 I guess the start of my adventure would be an appropriate place
to start. When traveling to Ft. Lauderdale Airport I couldn't help but think,
"Wow... I'm actually on my way to Japan." After the final farewells and hugs I
proceeded to the security checkpoint. My mom was permitted to escort me to the
gate. I met a very nice man on this first plane. A doctor from Boca Raton. He
was extremely friendly and taught me the correct way to fix a tie. When we
arrived at Chicago he helped me navigate the foreign airport. Eventually I met
with other outbounds headed to Japan. The 13.5 hour flight was terrible long but
a good book satisfied my boredom... This of course was a last resort as one can
only watch "Iron Man" so many times before one finds himself reciting every
line. Once on the ground at Narita International Airport I met my escort to the
next airport: Haneda airport... Tokyo airport. On the bus ride to this airport
we passed Tokyo Disney world and the largest Ferris wheel that I have ever seen.
Once on the plane I immediately passed out from exhaustion. It felt as though I
just dropped my head for a moment before the plane lifted off when a familiar
voice spoke the words "Welcome to Toyama". I left the plane and headed to
baggage claim and saw a very welcoming sign....."Welcom to Toyama Gary Mallow".
I couldn't help but smile. I had finally made it! I met my host parents and my
host club's youth exchange officers. It was roughly 8:30 pm. I hadn't been
stationary for nearly 24 hours. We went out to dinner and after that to my new
home.
The days of this past week tend to melt together. They
have all been incredible. This new culture is very foreign but the harder I
look for differences, the more similarities present themselves. This is not
the backwards country everyone told me it would be. It is not better or
worse, just different. Although they do have better cell phones... much
better... much much better....
I started a language class with another inbound from
Canada. We were the only English speakers in the class as the few others
were from China. One of the girls from China looked to be about 13 or 14
years old. One day she looked me in the eyes and said, in a slightly broken
English, "kawaii (cute in Japanese), you are very cute," with a huge smile
on her face. I didn't know what to say in return and I held my tongue. Then
the inbound from Canada said, "She's seventeen." I immediately forgot this
statement and put the thought out out of mind, never to return to it until
this moment of course.
A few nights ago was my welcoming dinner. IT WAS
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! All the food came in small portions but after
several and an hour or two, portions tend to look like triathlons. I became
so full but I had to persevere! More and more food came and with each
mouthful a mountain was moved.. until of course the next dish came or one of
the very kind Rotarians offered me a portion of their meal. This did tend to
happen quite frequently. One of the Rotarians was kind enough to slip me a
taste of "sake". Pictures will be coming shortly!!!!
Today I played tennis. I have been playing for a very long
time, almost 14 years, but the Japanese courts provide a new challenge. The
Astroturf covered in sand creates quite a slippery surface. I was able to
play for a few hours and hit with some of the club's members. Japanese
people tend to play tennis much different then I'm used to. I believe this
is a result of the types of courts they play. My strategy takes advantage of
clay courts which respond very well to spin. Tennis balls slide a bit on
these new courts. A fun new way to play.
One last entry for this report: The other day I was on my
way back from language school. I was to take a train home. Of course my host
mother had shown me the correct train to take the day before but I had to
take the "special" train.
I was waiting for the train to come. One did. It looked
different. Nicer than the one I had boarded before. I like! "Private" was
written on the door leading onto the train. "Ok." I thought as I entered.
The seats were very comfortable. Then a woman offering treats passed. "Uh
oh..." I thought. Then it passed my intended destination. "Guess that's not
where I'm going today." I was told to get off at the next station and I did.
I was lost. "This is bad" I thought and almost started to freak out. But
then I realized that I could have some fun and started exploring. My
attempts at naming my location were futile; Japanese is hard to read. I was
able to call someone, a boy who was an exchange student to Oregon, who was
able to talk a volunteer who helped me get on the right train. When I got to
the correct station my host mother asked me what had happened. I told her
that I had gone on an adventure.
P.S. Japanese people are all so very friendly if an effort
is made on my part to befriend them. They have been extremely generous and
kind. I have witnessed their behavior and have found that they treat each
other the same way they treat me. If someone needs help in a public place
everyone lends a helping hand. I am so happy to be here.
I think Mr. Kalter loves us much more than anyone loves
their outbounds. It seems we were the only ones who had research papers.
Schools starts tomorrow for me. Time to go and practice
the introduction that I will be giving in front of the entire student
body... |
Gary "Mike" Mallow