Interpretations

I got a response to one of my posts saying that perhaps there are too many differences between America and Japan, and that I might be happier if I moved home.  I think that my blog can be misinterpreted due to the fact that I tend to ramble on and on about the differences and the bad days.  Writing is an outlet for me.  I use it to inform people at home about what I’ve been up to, and I use it to process all of the thoughts going through my head.  When I don’t write, it’s probably because there is nothing new or interesting going on, meaning that everything is fine.  There are days that I am frustrated with my work or with the cultural differences in Japan, but in general I am quite happy.  I wouldn’t have requested to re-contract if I didn’t want to, or if I felt that I couldn't handle it.  There are some things that are hard for me to overcome here but I have a feeling that when I go back to America there will be many more things that will be hard to overcome there, and it may be MORE difficult since America is my home country and what used to feel normal will soon feel foreign..  Some examples of things that may be difficult to understand or do when I go back to America include communicating, eating American food, American ideas of public decency, pop-culture, never taking time to eat properly, size differences (of all genres), lack of work ethic, lack of politeness to customers, lack of public transportation, the fact that it is too cold inside in the summer and too hot inside in the winter, how wasteful everyone is and how there are few good recycling systems throughout the states, and the list could keep going on.  I am not having a poor time in Japan, but I am trying to account it as honestly and accurately as I can.  Moving to a new country, regardless of where, is a challenging yet exciting adventure.  It changes who you are on the inside and out, and it gives you a much wider perspective on the way life functions on this Earth.  I wouldn’t trade being here, and eventually the time will come for me to go home.  Until then…

Much love,

Lana