As I have been back now for a month as of tomorrow I thought it would be prudent to talk about how things have been for me personally.
When I first came back some things seemed so surreal such as using dollar bills to pay instead of Yen coin or bills. I wasn't sad when I left, I made that point in an earlier posting. I had and still have a feeling of accomplishment.
I started my regular classes 2 weeks after I returned which was good because it gave me time to get re-situated with people and culture again.
The people you leave when you go abroad do not stop their lives when you are gone, and your country, and town and other things will have changed too. This I knew but didn't grasp until I saw it.
Just seeing my town again after so long in comparison to the way Nara was laid out as a city was a big deal to me.
The foods doubly so. I had and am still having a rough time with the rich foods often loaded with sugar, salt, and grease and understand why my friend from Nara who studied at CMU before I came to Nara lost so much weight- he couldn't eat the food we are so surrounded by here.
I miss the international students especially my dorm-mates who I would see like at least 5 or 6 times a day just by going to the kitchen or common room.
I miss the amazingly light and delicious and affordable simple foods like Udon soup or soba noodle soup I could get at the school cafeteria for about $2-3 that fill you up!
However, there are plenty of things I do not miss. I do not miss that Kawaii, or cute culture where even trivial items (to me) are made into 'cute' caracatures. I also really do not miss the frustration of not being able to speak on deeper topics in Japanese like I can do in English.
I missed being in class and really 100% or 99% of the time knowing precisely what I am supposed to be learning, and I also missed my Major and Minor's (Journalism and Anthropology) classes. My writing skills were suffering from a lack of usage.
I also missed eating game animals and wilderness exploration. Since I am so familiar with Michigan I know where you can go and what is allowed as far as state land public access rules etc. but in Japan I was lucky to be able to read the kanji on the sign that said bicycles were prohibited.
It's not that Nara didn't have wilderness it just didn't have it in the same capacity and I didn't have the connections to be able to have access to eat game animals, and plus in Nara venison is pretty much off the menu as they are protected as National Treasures of the area.
It was weird to be back with my boyfriend who I live with and was actively around for nine years. After my return it was odd for him as well as for me. We had both adopted different lifestyles in our separate environments for four months, so it was difficult at first to re-adjust. Plus I feel a little like an abandoner even though I know it wasn't really like that.
So far I also noticed a significant change in the way I had been communicating (in English) since I only used English (sans with the other Americans) to communicate with international students for whom English was a second or third language.
I also have said some interesting things (during my time in Japan and upon my return) such as "Got shirts none?" and calling gravy "potato juice" because it was in with the potatoes...It's funny but just a shift in my thinking patterns and also comes out in stressful "I can't think fast" times.
Another big change for me was the attitude towards college expectations in society. In America we hardly think much about it but our collective concept is that when you enter college you are considered an adult- a young adult who may party or whatever but an adult none-the-less and that you should act in such a way as to be treated as an adult.
In Japan they typically work their butts off to get into a good middle school, then to get into a good high school then into a good college...But then something changes. The college scene is seen as a break-time, a time before the tempest when they will have to work their butts off in their adult careers.
So the expectations are less, the stress is sometimes lower, and the over all feeling (not all the time or everywhere but comparatively) is more relaxed.
Now that I am back I can really feel that difference. Extensive lists of readings, multiple topics of homework submissions, quizzes on my first day (seriously- it was technically everyone else’s' 2nd day but I transferred into an added class after the first class).
Many of the internationals I had talked with said similar things, some were stressed so badly by their colleges back home their hair was falling out and they had had anxiety attacks. Several students called their time in Japan their 'holiday' because it was done at a slower pace. Part of that was because they weren't as strict on foreigners learning Japanese, but also was because of a difference in attitude.
Another huge difference was the weather. I literally didn't even bring a coat to Nara. As someone from and used to Michigan weather I knew I was leaving December 29th and had checked the typical temperatures in Nara for that time of year. It was no big deal I just wore a hoodie when I was cold.
Coming back to the snow and cold though was a drastic change but I missed it, so I was glad to be back to this frozen tundra called Michigan. Really I was, and still am. It makes me appreciate warm beverages, house slippers and wool socks even more, but so be it.
Another example of a positive re-adjustment for me, is based on my realization in Japan that our movies here are so cheap compared to theater prices in Japan.
For me it was going to be about $16 for a ticket after my student discount, typically it is $21.
BUT here's one for the women, Wednesday is Ladies' Night at many places so you can get a ticket for about $11.
I also missed Roller Derby, but now I miss Karaoke and the pub culture of Japan that we don't really have here.
When I was in Japan I missed being active in a community as an equal citizen. It was great to volunteer and help out in Japan.
However, my situation and interactions were not the same. Since I was not viewed as a Japanese person the treatment was often different (for example I was told I would be working a popcorn stand and instead they told me to go enjoy the festival even after I insistently came back every 20 minutes or so to offer my help). This wasn't always the case, but it often was.
Overall I am very happy with the variety of experiences in Japan. I do plan to continue using the Japanese language as I have been, and continue to pursue a career in Journalism that will benefit from these experiences.
I feel accomplished, but I am also very glad to be back to the cold-snowy weather of Michigan, my Journalism and Anthropology classes, and of course I am happy to be back home with my boyfriend and closer to my family.
If I could have the best of both worlds scenario though, I would import my international friends to America and move them in next door to me, convince Americans that they really should adopt Japanese foods for their health, pocketbooks, and happiness, and I would be able to eat all those deer in Nara that kept staring at me next to my veranda...but we can't have it all.
So currently I have become involved in the Society of Professional Journalists to further my career, am helping out with Study Abroad events like the expo shown above, and maintaining ties and relationships with my Japanese friends.
In Japan, I took an independent Photojournalism class that got me off my butt, sent me out the door and taking pictures. It also was part of my ticket to learning more about many areas of Japanese culture and was a free pass into the parts of Japanese lives not all foreigners get to see.
However, it also had another effect on me. It made me interested in Photojournalism like I hadn't been before. Now, I still don't want to be a photojournalist but that doesn't stop me from being deeply interested in a way I wasn't before even in my photojournalism classes.
Something about getting out there with a camera, face-to-face with a new place really got me interested.
Then I read "Shutterbabe" and this feeling of interest in photojournalism, art, journalism and travel really took hold and made me deeply want to know even more of our interestingly culturally diverse world.
I also have been taking advantage of the cultural and artistic points of Michigan and America I missed when I was in Japan such as film, theater, sports, and local culture.
As a result of my friendships with students from all over the globe and my goal to be a foreign correspondent, I have become intensely interested in international news and events from all over.
Unlike at any time before where I had merely a detached interest, now I think of specific people I have met and connect them to news events of their home country.
When I hear about the revolution in Ukraine, or the advancements of Brazil's government, the latest scandal from the French president, the social classes of India, or the controversial roles and rules for Gypsy's or Roma people**(See note of clarification below) in Romania, I now have these actual connections with these places' culture and people that I lacked before I met them.
**I wanted to make a note of clarification on the term `Gypsy` used to reference the Roma people. In many news articles and other publications the term is used to reference the Indigenous Romani peoples. From Wikipedia's page on racial slurs
"Gyppo, gippo, gypo, gyppie, gyppy, gipp
a. A Romani people. b. (UK and Australia) Egyptians.[99] These are variations of
"Gypsy", the most common word in English for people of
Romani origin. "Gypsy" is not in itself an ethnic slur but its
usage is sometimes controversial".
I think it is especially important to be aware of the many global issues and now I also have a deeper desire to watch foreign films and documentaries (example) that depict and offer a different perspective than the American dominant lifestyle that we are surrounded by- especially in films.
For this and other reasons, I am very proud of my decision to study abroad. Who knew when I went to Nara, Japan I would learn so much about the rest of the world in the process.
 |
| Trailer-park swingset in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2014. |
When I first came back some things seemed so surreal such as using dollar bills to pay instead of Yen coin or bills. I wasn't sad when I left, I made that point in an earlier posting. I had and still have a feeling of accomplishment.
I started my regular classes 2 weeks after I returned which was good because it gave me time to get re-situated with people and culture again.
 |
| Trailer-park playground in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2014. |
The people you leave when you go abroad do not stop their lives when you are gone, and your country, and town and other things will have changed too. This I knew but didn't grasp until I saw it.
Just seeing my town again after so long in comparison to the way Nara was laid out as a city was a big deal to me.
The foods doubly so. I had and am still having a rough time with the rich foods often loaded with sugar, salt, and grease and understand why my friend from Nara who studied at CMU before I came to Nara lost so much weight- he couldn't eat the food we are so surrounded by here.
 |
| Trailer-park swingset in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2014. |
I miss the international students especially my dorm-mates who I would see like at least 5 or 6 times a day just by going to the kitchen or common room.
I miss the amazingly light and delicious and affordable simple foods like Udon soup or soba noodle soup I could get at the school cafeteria for about $2-3 that fill you up!
However, there are plenty of things I do not miss. I do not miss that Kawaii, or cute culture where even trivial items (to me) are made into 'cute' caracatures. I also really do not miss the frustration of not being able to speak on deeper topics in Japanese like I can do in English.
 |
| Trailer-park playground in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2014. |
I missed being in class and really 100% or 99% of the time knowing precisely what I am supposed to be learning, and I also missed my Major and Minor's (Journalism and Anthropology) classes. My writing skills were suffering from a lack of usage.
I also missed eating game animals and wilderness exploration. Since I am so familiar with Michigan I know where you can go and what is allowed as far as state land public access rules etc. but in Japan I was lucky to be able to read the kanji on the sign that said bicycles were prohibited.
It's not that Nara didn't have wilderness it just didn't have it in the same capacity and I didn't have the connections to be able to have access to eat game animals, and plus in Nara venison is pretty much off the menu as they are protected as National Treasures of the area.
It was weird to be back with my boyfriend who I live with and was actively around for nine years. After my return it was odd for him as well as for me. We had both adopted different lifestyles in our separate environments for four months, so it was difficult at first to re-adjust. Plus I feel a little like an abandoner even though I know it wasn't really like that.
 |
| Central Michigan University's Park Library. 2014. |
So far I also noticed a significant change in the way I had been communicating (in English) since I only used English (sans with the other Americans) to communicate with international students for whom English was a second or third language.
I also have said some interesting things (during my time in Japan and upon my return) such as "Got shirts none?" and calling gravy "potato juice" because it was in with the potatoes...It's funny but just a shift in my thinking patterns and also comes out in stressful "I can't think fast" times.
 |
| Central Michigan University's Park Library. 2014. |
Another big change for me was the attitude towards college expectations in society. In America we hardly think much about it but our collective concept is that when you enter college you are considered an adult- a young adult who may party or whatever but an adult none-the-less and that you should act in such a way as to be treated as an adult.
In Japan they typically work their butts off to get into a good middle school, then to get into a good high school then into a good college...But then something changes. The college scene is seen as a break-time, a time before the tempest when they will have to work their butts off in their adult careers.
So the expectations are less, the stress is sometimes lower, and the over all feeling (not all the time or everywhere but comparatively) is more relaxed.
 |
| On Wiggins Lake, Gladwin Michigan. 2014. |
Now that I am back I can really feel that difference. Extensive lists of readings, multiple topics of homework submissions, quizzes on my first day (seriously- it was technically everyone else’s' 2nd day but I transferred into an added class after the first class).
Many of the internationals I had talked with said similar things, some were stressed so badly by their colleges back home their hair was falling out and they had had anxiety attacks. Several students called their time in Japan their 'holiday' because it was done at a slower pace. Part of that was because they weren't as strict on foreigners learning Japanese, but also was because of a difference in attitude.
 |
| Central Michigan University's Park Library Mary Dow Reading Room. 2014. |
Another huge difference was the weather. I literally didn't even bring a coat to Nara. As someone from and used to Michigan weather I knew I was leaving December 29th and had checked the typical temperatures in Nara for that time of year. It was no big deal I just wore a hoodie when I was cold.
Coming back to the snow and cold though was a drastic change but I missed it, so I was glad to be back to this frozen tundra called Michigan. Really I was, and still am. It makes me appreciate warm beverages, house slippers and wool socks even more, but so be it.
 |
| Central Michigan University's Woldt Hall student lounge. 2014. |
Another example of a positive re-adjustment for me, is based on my realization in Japan that our movies here are so cheap compared to theater prices in Japan.
For me it was going to be about $16 for a ticket after my student discount, typically it is $21.
BUT here's one for the women, Wednesday is Ladies' Night at many places so you can get a ticket for about $11.
I also missed Roller Derby, but now I miss Karaoke and the pub culture of Japan that we don't really have here.
 |
| In Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. |
When I was in Japan I missed being active in a community as an equal citizen. It was great to volunteer and help out in Japan.
However, my situation and interactions were not the same. Since I was not viewed as a Japanese person the treatment was often different (for example I was told I would be working a popcorn stand and instead they told me to go enjoy the festival even after I insistently came back every 20 minutes or so to offer my help). This wasn't always the case, but it often was.
 |
| Snowy sunrise in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2014. |
Overall I am very happy with the variety of experiences in Japan. I do plan to continue using the Japanese language as I have been, and continue to pursue a career in Journalism that will benefit from these experiences.
I feel accomplished, but I am also very glad to be back to the cold-snowy weather of Michigan, my Journalism and Anthropology classes, and of course I am happy to be back home with my boyfriend and closer to my family.
 |
| Study Abroad Expo at Park Library corridor. Jan. 2014. |
If I could have the best of both worlds scenario though, I would import my international friends to America and move them in next door to me, convince Americans that they really should adopt Japanese foods for their health, pocketbooks, and happiness, and I would be able to eat all those deer in Nara that kept staring at me next to my veranda...but we can't have it all.
So currently I have become involved in the Society of Professional Journalists to further my career, am helping out with Study Abroad events like the expo shown above, and maintaining ties and relationships with my Japanese friends.
In Japan, I took an independent Photojournalism class that got me off my butt, sent me out the door and taking pictures. It also was part of my ticket to learning more about many areas of Japanese culture and was a free pass into the parts of Japanese lives not all foreigners get to see.
However, it also had another effect on me. It made me interested in Photojournalism like I hadn't been before. Now, I still don't want to be a photojournalist but that doesn't stop me from being deeply interested in a way I wasn't before even in my photojournalism classes.
 |
| Rice harvest in Tawaramoto, Nara, Japan. 2013. |
Something about getting out there with a camera, face-to-face with a new place really got me interested.
Then I read "Shutterbabe" and this feeling of interest in photojournalism, art, journalism and travel really took hold and made me deeply want to know even more of our interestingly culturally diverse world.
 |
| Painting on outside wall of business in Shinjuku, Japan. |
I also have been taking advantage of the cultural and artistic points of Michigan and America I missed when I was in Japan such as film, theater, sports, and local culture.
As a result of my friendships with students from all over the globe and my goal to be a foreign correspondent, I have become intensely interested in international news and events from all over.
 |
| Near Yanaka Cemetery, Tokyo. 2011 |
Unlike at any time before where I had merely a detached interest, now I think of specific people I have met and connect them to news events of their home country.
When I hear about the revolution in Ukraine, or the advancements of Brazil's government, the latest scandal from the French president, the social classes of India, or the controversial roles and rules for Gypsy's or Roma people**(See note of clarification below) in Romania, I now have these actual connections with these places' culture and people that I lacked before I met them.
**I wanted to make a note of clarification on the term `Gypsy` used to reference the Roma people. In many news articles and other publications the term is used to reference the Indigenous Romani peoples. From Wikipedia's page on racial slurs
"Gyppo, gippo, gypo, gyppie, gyppy, gipp
"Gypsy", the most common word in English for people of
Romani origin. "Gypsy" is not in itself an ethnic slur but its
usage is sometimes controversial".
 |
| Screenshot from "Lakshmi and Me", "a story about a relationship between unequals" (New York Times). |
I think it is especially important to be aware of the many global issues and now I also have a deeper desire to watch foreign films and documentaries (example) that depict and offer a different perspective than the American dominant lifestyle that we are surrounded by- especially in films.
For this and other reasons, I am very proud of my decision to study abroad. Who knew when I went to Nara, Japan I would learn so much about the rest of the world in the process.
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