really no other big events taking place other than the finals that will soon arrive!! Yet, I'm trying to enjoy my last moments here, making it last as a lingering memory which I would never forget. Until then, I'll be posting my last entry before I leave on the 9th of December! :)

-Ai

Seeing Japan's History

So it has been about a week since my trip to Kyoto. It was so much fun! I rode the Shinkansen down on early Sunday morning and arrived in Kyoto before lunch time. It is amazing how fast the Shinkansen is. The best part is that it is actually quieter and smoother than the normal trains.

On Monday I went to Osaka. It surprised me how different Osaka felt from the Tokyo area. People acted just a little bit different. A lot more people in Osaka smiled and talked to me which made me feel pretty good.

 I also got to see Osaka Castle. Being a history major I was kind of geeking out the whole time. It was originally built in 1597 but was burnt down and rebuilt many times since then. The inside looks really modern and was converted into a museum about the castle. The museum actually had a set of armor from around the 1600's.

On Tuesday I went to Mt. Hiei by myself to see a temple complex I had studied about in Dr. Rembrandt and Dr. Wolpert's Heian History class. 

This is the main hall of Enryakuji. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside but this is a huge temple! What surprised me was that when I walked into the temple the monks started to chant. It was really neat getting to hear and see things that I had only heard through the internet or only read in books. Definitely an experience I won't forget. 

I walked around the temple complex and found a small road that wandered around the mountain. It was so nice to be able to walk around in the woods again! I didn't realize just how loud the city is until I spent some time in Mt. Hiei's completely quiet woods. 

Wednesday was Kyoto. I went to the old Imperial palace in Kyoto. The whole day in Kyoto reminded me of all the old samurai movies I have watched. The Imperial palace only opens on a few occasions so when I went it was so incredibly crowded that I could't get a real clear shot of the buildings or the gardens. It was still cool being able to go though. 

All of the rooms that were on display had beautiful art painted on the walls. Each room had a specific function and unique art to go along with that function. 

After the Palace I went to Nijo Castle. This castle was ordered to be built by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the unification of Japan. The inside of Nijo Castle in my opinion was better than the insides of the Imperial Palace. 

It is easy for me to say that this fall break was the best one I have ever had so far! It such a cool experience to see things that I have only read about in books. It was a little overwhelming. Japan is such an interesting country. One day you can be in one of the most busy cities in the world and the next day be in a part of Japan that feels like it hasn't changed since before our country has existed. I love Japan!

Isaac Morgan

Living the Japanese Exchange Student Life

Sorry it has taken me so long to write in the blog! One of my excuses for not writing is that two or three weeks ago the home stay program started! My host family is so nice. My host family consists of my host mom and my host dad. Last weekend my host family took me to Mt. Fuji. It is beautiful from any angle you look at it.

Since it is fall i wasn't able to climb to the top because the mountain is closed but i did climb up one section of it. I can now see why it would take a couple days to climb it! 

This week all of us exchange students took a study tour to Nikko. I can't even try to explain how beautiful the nature is in Nikko. It looked like something out of a dream. At Nikko we got to stay at a ryokan, or a traditional Japanese inn. The first floor of the ryokan had an onsen. An onsen is a natural hot spring that people soak in. It was so ridiculously relaxing. I even got to wear a yukata or a summer kimono! The Japanese really know how to relax haha Recently, since the home stay has started, I have been really busy. It is getting harder to juggle doing school work and playing around haha Today I went to my first Aikido class in Japan!I have done a year of Aikido in Arkansas before coming to Japan. I really enjoyed the club.  I was worried before class started but once I started to do some familiar exercises I felt alot better. It was interesting how even though we couldn't understand each other completely we could still communicate through Aikido. I'm looking forward to the next meeting. Next week is fall break and some of us are planning on going to Kyoto! I am really excited about getting to see some more traditional culture there. In a few weeks I will write a blog post and tell you all about it!

Isaac Morgan