Update! 6 Month Mark!

Hello everyone! Guess what? I'm still alive and well in Japan despite my horrible neglect in posting on this blog. THIS is why I never attempted one in the past, since I knew that I would forget all the time, or be too busy. It's a hundred times easier to type out a line or two on Facebook than to try to compose something meaningful about my life here. But today I thought, "hey, I think I'll give it one more go"... well that and my Mom was all like "Shawna update your blog!" :P So, here I am. 

Since I'm at about the 6 month mark since I arrived here last November, I thought I'd post some of my thoughts and things that I've encountered so far. These are just little things that I have observed and experienced (and found rather amusing). So without further ado: Shawna's 6 Month Review!

Something I Love about Japan: I love so much about Japan that it's hard to choose only one thing. But I'd have to say that one thing I love here is the people. Almost every person I have encountered, be it on the street or in a store, is kind, helpful, and polite. I've had a whole supermarket turn out a troop of employees (well, 6 actually) to help me find pickle relish because the person I asked didn't know what I was asking for. Some people I've read online complain t that  the majority of Japanese do not exhibit actual kindness, but instead a mask of false politeness, but that really hasn't been true for me. Most of the people I've met give me real smiles and kind encouragement in response to my fumbling attempts to communicate. The people at Family Mart and 7-11 know my name and not only greet me warmly whenever I come in, but even encourage normalconversation.When I've been walking down the street with a map in hand, wandering around like a ship blown off course, often someone will ask me if I need help. This kind attitude, the gentle way that people seem to care for one another (even one who is not of their group), is something that I wish could be found at home more often. I love it! 

Something I Thought I'd Never Live Without: Pets. I miss having a cat around to snuggle and love and talk to when I come home, but believe it or not, I'm actually getting used to it. I'm learning to enjoy the quiet, and even my own company on occasion. I'm still thinking about getting a fish, but we'll see. 

Something I Expected to See, but Haven't: Ninjas. But that's the whole point, isn't it? ^_~

Something I Didn't Expect to See, but Have:  Crocs. EVERYONE wears crocs. Kids at work, their parents, people on the street. They are so popular!!! What is so cool about crocs? Seriously? Well, I guess they're easy to take off and on when you go indoors...But really, crocs?

Something That Surprised Me (In a Good Way): I am shocked at how quickly my Japanese is improving.Other people told me before I left that I shouldn't worry about not being able to speak a lot at first, since I would learn more quickly once I got here, but I didn't think that after just 6 months I would be able to generally make myself understood. A lot of it is thanks to the efforts of my　Japanese teacher, Hiroko-san, who studies with me weekly and always encourages me. She has been a wonderful teacher and friend since I've gotten here, and I think she has helped my confidence build a lot too. Sometimes I'm still a little scared to talk to a stranger, but for the most part it all turns out really well. At hanami last month with my coworkers, one told me that they were surprised at how much Japanese I knew, since I was able to use it and talk to people a little bit. I hope that by this time next year I'll have learned even more. I want to take the JLPT next year too, so I will definitely have to keep working hard.

Something I Miss Back Home: Of course, I miss my family like crazy. It's weird not to have them at least within a reasonable driving distance. Even when I was in Georgia, I knew that if I really wanted to, I could hop in my car and drive home. Here, it's at the very least highly inconvenient, if not downright impossible, to just up and fly off to America when I feel homesick.Thankfully, we have Skype and Facebook. :) Other than my family, I miss going to the movie theater (too expensive here), using a debit card (cash is not as convenient as it sounds), and being able to read the labels on different products (is it bleach? Is it laundry detergent? Shampoo? Let's use the SNIFF TEST!). 

Something I Don't Miss at All:I don't miss the annoying college "spring break" atmosphere that appears around this time of year. I got to experience it a little bit when Allison, Mary, and I went to the Kanagawa Fertility (Penis) Festival last month. The place was crawling with young American men and women, most of them drunk before noon, who leered and pushed and yelled and stomped all over the place. I never have been fond of that kind of atmosphere, and much preferred the second temple we found later that afternoon, which was full of Buddhist monks and quiet tourists. It was really beautiful, and a much nicer atmosphere. I'm happy that in Shizuoka we don't have a lot of obnoxious foreigners. All of the ones I've seen here are really polite and try to blend in rather than flaunting their foreign-ness. One more reason why I love Shizuoka!

The Weirdest Thing I've Eaten: So far, it's a tie between cod roe sushi (which tastes like spicy Pork Rinds), and these weird dried/baked (?) fish with their heads still on. They were about as long as my hand had big mouths and teeth and dead white eyes... You ate them by biting off their heads, which took a lot of courage, but I did it. Surprisingly, when they weren't looking at me, they were very yummy!

The Thing I Eat the Most of: Candy. I love Japanese candy and try  to eat a new kind every day :)

This list was even longer than this, but I'm cutting it short because this post is already super long and I still have to type up the Golden Week Adventure (Pt. 1). So for now suffice it to say that I love Japan a TON and can't wait to keep exploring. Oh, and for those of you who haven't heard already, I renewed my contract for another year. Hooray! Keep an eye out for more posts, I'll try to be more frequent in my future updates. :) 

Hugs and Kisses!

Shawna