Author: Natalie Beekharry

Being in Japan on my Teen Summer Language Camp program for almost three weeks has been amazing! I know I haven’t seen every bit of everyday life, but the experience has been unbelievable. As one can imagine, just being here has opened my eyes to how other people in other countries live. The friends I have made are from all over the world, and we will often exchange stories.  In fact, I’m looking forward to keeping in touch with them after we leave for our respective homes. I haven’t really made any Japanese friends my age, but I know I will in the future.

Host-Family Excursions

My host family has been extremely kind. They have taken me to many places on multiple occasions. On my first full Sunday, they took me to Canal City. They let me choose where to eat and where we went, and they took me places they had to go as well. We went to the Moomin Cafe for lunch, then the Totoro store, and then to a bunch of other stores. We also went to the shopping street near Nakasu-Kawabata Station. It was really neat. My host mother explained the history of the street as well which was very helpful. On my second and last full Sunday, my host mother took me to Tenjin Station so we could both look at the stores there. They also took me to see fireworks.  The fireworks were spectacular and lasted about an hour. It was an amazing show, one I videoed for friends and family back home.

Culture Shock

I believe I have been going through a mild form of culture shock. It is just me wanting to stay in my room to watch movies. I’m not sure if that’s culture shock or the routine from the long summers in the US coming back to bite me. Either way, I’ve been pushing myself to get out and explore more and learn more which is a good lesson to take back to the States. As a result, I got out and went to Bayside Place. I had BelWaffles, which was really good, and I took a lot of neat pictures from both the bus ride and Bayside Place itself.

Favorite Food

One of the first foods my host mother made was ハヤシライス or “Hayashi Rice”. It was so good! The gravy had so many different flavors that worked so well with the beef and onions. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I liked it so much that I also got it at the Moomin Cafe, which ended up not being as good as my host mother’s. It was still pretty good.

My first food here was mayo and tuna onigiri. I had it on the flight to Fukuoka, but I had bought it in Narita. I really liked the taste and remembered the light blue seal so I’ve gotten it many times for lunch during my stay. The convenience stores also have meals that they will heat up, and the one I had was very good. I also got メォンパン or “Melon Bread”. It had a nice outer crust dusted with sugar and a soft inside. It has to be one of my favorite things. Some other must-try things are Milk Pudding and プリン which is like a Japanese custard. Both are really good desserts.

Missing Japan

I think the thing I’ll miss most about Japan, besides my wonderful host family, is the ability to walk and ride the bus and/or train. I take the subway back and forth to school and walk the distance between the station and the destination. That is something that doesn’t exist in my small town. I have a car back home, but I don’t prefer driving over walking and taking the subway. The latter provides so much freedom to do things while traveling that driving can’t.

I also think I will miss the showers. The shower room is comprised of a tub and a shower positioned to the side. I personally enjoyed taking my showers without the water running the whole time. It gave me the sense that I was saving water and being more eco-friendly. I did not actually use the tub because it was not common for my family but the bathing experience will definitely be something I miss.

I’ve met so many amazing people and experienced such a great culture that I can’t help but want to come back to experience and learn even more. I would also like to visit my host family again as they have been some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I really look forward to my next visit which will hopefully take me to another part of Japan, possibly north.

 

Emily Pipkin, from small-town Illinois, is a Greenheart Travel First Time Traveler Scholarship recipient. Learn more about Greenheart Travel’s scholarship opportunities to help you travel for a change!

 

Do you also have a love for Japanese culture? Learn more about our programs!

I first presented traveling abroad with Greenheart Travel to my mother two years ago.  This year it was in November, the day before Thanksgiving Break. It took her three months and three weeks to decide if I could go to Japan. Although my initial excitement was not as great as I had thought it would be (primarily because of being shocked), I couldn’t help but brag to all of my friends about it.

This will be my first time on a plane and abroad, and I can’t wait!

Excited About Japanese Culture

I’m really interested in how to keep a Japanese house clean. The Japanese are known for their cleanliness. I am lucky enough to have tatami mats in my bedroom and I want to know how to take care of them.

I also really enjoy fish. I’ve been fishing and eating fish ever since I was a child. Seafood has always been my favorite type of food. Fresh fish is hard and expensive to get where I live, so I’ve always cooked frozen except when we used to bring fish home and fry it. It has been a long time since then; I am excited to get to eat fresh seafood again!

Preparing for Departure

I wanted to make sure I got my host family gifts. I got them items from the Lincoln Museum and the Alton Museum. I also decided to crochet my host family’s daughters each a dog.

Packing took me two days, but I was also trying to clean up the mess I created in my room during the packing process. I am taking one basically empty suitcase for souvenirs. I know this may cause me some difficulty because I will be balancing multiple suitcases.

Anticipating the Hardest Adjustment

The hardest adjustment I feel I might have is living with a host family. Although my communications with them have made me more confident with meeting them, I can be a socially awkward person at times.

I am pretty sure I am good with children younger than me, which includes my host family’s three children. My biggest worry is getting too excited about learning that I end up being a hindrance to the family.

Achievements as a Japanese Student

I really hope I am able to learn about the basic Japanese sentence structure and learn some basic vocabulary. Vocabulary has always been one of my weak points, so I’ll make sure to focus on that while I’m in the program.

Missing Home

There are plenty of things I know I’ll miss from home like my family and their loudness. I’ve never traveled alone, but I can bet I’ll miss my family the most. I don’t necessarily think I’ll miss driving since I’m not very good and prefer walking or biking places anyway (though there aren’t too many places to bike or walk to in a neighborhood in the middle of fields).

I think I will miss Walmart. Even if Wally-World isn’t my favorite place, it is very convenient to have an economical store with practically everything in it. I know Japan has separate stores for food, medicines, movies, crafts, etc. I feel like knowing what store I have to go to for certain items will be weird.

Sure, I didn’t feel initial excitement for finally getting to go to Japan but I’m getting to that point. Finishing out high school with this experience will help me figure out the direction I want to go in college and future professional goals. Is staying in Japan something I want to do or will I want to continue my life in the States? Maybe this won’t be the answer to my question, but it will help me begin to figure it out.

 

Emily Pipkin, from small-town Illinois, is a Greenheart Travel First Time Traveler Scholarship recipient. Learn more about Greenheart Travel’s scholarship opportunities to help you travel for a change!

 

Do you also have a love for Japanese culture? Learn more about our programs!