Weekend Update
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Weekend Update Sunday September 11
Friday night I went out with the American students. I have been shying away from making friends with any of them; I don't want this to end up like Kanazawa where all the English speakers form a tight-knit group and never hang out with anyone new.
I also need to be realistic: these people will introduce me to new people and experiences; moreover, they offer a basic support structure. These people are struggling with many of the same adjustments that I am, and thus we naturally form a group whether we want to or not.
Friday afternoon was the Official Welcome Party™, and there was sushi, fruit, Japanese pastries, sandwiches, juice, and beer. This is one of those strange adjustments: apparently, it's not strange at all for the teachers and administrative support staff to drink beer right along with the students. I found that odd. Everyone had had quite enough to eat, but the party "ended" at 6:15pm, and no one wanted to go home that early.
Rather, we went to an izakaya, or a late-night food-and-drink place, and we proceeded to chat and drink. This is a pretty common occurrence here, and the restuarant had multiple rooms to support the twelve of us that went out. We had to leave that place by 8pm, though, because another group had a reservation.
So, what's left to do but karaoke? I do a rousing version of "Under the Bridge", if I do say so. Karaoke always comes across to me as something kind of lame, but in Japan, it just works. I had a blast; I sang untl my vocal cords were hoarse. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.
I am sure that when I go into class tomorrow morning, some of us will be smiling just thinking about Friday, and that itself is worth something. I feel friendships forming.
Who was I to be a snob about who I will befriend? Why was I biasing against English speakers simply because of their language? Does that really have anything to do with what friendship is about? Not in the slightest.
I make, and will continue to make, many mistakes here that I would not in the States. I'll learn from them, and then everything will be fine. And even now, everything is fine. I am continually improving at my ability to accept and recognize reality. It is a challenge, however, to simultaneously evaluate reality and my ideals, compare and contrast their relevancy, and then adjust them accordingly. This is what we have to do, though.
