What have you gained from your experience in Japan?
Growth is what I gained the most from my experience in Japan. I learned a lot about self-sufficiency and independence. Living in Japan, especially in a rural area, can be more challenging for someone from a western country like the US than moving to, say, England or Australia. The language barrier and completely different culture require a high level of tenacity and independence, while simultaneously putting you in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position of dependence. For example, if you need to go to the hospital and do not speak the language, you will need an interpreter to go with you. You are dependent on the interpreter to receive medical treatment. For Americans, medical information is very private, and it feels uncomfortable to depend on someone else for that information. At the same time, if there is a medical emergency and an interpreter is unavailable, you need to have the confidence to attempt to receive treatment on your own. It is a strange situation to be in, both more independent and dependent than you were before, but as many before me have attested, discomfort facilitates growth. I grew a lot from being in uncomfortable situations in Japan, and now that I am back in my home country, I am more confident in myself and my ability to do hard things than I ever was before.
What is your advice for future students?
I have two pieces of advice. The first is to become comfortable with discomfort. When you enter a new culture with a new language, there are going to be a lot of times you mess up and make mistakes. Many people fall into a vicious cycle of blame and self-hatred because of this. Learn to laugh at yourself and grow from mistakes. Don’t be afraid of them. Instead, lean into it. Join that bon-odori class even though you’ve never danced in your life. Go to karaoke alone. Make Japanese friends who don’t speak your mother language at all. Make as many mistakes as you can. You can only improve because of them.
My second piece of advice is to find things that remind you of home. Homesickness is an inevitable part of living in another country. Find things that you can do to alleviate those feelings and comfort yourself when times get hard. Of course, facetime your friends and family as often as you can, but sometimes this can be difficult due to time zones. Here are a few things I did when they were unavailable: watched comfort TV shows from back home, baked brownies, talked to other Americans in Japan, listened to music about missing home, and went to an American fast food restaurant. Think about what gives you comfort, and do those things.
