Konnichiwa! A greeting from Japan.
My name is Sarah. I am living in Japan for a year as a Rotary exchange student. I took off from Albany’s’ international airport on Aug. 17. Three days later, New York time, I was landing in my final destination of Osaka, Japan.
From there, my host family picked me up and we left for the city I would be calling my home — Kobe, Japan. So far my experience has been overwhelming, to say the least, but I expected that. Rotary prepared us well to leave for our journey. I am only 15, which many find hard to believe because of my height. Many are surprised my parents would let me go. My mom was once an exchange student to Mexico and so she understood and has helped me through my troubles, but if you ask her she will tell you it is completely different being a parent of an exchange student compared to being one. All of my family members have been very helpful; including my dad and my younger sister.
I’m staying with an incredibly gracious host family that has gotten me ready to start my life here in Japan. I have two older sisters that live at home, my host dad is a cop, and my host mom is a housewife. Even though we have a language barrier, we have gotten along great. I had my doubts when leaving rural upstate New York, because that was all I had known. In New York, I live next to a farm and some Amish people. Now I am living in a BIG city, next to a school and a highway. I have always loved the city and am adjusting quite well. Although the homesickness has hit me a couple of times, I am enjoying my time. One of the hardest adjustments is taking public transportation to school and everywhere else. There is no yellow school bus to come and pick me up; and yes I have gotten lost a couple of times and my host has gladly come and picked me up.
I have had to make many speeches within my first week. I’m not big on public speaking, especially when I have to make the speech in Japanese. Luckily my host sister translated my speech and we worked on it together.
I had my first orientation/welcome party. I met all the other exchange students in Japan; two from Brazil, one from Mexico, one from France, one from Canada and then me.
My school is no Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, that is for sure. My school is Kobe Yamate Girls school. Yes you read right, I am going to an all-girls school. The school is on a hill that takes about 20 minutes to walk up. Including walking, I also have to take a bus and a train. My classmates are very sweet and love to speak in their broken English with me. The school is quite big. The school is five stories and the gym is in another part of the school and they have a pool above the school, so we have to climb to the roof of the school to get to the pool. All grades (I think) are split into four classes, and each has about 20-25 girls in them. My school offers me private Japanese lessons, and I love them. All of the teachers are very nice and love to say “hi” and help me. I am taking many classes. Some that I took last year and some I shouldn’t be taking until next year, but I don’t understand any of them so it doesn’t really matter at this time. I’m taking: world history, gym, home economics, chemistry, biology, math A, Math 1, English reading, English grammar, English oral communication, calligraphy, chorus and health.
Being different is hard sometimes. I get stared at constantly in public. People will look at me and then whisper or nod their heads toward me when talking with a friend. Sometimes I have trouble with this, especially after a long day. I knew this was going to happen; whether it is because of my height, hair color or the fact that I’m just different altogether, people stare and are going to. We would probably do that, too, in our hometowns if someone so different just started living there. If people don’t speak our language, don’t look like us and don’t do things the same, how would we treat them? That is the important question. Would we accept them and become good friends or would we leave them by themselves? We might stare, but I hope we could become friends with them (and learn something about them). That is my goal here in Japan, to help create good relations. If you want to read more about my adventures check out my blog: www.sarahsjourneytojapan.blogspot.com.
Sayonara for now!
Sarah Cook is a Rotary Exchange student from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School.
Columns
Local Voices from Around the Globe: Small-town girl adjusts to big city
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
Last week, my mother made the 25-hour plane trip out to Thailand to visit her son, me, after nine months of having only choppy Skype sessions and scattered emails to give her an idea of what I look and act like since having left home last August.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: World traveler calls Euro-Tour experience of a lifetime
While I've had a great time throughout my entire exchange, I can say hands down that the month of April brought me the best memories of my exchange if not some of the best of my entire life. What kind of wonder would bring me to say this? Simple. Euro-Tour.
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Maryland port attacked
Havre de Grace, May 3. "This morning, a little after the break of day, a British armed force, under cover of armed vessels which anchored in front of this town ... landed below a small breast work which had been roughly thrown up, and in which were one 9 and two 4 pounders, manned by 50 militia.
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Memoir reflects on 'roller-coaster life and career'
Apparently, the third time wasn't the charm. The way Reynolds described him, the third husband was worse than the first two combined and that's saying a lot. Eddie Fisher literally walked away from Reynolds and their two infant children to chase a sex goddess. At least he got his just desserts when Elizabeth Taylor tossed him aside for Richard Burton.
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Imagine what might have been ...
A while back we got a telephone call from a reader of this column wanting to know why we had not written a column in support of Otsego Manor continuing to be owned and operated by Otsego County. And even though we have followed the debate over this issue in the newspaper, we readily admitted we did not feel we knew enough about the situation to take a stand.
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Herpes virus brings harness racing to a halt
I've been going to harness horse race tracks my entire life. My family has been in the business for years.
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Time, if not traffic, moves on ...
It is with sadness we note the passing of two people who we have known since moving to Cooperstown in 1982.
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Canadian capital captured
Dear Sir, I have just returned from Fort Niagara, where I saw a Captain of the United States' navy. He is just from little York, the capital of Upper Canada, and gives the following account, which is confirmed in official dispatches from Gen. Dearborn to Gen. Lewis ...
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Local Voices From Around The Globe: Exchange is like a life in a year
All exchange students realize the credibility of this statement. Like all lives no exchange is the same, all are incredible unique exchanges. The metaphor of life, from baby to old age, extends to every part of the exchange.
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Movie depicting legendary Jackie Robinson does not disappoint
Going to the movies is not something I do often. I can count the number of times I have gone on my fingers, unless you include trips to the drive-in. And even so, it took me years before I made it to one of those -- going for the first time two summers ago.
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'Dubious' about weather, Hawkeyes 'suitable' nickname
Unfortunately, it seems to us that this spring has, thus far, been anything but spring like. In fact, we are still more than happy to stay bundled up in our polar fleece.
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'Who's on Worst?' reveals the ugly in baseball
The Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates the greatest players, managers and owners from our national pastime. Any of us who have watched Major League baseball have inevitably seen some of these immortals practicing their craft. But we have also likely witnessed a sample of their opposite brethren, players who shouldn't have been in the Major Leagues. Has there ever been a definitive source that "celebrates" the non-accomplishments of the worst that Major League baseball has to offer?
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Swallow talk and bluebird vigilance
I assume the swallows have returned to Capistrano. They have returned to Hawthorn Hill as well.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Life in Hungry has taken a turn for the better
I can truthfully say spring has finally arrived in Hungary. It's almost time to wear shorts and sandals, for summer will be just around the corner. This brings me great happiness and great sadness, my adventure is coming to a close. Really what a time it was, I don't think I can compare it to anything else.
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The importance of speaking up ...
Over the years we have come to understand that, in writing a weekly column, it is not possible to always please everyone. And such was the case with our column that ran at the end of March in which we wrote about our experience as in inpatient following a total hip replacement.
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Public schools created
The Common School Act of 1812 marked the start of New York's public school system. Much of the credit for this was due to the radical Otsego County politician Jedediah Peck (1747-1821). To quote the NY Education Department:
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Book takes readers on path for equal rights
One of the most troubling aspects of our history is race relations. It takes a long time to achieve true equality in a society when the heritage of one ethnic group is slavery and Jim Crow laws. Even today African Americans are more likely to be stereotyped as athletes than doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The path to a "color-blind" nation is still a work in progress.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Experiencing India at every new turn
Come, sit down. Hold this and, wait ... ah, there you go. Obeying these commands, I found myself seated on the pavement, wearing a turban and attempting to make sounds out of a recorder-like instrument for the black cobras in the baskets not two feet away from me.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Will I be American or will I be Thai today?
When would someone have the ability to present themselves as a native of a country of their own choosing? When they’ve lived eight months as an exchange student, of course!
Continued ... - Second host family makes Hungary feel like home
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
