Dear family and friends,
Wow! It's been a month! But, I've been busy. Life is wonderful. I've been going and doing a lot, but still trying to take time to be centered.
Work has been going well. I really enjoy my students. It feels like I just come to meet my friends half the time. I wish they could be my friends outside of class.
I was talking to a friend today, and explained why I love living abroad. We were talking about TV, and the lack thereof - in English, at least. That is one thing I like about being here: fewer vices. In some ways, it's easier to be a good person here than in America. I guess I love the work and lifestyle here, but what I like most is who I am when I'm here: observative, introspective, etc.
A metaphor for life in America compared to life abroad is this: When you go to an event such as an amusement park or farmers market, and are in the midst of all the action, you have one experience. If you go outside that place and look back, you will have an altogether different experience, even though it is an experience of the same thing. That is how it is when you live abroad. Suddenly, you are inside something that you once only saw from the outside. And vice versa - you are outside of the world you grew up in. This gives so much perspective, so many opportunities to grow and learn.
I've been studying Japanese very hard lately. At first, I didn't study much. And I was content to not understand the language. But, I found myself irritated with it, so I've hit the books! I have been completing a lesson from my book every day, along with meeting my tutor once a week, and practicing with friends. I've learned a lot in a short time; my goal is to finish my book by the end of the month. I'm on track so far, but I have to work on it almost every day. October is "Learn Japanese Month" in my house.
As for cultural activities, I've been doing a lot as well. I went to an art museum called Sompo Japan with Mutsuko, Amanda, and Lalit a few weeks back. The art was wonderful, but I found it difficult to fully enjoy it due to the lines of people filing around directly in front of the art! It did help, though, that I was a bit taller than most, and so I could see over several heads. But, the flip side of this is that the art was hung at Japanese eye-level:) The museum does have 3 very famous works: L'Allee des Alyscamps by Paul Gauguin, Pommes et Serviette by Paul Cezanne, and the exquisite Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh. Seeing Sunflowers was a truly emotional and inspiring experience. Not surprisingly, reproductions are about 5% of the real thing. We rounded out the day with shopping, lunch, bowling, alcohol, and sushi. It was great, but exhausting, and so expensive!
Then last weekend, I went to Yasukuni shrine and Yushukan Museum with Amanda. (Nice photos in the Photo Gallery on this site!) This duo is rather controversial, as they are memorials for those who died in war. The shrine was lovely and peaceful, but similar to those I've been to before. We did have an interesting encounter with a group of young men in some militaristic organization. I got the impression that they, like many young adults, were searching for answers to life's questions. It was interesting to see it close-up, though.
The museum was a new cultural experience. We read about the wars, especially WW2, from the Japanese point of view. They showed news footage and had many military objects on display, ranging from samurai artifacts to airplanes to a man-guided torpedo. Perhaps the most interesting part was readingthe comments left by other Americans in the guest booksat the end. They were very vocal about their distaste for the museum! I think we all need to memeber that everything we learned, read, and experienced is from the American perspective, and therefore contains American propoganda. What the museum contained was the same, only from the Japanese point of view.
On Sunday, I went to Kamakura with Mutsuko, her daughter Yuuki, and her nephew. This is an area that is similar to Kyoto. There are many shrines and temples, along with souvenirs and tourists. There were so many people, I felt like I was at war. Or maybe just another ant on an anthill. And, I ended up being quite tired and grumpy by the end. There were many Americans there, including many families, presumably from Yokosuka, the nearby naval base. We visited the Daibutsu, Hasedera Temple, and Hachimangu Shrine.
As usual, it takes me a while to finish typing this. And it's the 20th now. Yesterday was my birthday. I had a good day. I worked, but had a good party with Amanda and other friends afterwards. I received many nice gifts from students and friends. So, I'm quite happy today.
I hope you all are well and happy. Hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Allyson
