Today is the Saturday of Golden Week, of which I spent the first few days off with friends and my Japanese Mom and Dad (who are 25 and 23...but that's not the point! They are actually two of my favorite friends in Japan!!) We went to Saga and Nagasaki prefecture to see their homes and meet their families for a whirlwind 3 days and 2 nights. We were going to just make a trip to Nagasaki, but then I convinced Dad that he needed to drive us there and have some fun himself (he spends every day studying for the Saga prefecture teachers exam), so we planned the trip during Golden Week so that he could join us.
The drive took us about 3 or so hours to Ureshino, which is in Saga and the entire way Mom and Dad talked about fairly intelligent things, while us three kids in the backseat just giggled like school children. My best memories of high school and before are road trips that I took for either soccer games or family vacations. Something about being stuck in a car with your favorite people is really fantastic. This trip was no exception. The scenery was also very green and beautiful. When we arrived at Dad's house, we were greeted with a very beautiful and traditional style Japanese house. I got so nervous then, because I always get somewhat nervous when meeting other friend's family members and also because I knew the only way I could communicate with them was in Japanese...and speaking to people I've never spoken to before is always very nerve wracking for me. Dads Dad greeted us open arms and trotted off to get tea for us. I was standing there, starting off into space when Dad's Grandma then came into the room. And she did the most unexpected thing. She dropped to the floor and kow towed to us! I panicked. Next to me was mom/my friend the Japanese person, and she quickly set her things on the floor so she could properly kow tow. In my panicked state, I hastily dropped my things...fell to the floor head banging said floor. Next to me my international friends stood awkwardly with the their bags in hand. Potentially the most terrifying thing that has happened to me in Japan/my life.
The five of us went out to dinner, and none of us had to pay because Dad's dad payed for the entire meal. Then we went to a green tea hot spring!! What they did was put a bunch of green tea bags in the spot where the hot water came from and then you just sat in the hot spring. It was really refreshing and felt soooooo good. Hot spring=amazing. Then it was back home where, while Dad was away, Dad's family asked us if we wanted to drink. I still don't know how to say no in a polite Japanese-like manner, because I'm pretty sure that you just don't say no. So we ended up drinking around the kotatsu (another brilliant Japanese invention). Many hours later it was off to bed.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast, said our goodbyes to a super nice family and then left for Nagasaki!! We went to a penguin museum, China town, Glover gardens, Dinner, peace park and the epicenter of the atomic bomb all in the first day. It was soooo fun! I really like Nagasaki, and if I decide to do JET or become and ALT, I might try and get put in Nagasaki. The town is just super relaxing and beautiful and has this wonderful mix of Japanese, Chinese and European elements. It's really fantastic. Also, there is a neko bus from Totoro there, and I want it. We played cards that night, and potentially because of lack of sleep from the previous night, we were giggling and laughing for hours and hours about the most ridiculous things.
The next day it was Dejima (the island that the Dutch sailors were forced to live on during a time where Japan had closed its boarders to everyone else), downtown and a Confucian shrine. I found Dejima to be extremely interesting and ran around telling my friends that "my people" had lived here. I've never really connected to my own heritage before, but being in Dejima really connected me I think. Of all the different countries of people in the world, it was the Dutch that Japan allowed to stay. I just thought that was pretty cool.
In Nagasaki we stayed at Mom's Grandparents house. They were another couple of extremely kind people and when we were leaving, the grandma had tears in her eyes, and was telling us to "be sure to come again!" It was so kind!!! The Japanese people I have become friends with are so nice and their families are so nice, and it's comforting to me to know that such kind people live in the world. Especially because these grandparents I met had all survived through the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Yet all they said to me was "thank you so much for coming to our house!" and "wow, aren't these friends of yours really cute!" SOOOO NICE!!!
I really hope that my friends in Japan can come to Montana, so that I can show them similar hospitality. My mom (my real mommy!) has already experienced several weekends of me bringing home Asian friends and we often joke that I have started the "Asian Invasion" of Whitefish. I mean, not to brag or anything but my family is the best. :D I'll even admit that I have a pretty cool brother. Shocker, I know.
I have Mon, Tues, and Wed off from school, and I haven't decided what to do yet. Probably relax and worry that I won't have any more long vacations in Japan. BOOO!
No comments:
Post a Comment