Before I left America to come to Japan, all JET participants had to participate in a pre-departure orientation. There, they told us about what we should expect and what adjusting to life in Japan would be like. In particular, they wanted to explain to us what the cultural transition would feel like. First, there would be the honeymoon period, where we excited travelers would not yet have any work to do, and we would find everything fascinating and interesting.
Orientation speakers then warned us about the next stage: culture shock. In this stage, things that are different are no longer fascinating, but irritating. We would start to miss food, activities, and people back home, and homesickness would settle in. We would try to accommodate for the things we miss by turning our homes into "little Americas" to try to escape the realities of a foreign country. Among the JET community, this stage is infamously called "Stage II."
Only a week or two after coming to Japan, I already felt some definite signs of Stage II. I often felt frustrated in grocery stores when I was searching for something that isn't a normal commodity in Japan (like fish sauce). I was angry about the exorbitant prices of certain things, like fruits or bicycle parts. I also started to miss my bikes back home, and became annoyed every time having my mountain bike would've been convenient.
Mostly, I felt anxiety about my Japanese language level. There are kanji written everywhere, and not knowing what many of them mean is exhausting for a person who likes to know his surroundings. Sometimes, I didn't want to go outside to get groceries or run other errands because I wasn't confident in my speaking ability. I'm Asian and don't look different from Japanese people at all, so when they talk to me and I have trouble responding, they look at me like I have some learning disability. It's always an awkward experience where I need to explain myself so they won't talk so damn fast or use difficult vocabulary. I just wanted to stay in my apartment and watch American TV shows all day. Being separated from Honeybunny didn't help relieve any of this.
Then, one day, I decided I would try to break free from this Stage II anxiety. I decided that my first step would be something simple: I would get a Universe (grocery store) point card. I've always wanted to get one, but I've never had the confidence to go to the counter to ask about how to get one or how to use it. I finally sucked it up and went to the service counter to ask about it. The lady was nice enough to explain it to me (even if she couldn't speak any English) and help me with filling out the paperwork. Finally, I got my point card, thanked the service lady for helping me, and walked out of the grocery store victorious. Here's my badge of honor for taking the first step out of Stage II:
It may not be much, but at least I now have a physical reminder that, even in this foreign country, I can still do things on my own and drag myself through to the next stage: cultural acclimation. Next step? Get a Japanese credit card...
*Update: I actually just got my Japanese credit card in the mail. Very nice...
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| My new EXTAGE card with a HUGE credit limit! =) |
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