A common question asked by a lot of teachers, Japanese people and even friends back at home "日本の生活はどうですか？”/How are you adjusting to the Japanese lifestyle? And I'm being realistic, it is freaking hard. I'm going to try to avoid this making a massive rant or anything but being a foreign student especially in a country that is completely opposite to Western culture/lifestyle is flipping hard!
Firstly, I love being in this country so freaking much, being foreign does give you perks. You're given special attention from a big handful of people. They're the gems that try really hard to make you adjust to this country and genuinely want to be your friend and will still be your friend even after you've pissed off back home. Majority of the time these friends are the Westernised Japanese kids. They've been to Canada/USA/Australia or just have a strong passion to learn English or just really love Western lifestyle. They're interested in you and they hope that talking to you will let them learn more English and vice versa with them teaching you Japanese.
So there is positive attention, but then there's negative attention. Sticking out like a sore thumb sucks. You get that kick that "oh yeah you're foreign" especially from kids cause they don't know any better. Adults will see you, look away and do a double take and probably say to themselves "Ah a gaijin (foreigner)" but then there are those kids who see you... look at you... and continue to stare at you... then even go behind their parents to hide... but take another peek. Gees didn't know I was that scary. That put aside, it feels like you're constantly being judged. Being in Japan, you seriously have no idea what is socially/culturally accepted. To the small things like "Is it acceptable to blow my nose in public?" "Is it culturally accepted to answer my phone call here?" "Is it culturally accepted to eat my apple by not cutting it into pieces?"... I just never know!
The touchiest subject I might ever talk about is SELF-ESTEEM. So many girls especially in my program are or might be experiencing this, but damn your self-esteem will drop maybe to the lowest it has ever been if you let it get to you. Not high school students, not graduated uni students and not middle aged women but female university students take fashion to a whole different level. There are two categories: those who don't take fashion seriously or the ones that take fashion seriously and go over the top. There is no in-between. Girls come to uni in heels or wedges, shortest skimpiest skirt, a lot of make up and their hair looks like they took 2 hours to do. They come to uni as if they're going to Pontoon on a Friday night. I am not even exaggerating. All the exchange kids go to uni and they dress completely casual, sweats, jumpers, jeans, vans/chucks, a plain t-shirt. We stick out even more because we are all so plain jane compared to the Japanese girls. Seriously you know you've come to a fashion obsessed country if even socks are used as a flipping accessory!
You can't help it but feel like you're underdressed every single day. The girls try really hard to impress one another and especially to impress boys. It feels like it's more on the former though. It is a massive competition with one another on who can dress more kawaii or more prettier. Who can outdo who. Sometimes it even feels like girls are just making themselves look like meat to men, I'm not trying to sound feminist but it seriously makes me always want to go up to a girl and cover their damn legs. You can show all the legs in the world but showing any form of cleavage is culturally unaccepted. So flipping weird, it's the same damn thing! With that all being ranted out, at the end of it foreign girls just feel like they need to dress kawaii as well, or need to put make up as well because seriously at the end of the day you're also comparing yourself to them.
I feel my blog is massively long and I havn't even covered the courting lifestyle in this country. I'll save that for another day when I'm really feel like ranting about it haha. But that all being said, the massively love I have for being a student exchange is just simply all the challenges it brings. I love learning something new everyday, I love going to a new place every weekend and I love knowing my own capabilities. Japan is seriously endless in terms of things to do and things to eat. I seriously grew up with freedom at home, I would get in trouble at times but my parents gave me the freedom and never sheltered me. But being alone is a new world.
Anyway I've lost count on how long I've been here but it's almost two months. I've seen a lot of beautiful things and on top of that made a lot of beautiful friends. The opportunities just keep on coming and I'm loving every minute. Hard reality that this isn't all rainbows and sunshines, there's also the dark days but just the fact I'm travelling just makes it all worthwhile.
Miss Australia and I miss home, but where I am and what I'm doing, can't freaking complain!
Love all!
G
P.s: Here is living proof I am having a ball in this country. Lol just kidding I was waiting for laundry to finish.
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