By Jesse　Switzer

Coming to Japan was something I wanted to do ever since my first year in College. I asked my teacher every year whether I could go that semester or not. Unfortunately, there was always the excuse that I didnﾕt have enough Japanese language experience or enough credits. I can tell you for a fact, though, that some knowledge of the language and culture is nice to have when going to a foreign country to study their language, but only to make yourself feel better on the plane ride over. Once you get there it is a different story.

I originally started studying Japanese because I wanted to get a job at Greddy or HKS, which are companies that sell parts to modify cars. I always read stories in magazines about the amazing cars that cruised the streets in this country and it just seemed too good to be true. I finally got permission to stay at Sapporo University on the exchange program for eight months from May to December, 2003. To tell the truth, I wanted to stay a year because I always heard people say it takes three months just to start getting comfortable with the language, so eight months seemed short. Anything I was going to the fabled land of super cars, and taking one big step closer to getting a job where speaking Japanese was needed.

I studied constantly and made lists of all the things I would need if I got bored, or if Japan happened not to have that particular brand of toothpaste I liked. So many things I wanted to take and so little space. I ended up packing the night before I left and that is when the first waves of culture shock really started to hit me. I had never been nervous about spending eight months away from my friends and everything that is normal in my life up until then. I started asking myself if it was too late to back out, or at least delay the departure date for a few days. But I finally got a hold of myself and realized that this was something that I had wanted for the past four years and it was finally happening. My fear finally turned back into excitement again and I finished packing and went to bed. I thought about how my nights of staying up with my friends, racing cars, and house parties were over for a while, but I was determined to find it all in this new place I was going to.

After long good byes to my mom and dad, and almost getting sick from being so nervous (but partially to eating too big of a cinnamon roll), I got seated on the plane. The fourteen-hour flight was uneventful, but I had time to study more and read a book.

I arrived in Japan at about 9:00 p.m. Japan time and 7:00 a.m. US time. I was told that school would start in two days and to just settle in. I suddenly had a wave of panic because I realized I forgot to exchange money. I borrowed a bill from my friend with a 1000 on it. I thought it was only worth about $10 American, so I was really nervous the next day when I went to the grocery store. I bought a microwaveable curry dinner and an apple juice. When I went to the woman to pay she said, "okashii," and this was when I realized all my years of studying were not paying off. I had no clue what she was talking about except that I thought she had just called me weird. I went back home to my room for the rest of the day to get things organized. The next day I decided to walk around a bit and see my new home which seemed about the same size I was used to. Little did I know that places such as Odori and Susukino lurked just around the corner. I was confronted by a man in Lawson who said something to me and at that moment I realized that "desu" and "masu" were not used as much as the teachers back in America made it seem. It takes about three months to just get used to not hearing it and focusing on the more formal speech.

After returning home, the walls felt like they were closing in. I was in a foreign country where no one spoke my language, everyone looked different, I had no friends, and they drove on the "wrong" side of the road. I was basically alone.

Culture shock is not something you can take medicine to make go away, or something you can go to your friends' house and make disappear. It is most easily remedied by immersing yourself in the culture as fast as possible and realizing that you can't make it change to suite you. I wasn't going to have an American life where I stayed up all night with my friends racing cars, walking down the campus streets where there are house parties, as far as the eye can see, or barbeques on the front lawns during the warm months. I had to make myself change and accept my new surroundings as my new life.

Japan is very different and has its own unique flavor, but every foreigner must find it on his/her own. Instead of house parties I now go down town with my friends Hiroki, Zack, and Miwa which is something much more fun than hanging around my home city. Unlike home, where there are plenty of barbeques during the summer, Japan has fireworks and many festivals. There is always something to do in Japan when you are bored, unlike where I am from. I have traveled to places like Shanghai and Seoul or Bangkok, but nothing prepared me for what I saw down town at night──plenty of Skylines and Silvias rumbling by──and I realized this was my new city. It really put a smile on my face and I thought, "Maybe this wonﾕt be so bad."

Now that I am finally sitting in the computer lab typing this up, I realize that I can't thank my teachers and parents back home enough for getting me where I am now. I also realize that when I first arrived I thought the end of the world was at hand, but culture shock is something everyone goes through and it does get better──much better. I wouldn't change my situation now for anything in the world. Sure I still miss home, but that is what you are supposed to do or else they wouldn't call it homesick.