I am currently sitting in my doctor's office waiting to get a physical for JET. Fingers crossed Dr. Sidhu doesn't qualify me as insane or physically incapable of standing in front of a classroom and moving my mouth. In all seriousness though, I'm stoked to be here. My backpack has been inundated with JET forms and pre-departure check lists for the past two months and this physical marks the third to last item I need to turn in before July 14...I guess that doesn't sound nearly as great as it is.
My family and friends are excited for me to go to Japan...obviously. Aside from the thrilling fact that I'm flying halfway across the world and going to be living in a fishing/farming village twice the size of my high school, I get to explore my heritage. Now, this is quite exciting because although here in America I am considered "Asian" by my peers and most people I meet, I am in fact quite the contrary. I could go on preaching about the difference between Japanese and American cultures and how growing up in Northern Virginia and an English speaking household hardly qualifies me as truly Japanese or even Asian. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of being half Japanese and more than eager to learn the language and culture in depth this upcoming year. But to prove my point, I will share a short anecdote.
Last month when I was still a college student at UVA, I got coffee with my Japanese friend, Ryosuke. Ryosuke is an orthopedic surgeon working in Charlottesville for a year. Since he wanted to practice English and I wanted to brush up on my Japanese, we would meet up every few weeks to practice each other's languages (i.e., play charades and giggle awkwardly when we didn't understand each other). I told him about my acceptance into JET and explained through hand gestures and failed attempts at Japanese that a former JET said to me, "Oh how exciting! At least for you your students will identify with you on some level!" Feeling quite unsure about that statement, I asked Ryosuke if Japanese people think I look even a little bit Japanese. A polite and modest man, Ryosuke tried not to laugh but couldn't help but giggle a little bit before looking at me in the eyes and saying with complete confidence "No. You look white."
I am such a gaijin, or foreigner, and I fully accept this. To be fair, I know some Japanese from the courses I took in college and I will surely be more culturally sensitive than foreigners who think Japan consists of short people, anime, and sushi. But I have a lot to learn. My Japanese family all speaks English on some level and are mostly located in Tokyo, a very westernized city. So although I have been to Japan a number of times and even lived there for a year in 6th grade (I went to an American school, mind you), my experiences have a largely American bias.
Lucky for me, I just passed my physical. I guess that brings me one step closer to Japan. I honestly cannot wait. I cannot wait for the FOOD, for meeting my students, for seeing Japan in the raw. JET seems like the perfect opportunity to marry my cultural upbringing with my curiosity of my heritage. I'm just hoping I won't be sick of sushi by the time I return to the States.
My family and friends are excited for me to go to Japan...obviously. Aside from the thrilling fact that I'm flying halfway across the world and going to be living in a fishing/farming village twice the size of my high school, I get to explore my heritage. Now, this is quite exciting because although here in America I am considered "Asian" by my peers and most people I meet, I am in fact quite the contrary. I could go on preaching about the difference between Japanese and American cultures and how growing up in Northern Virginia and an English speaking household hardly qualifies me as truly Japanese or even Asian. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of being half Japanese and more than eager to learn the language and culture in depth this upcoming year. But to prove my point, I will share a short anecdote.
Last month when I was still a college student at UVA, I got coffee with my Japanese friend, Ryosuke. Ryosuke is an orthopedic surgeon working in Charlottesville for a year. Since he wanted to practice English and I wanted to brush up on my Japanese, we would meet up every few weeks to practice each other's languages (i.e., play charades and giggle awkwardly when we didn't understand each other). I told him about my acceptance into JET and explained through hand gestures and failed attempts at Japanese that a former JET said to me, "Oh how exciting! At least for you your students will identify with you on some level!" Feeling quite unsure about that statement, I asked Ryosuke if Japanese people think I look even a little bit Japanese. A polite and modest man, Ryosuke tried not to laugh but couldn't help but giggle a little bit before looking at me in the eyes and saying with complete confidence "No. You look white."
I am such a gaijin, or foreigner, and I fully accept this. To be fair, I know some Japanese from the courses I took in college and I will surely be more culturally sensitive than foreigners who think Japan consists of short people, anime, and sushi. But I have a lot to learn. My Japanese family all speaks English on some level and are mostly located in Tokyo, a very westernized city. So although I have been to Japan a number of times and even lived there for a year in 6th grade (I went to an American school, mind you), my experiences have a largely American bias.
Lucky for me, I just passed my physical. I guess that brings me one step closer to Japan. I honestly cannot wait. I cannot wait for the FOOD, for meeting my students, for seeing Japan in the raw. JET seems like the perfect opportunity to marry my cultural upbringing with my curiosity of my heritage. I'm just hoping I won't be sick of sushi by the time I return to the States.