It's been more than a year since I came back from 9-month stay in California. For me, studying abroad was amazing! I got to experience different activities, meet so many nice people, try new foods, and make great memories.
At first, I was so nervous and worried about taking class in English. I knew I could understand English, and make myself understood, but still, sitting in a lecture hall, listening to a lecture which is held only in English, and surrounded by bright students sounded a lot different to me at that time. Also, at least I could get assistance when I was in Japan. When I practice English conversation with my Japanese friends, we all know Japanese, and when we having trouble expressing ourselves in English, we have another common language to make communication smoother. Or even when I talk with professors from outside Japan, they know my English is not perfect, and they know some Japanese, so we kind of figure out what we are saying.
That was not the case (most of the times) when I was in California. My host family knew no Japanese even though they had welcomed other Japanese students in the past; I always, always had to say things in English. All the professors I met in class didn't know Japanese either. Most of the friends I made there didn't speak Japanese. The bus drivers in the buses I took to go to school everyday didn't know Japanese. I was a tutor of a introductory Japanese class, and the lecturer, of course, spoke fluent Japanese (I mean, she was a Japanese lady!), but except for some rare cases like this, I was on my own. I couldn't be lazy, and ask Japanese for help.
Oops, this isn't the things I wanted to focus on today, actually. Ok, cultural context. It definitely connects to "culture shock," which is a well-known term in Japanese, but I am not sure if this is a universal term. Let me start from an episode...
I mentioned that I always took a bus to go to school. And on the bus, there was always at least one person speaking on the phone. The speaker was talking and laughing. But nobody seemed to care. It was actually shocking to me when I first saw that. Why? Because that's not normal for Japanese. If you talk on the phone while you're on public transportation (e.g. bus and train), you'll considered weired and inappropriate. I've seen people literally stare at the person who's on the phone on a bus or a train in Japan. Plus, there are posters and even announcements to encourage people to refrain my speaking on the phone while you're on public transportation.
There's not actual law that bans people from talking on the phone while they're on public transportation, it is a moral code or one of common senses in Japan. The reasons? To be honest, they're not actually clear even to me. Talking with a physically existing person is totally fine, so perhaps people don't like it when they have to hear only one end of the conversation? But putting it on a speaker phone doesn't solve the problem, so... I don't know. Or some people talk about how electric waves from cellphones are bad for cardiac pacemakers. I'm not an expert on this area, so please don't ask questions about this to me, though! But I don't think cellphones are actually causing real troubles. Electric waves are still coming in and going out even when we're not on the phone, right? And I've never heard of people actually getting sick in public transportation...
It's so surprising that a thing that is so normal in one place is absolutely abnormal in another place. I am constantly surprised by how people in different countries/cultures have a lot in common, but at the same time, I am also surprised by how cultures and customs differ across the world. And people are eager to decide quickly which is right and which is wrong, when... there's no answer. Things are not so clear cut, black and white.
You can do whatever you want, but we should always keep in mind to think about the others. Deciding what is right and what is wrong is different from deciding what you like and what you don't like. As time goes by, different new ideas are born. One of the examples are "Free the Nipple." Yes, I get the idea. I think is strange that males are totally fine without covering their chests in public while females always have to make sure their chests are covered. It's always taken for granted, but nobody really knows why this is the norm. So I understand some people start campaigns or take actions about this. But if I see women walking down the streets with nothing at all to cover their chests, I'll be surprised, and actually, confused. I would not know how to react to it. And I'll be confused by how confused I'll be. Is it wrong to be surprised? Is it bad that I won't be able to raise my both hands up, and say, "Yes! This is awesome!"? Yes, I do believe all people are created equal, and I do appreciate people are working hard to empower people, but...
I think we need more time to struggle. Because... not all questions are easy to answer. It's quicker and easier to see the world as black and white, and make decisions based on whether you like it or dislike it. And the smallest thing can go viral in this Internet era. The world is not so clear cut; there are a lot of grays. And it's more comfortable when you can decide things quickly, but it's important to be patient, and think through even though the questions you're facing is difficult.
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