EIL Intercultural Learning

Hard to believe that five weeks have gone by since I first set foot into this house and met my host mother and father for the first time. It`s funny how different everything seemed back then, how unknown and unfamiliar everything was. Suwa really has become like a second home for me; a second school, second family, second room, second set of friends. While I know that I`ve only just scraped the surface of the Japanese culture, I really feel like I`ve managed to gain some insight into what it means to be `Japanese`, differences and similarities.

Firstly, I must appologise for the lack of posting recently. I`m afraid that the laptop decided that it too deserved a summer holiday, and took a nice two-week break in the repair shop. I got it back about a week ago, but things have just been so busy that blogging, I`m afraid, took a back-seat.

I would just like to comment on a few things that have struck me about the Japanese way of life, while noting that these are most definitly subjective opinions. The way I see it, Japan is a very intelligent and practical country, as well as incredibly beautiful. It is wonderful to see that, despite the absance of litter-bins, the streets are relativley rubbish-free, and recyclining is common practice. People are very polite, and service in shops and restaurants is excelent (you`re always greeted with an `irassyaimase` when you enter, and an `arigatou gozaimasu` when you leave). The school system (from what I could understand!) seems very good, and even the design here, such as packaging and storage, is cleverly executed. Hygene is valued very highly, and I`m not just talking about making sure you take a shower every day! From what I`ve experienced, people take care to wash their hands a lot (after returning from walks, outdoors, etc.), and seperate shoes are worn outside, indoors, and in the toilet. Students bring toothbrushes to school so that they can wash their teath after lunch, something that I have never before witnessed. Speaking of lunch; the younger generations over here seem to consume far less sweets, and everybody, without fail, brings a healthy packed lunch (or `bento`).

Language-wise, I feel like I`m starting to get into the swing of things (so why do I have to go home now!!!). I am anything but fluent, and still have trouble expressing myself on occasions, but it`s certainly been good practice, and, if nothing else, I`ve at least expanded my vocabulary and become used to the sound of the language. My host mother even gave me a few Japanese lessons, which were extremely helpful!

I`m afraid I have to go do more packing, but I will try to write again before I leave...