After one full year of not setting foot in my home county,
seeing my friends, family, and pets, and eating the foods I have eaten my whole
life, I finally returned to America for a short 12 days. It felt so short that
it was almost like a tease. I have missed home so much. Of course I enjoy
living here in Japan, but not being able to see the people closest to you for a
whole year really wears on you. I will write about what I did and my feelings
about everything.
I have grown to really dislike the flight between Japan and
America. I have now flown between the two countries 7 times. From Chicago to
Tokyo and vice versa isn’t so bad because it’s direct, but when flying between
Osaka and Chicago, you must make a layover which really makes the whole process
feel even longer. I’ve got much better at sleeping on planes, but sitting in a
small, uncomfortable seat for 12 hours and then another 3 ½ in air so dry that
you can never feel hydrated is something I have really grown to dread. Not to
mention the overall feeling of fullness and dirtiness. They feed you so much
food and drinks that you become bloated and uncomfortable, and each hour you
sit there, you feel your mouth getting stale and your face and hair getting
oily. Not to mention the boredom… It’s great that you can watch a brunch of
free movies, but after 3 or 4, you just don’t really feel like watching
anymore. ANYWAY, I’ll stop complaining about planes.
When I landed in San Francisco, I thought I would have the
same kind of culture shock that I did when I went home for Christmas before
which was that everyone was fat and rude. This time I had an opposite kind of
culture shock. Instead of being annoyed with my own people like before, I felt
like I finally fit in amongst these people. I didn’t feel like a big flashing
sign in a crowd of people who look similar. I felt excited that no one was
staring at me, and I didn’t feel ashamed of how I look. I was amazed by the
variety of people around me: black skin, white skin, brown skin, tan skin, pale
skin, blonde hair, red hair, white hair, grey hair, brown hair, pink hair,
curly hair, tall, short, fat, skinny, leggings, low cut shirts, belly shirts,
tattoos, piercings, Asian, European, African, Middle Eastern… I felt like I was
going to explode with all these different kinds of people around me. I couldn’t
stop starring at everyone. I appreciated the variety of people and the ability
to feel completely comfortable among them. A small part of me was sad, however,
that I was no longer “special.”
Next, I was shocked by the food right off the bat. I simply
ate a Caesar salad at the airport, but there was real parmesan cheese in it,
the dressing was rich, and there were pumpernickel croutons in it. My friend
Kris who also rode the same plane as me let me try his jalapeno kettle chips. I
almost choked from the impact of the flavor. It was like I had never tasted
something with so much flavor. Wow!
After the second flight, I made it to Chicago. My friend
Rodney was there to pick me up. I was so happy! On my way home, he took me
through a Taco Bell drive through. It was heavenly… Why is taco bell so
addicting? I swear they must put crack in it or something. When I got home,
everyone was up waiting for me. My dogs greeted me excitedly. I’m not sure who
was more excited, me or them! I picked up my little sister and hugged her and
squeezed her. I went into my gigantic living room and collapsed on the warm
carpeted floor and took it all in. The comfort of home is something you really
take for granted until you don’t have it anymore. The smell, the warmth, the
sound of the TV, the comfort of being in the vicinity of people you love, the
soft couches, blankets, pillows, and carpet, a fridge full of familiar tastes
that you had forgotten, and 4 furry critters who want your love. Sometimes I wonder if I could ever live
permanently in Japan, for example if I fall in love with a Japanese man or if I
get some sort of incredible job. I don’t mind the idea of it so much except for
this one thing…I just can’t seem to be comfortable in here. It’s a great place
to spend some time in. I can get by with the variety of food available, I can
make new friends and find people to care about, and I can have a lot of fun,
but there are things about Japan that I just can’t seem to accept, things that
make me uncomfortable. First, the distance from my family, pets, and close
friends. Next, I can’t tolerate the damn summer here. The heat and humidity is
something I spend the whole year thinking about and dreading. Last, homes in
Japan are simply not comfortable at all to me. The reasons being that 1) There
is no central heating or cooling…like seriously wtf?! You call yourself an
advanced country, but people are either sweating or shivering in their own
homes and LITERALLY DYING from the elements. Maybe if you could at least start
believing in the use of insulation, that’d help…slightly (Sorry, this is
turning out to sound a bit bitter…I really do like Japan, I just get
frustrated, and I suppose writing it in a blog is a good way to get it out.
Please bear with me here.). 2) Because of the dreaded summer humidity that
seems to last all through fall as well, carpeting is not a option because of 3)
Mold. I remember when I first came here and told my coworker that I was afraid
of mold. She laughed at me and said that mold was a normal thing. NOT IN
AMERICA! 4) Houses are so small. I know I’ve been so spoiled by living in a
very large house in America, but after living in my tiny little Japanese
apartment, it makes even small American homes seem big. 5) Get clothes dryers.
Period. 6) I would appreciate furniture that is at least more than a foot off
the ground. I’m not saying that you can’t get that kind of furniture in Japan
(I do have a bed instead of a futon
like most people), but Japanese homes just aren’t meant to have big, tall
furniture because the houses themselves aren’t big or tall, nor are the people
(generally speaking). Sitting on or close to the ground all the time really
irritates my lower back. 8) Florescent lights aren’t nice. 7) Lastly, tatami
flooring may look nice, but it doesn’t smell nice to me. I burn candles and
stuff all the time, but that doesn’t help when I come home from work and walk
into a house that smells like an old barn. The candles only cover it up when
I’m at home. SO, I think my point to
all of this besides letting off steam is that I have learned not to take the
comforts of home for granted. It was something I thought about and enjoyed
during my whole trip home. America may have all sorts of issues, but we do know
how to make things convenient and comfortable even if it’s at the expense of
other things I rather not get in to.
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| Decorating the tree. |
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| Deliciousness. |
The next day, I got a mani/pedi with my mom. My friend
Kaitlyn came over, and then my mom, sister, grandpa, Kaitlyn, and I went out
for dinner at Turtle’s Tap where I had worked for 5 years. Until then, I had
completely forgotten about the existence of mozzarella sticks lol.
The next day was Christmas Eve. We had a party like always.
My grandma, grandpa, parents, sister, sister’s boyfriend, and two friends were
there. We ate lots of delicious food and exchanged presents. I was particularly
excited about eating many kinds of cheese and dips. The most surprising thing
about the day was that Kaitlyn asked me to be her maid of honor!!!! I was so
shocked and happy!
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| So many kinds of cheese!! |
On the 26th I went to see the Hunger Games
Catching Fire with my mom. It was so good! However, I was reminded of how rude
Americans can be sometimes compared to Japanese people. There were people being
so noisy in the theater. One kid was playing their Gameboy with the volume all
the way up!! ARRGGGGHH! I was so pissed off.
After the movie, I went to Kaitlyn’s place to have a little
get-together with some girls. We played games, drank and little, and snacked. One
part of one the games was so funny because Kaitlyn had to go to a neighbor’s
home and give them this really weird necklace with old people faces on it or
something bahaha! Later that night, I got to see my friend Stephanie too! I felt kind of bad because I still had jet lag, and I couldn't talk to her that long because I was so tired.
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| Girl time. :) |
The next day I spent the whole day shopping with my sister.
We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. It was a really busy day, but it was
fun. I missed spending time with my sister, and I wished I could’ve spent even
more time with her while I was home…but she has a boyfriend now, and she’s 18,
so you know how that goes lol!
On the 28th I had a Rodney day. He is like my other half. We are pretty much
the same person except he is male and I’m female. We got lunch at Chili’s, saw
the 2nd Hobbit movie, and chilled out. Later there was a party at
our friends’ house, so we all spent the night there drinking and playing games.
I got to see several of my old high school friends. It was nice to catch up
with them!
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| I missed house parties. |
On the 29
th, I visited my friend Anthony. We
carried on the tradition we have or ordering Chinese food from Dragon City and
watching movies. It was great! That day was particularly cold. My body is
actually starting to adjust to Osaka’s climate.
The 30
th I went to Tinley Park to visit my aunt
and co. We ordered Chicago deep dish pizza and omg…how I missed Chicago pizza!!
It was really nice hanging out there. We talked and watched TV. It was really
chill. This day, my childhood friend from Ohio came with his family to celebrate
the New Year with us. My friend had actually come to visit me in Japan before.
That was the last time I had seen him.
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| Heaven in the form of pizza. |
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| CJ and Kaitlyn! <3 |
So on New Year’s Eve, we all went to our favorite Mexican
restaurant together for dinner. God, it was so delicious! We drank margaritas,
ate, and spent time merrily. We went back to my house after and had sort of a
quiet, but nice countdown to the New Year. We watched the ball drop on TV,
continued drinking a little, and hugged at midnight. Our neighbors shot off
fireworks which was fun to watch.
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| New Year's Eve dinner. |
On the first, our friends returned back to Ohio. I mostly
took it easy for the rest of the day. I had to pack to go back to Japan and
whatnot. My mom made my favorite meal, taco salad, for my last night of eating
at home. We had a really nice family dinner together.
On the 2nd, we basically had to run errands all
over the place. We had dentist appointments, my laptop had broke the previous
day, so we searched for a new one, and we went up to the hotel near the airport
since my flight was so early the next day. My parents and I had a goodbye
dinner at a restaurant that night. It was kind of sad. I don’t think I will be
able to go home for Christmas this year, so it might be a whole year and a half
almost until I see them again because I will go home for my friend’s wedding at
that time. I can’t even fathom it…
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| Bye Dad. p_q |
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| Bye Mom. p_q |
So in conclusion, I really enjoyed my trip home, and I am
going to continue missing it. I signed my contract for a third year here
without any second thoughts, though. Even while I was enjoying myself at home,
I still felt like I was missing out on things happening in Japan for those 12
days. I am not ready to give up my life here yet. It doesn’t seem that long ago
that I really came into my own here and started really enjoying myself. I
always thought I’d look back at college as being the best days of my life. Of
course they were amazing, but my time in Japan is turning out to be amazing
too! Whatever comes next for me in life promises to be exciting as well whether
it’s going to graduate school abroad or meeting someone and starting a family
life with them. I hope I never have to look back and think that the best days
of my life are over. I hope I can look back and appreciate the experiences I’ve
had while enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.
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