Reflections/the Beginnings...
One of my favorite sayings is "Life is a journey, not a destination".
Most of my life I have adhered to that, but over the last six months with all
of its preparations, expectations, and experiences, this part of my life was
really about the destination! Osaka, Japan - wow. A place I never imagined going
to before, and yet a place that will shape my future and live in my memories...
It all began with a phone call back in late November from an employer of mine,
recommending me for the program. I looked into it, having no idea of what Rotary
really was, much less the Group Study Exchange program. Two interviews and two
weeks later I found myself selected, and on the way to the land of the Rising
Sun.
Our group was really everything I could have hoped for. Four people of such
diverse backgrounds and yet somehow we all meshed together so well. We started
meeting in January, first to get to know each other, then later to work on our
presentation and to have Japanese lessons. We had five sessions of lessons with
a teacher originally from Kobe. Grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and
of course pronunciation were all the tools she gave us for our big trip. We
were asked to create a presentation highlighting diversity and ethnicity in
Wisconsin and America. Each of us highlighted an area that we were familiar
with, with my part of the presentation was on Wisconsin's environment. We put
a powerpoint presentation together, practiced once at a send off party our district
in Wisconsin hosted, and then suddenly, the day had come!
Our Hosts- Rotarians of District 2660...
From the moment our flight touched down in Osaka, the Japanese Rotarians were
incredibly accommodating and welcoming. A huge entourage greeted us at Kansai
International Airport, including the team from District 2660 that later visited
us in Wisconsin. We were then whisked off to the New Otani Hotel - our home
base for the next few weeks. A personal tour of the city with their GSE team,
sumo tournament tickets, orchestra seats, and many other "special"
events were planned during our stay. Nothing was out of the question to accommodate
us on our visit.
Of all the Japanese people that we met, the ones that had the largest impact
were my host families. We stayed with four separate families during our visit,
with a week in each home. I think that when we visit a new culture, we often
have certain perceptions about the people. Being able to live with the Japanese
families did nothing but eliminate those stereotypes. Each family that I stayed
with was incredible and did their best to meet my needs. When I originally arrived,
I had a terrible cold. The Osaka GSE Rotarians were concerned about my health
and made sure that each of my families knew about my "illness". The
first family was so concerned that they provided me with a wool blanket, an
electric blanket and had the heat on full blast in my bedroom to make sure that
I wouldn't "catch a cold". At the very least, we were going to sweat
out my virus and by the end of the week I felt much better!
Staying with different families also provided me with different "looks"
into family and Japanese life. Each week provided me with a different experience
and perspective. Some highlights have to be: a barbecue under the sakura (cherry
blossoms), partaking in a hot spring, seeing the musical "Cats" for
the first time (in Japanese!), undergoing a full tea ceremony, teaching "Go
Fish" to my young Japanese host sisters (triplets, age 11!) and even wearing
a kimono. It was in the families that I had a true sense of being Japanese and
to be quite literal, a TASTE (with the food) of the Japanese culture as well!
What I learned about Japan ...
The GSE program is two-tiered. One aspect is cultural and the other vocational.
Before we departed for Osaka, each of the team members tried to prepare ourselves
for the culture shock. When I first arrived, I often found myself caught feeling
as though I was still in America, and then suddenly I would be reminded (usually
quite vividly) that I was actually in another country halfway around the world.
Seeing a geisha girl, turning the corner to find a neighborhood temple, and
walking through the seafood markets - fresh with squid and octopus - were all
examples of my reality check. Eventually, it seemed everything about Japan was
different. From the chopsticks for our silverware to the special bathroom sandals
- I had to stay on my toes to make sure that I was culturally correct. Some
customs and traditions were amazing. Going to see sumo was incredibly surreal.
I never knew that it had so many ties to the Shinto religion, or never expected
tea to be served in my viewing box. I grew to love the smell of tatami (traditional
Japanese mats that lined two of my bedrooms), the taste of ocha (tea), and the
fresh, fresh fruit. I even had my first taste of caviar, went to Easter mass
in Japanese, and sang my first karaoke. I felt honored to get a chance to wear
the kimono, and see ancient traditions such as the tea ceremony or flower arranging
being performed. It was then that I truly recognized and appreciated our cultural
differences. Probably the most significant cultural experience was going to
Hiroshima. Standing near the target site for the bomb drop, walking alongside
a river that had evaporated during the bombing and seeing the thousands of paper
cranes folded for peace is an experience I will never forget. The most astounding
thing to me was that the Japanese don't blame America for what happened. According
to both my interpreter and other Rotarians that I asked, Hiroshima is viewed
as something that both sides had a role in and responsibility for. Their primary
focus now is peace and understanding. That sort of acceptance was truly astonishing.
Vocationally, as an environmental educator my visit focused primarily on the
environmental actions of several companies. I visited an incineration plant,
natural gas facility and electric company. What was the most different to me
was the combination of activities and facilities. For example, the incineration
plant had a fitness center complete with a swimming pool that the general public
used which was heated with the heat generated by burning garbage! The Japanese
also seemed to recycle many of their products (much more than Americans do)
and even have several laws which require certain technologies (such as televisions)
that are completely recyclable and returnable to their manufacturers once they
wear out. I was also privileged to visit two of the United Nations offices in
Japan. At each of these visits, I was able to meet with officials to discuss
environmental education and the state of the environment on our planet. Perhaps
not surprisingly, both Japan and America have similar environmental issues to
deal with and to solve.
Unforgettable memories...
Having visited such a phenomenal country for four weeks, there are many unforgettable
memories. Some of my favorites include: Being "adopted" by my host
families. One of my host mothers didn't have a daughter and decided that I would
be her "new" child. She even learned English only because I was coming
and talked about coming to America for my wedding. One of the Rotary clubs hosted
a barbecue for all of us. Being served Miller Beer, wearing special slippers
on the patio, and grilling octopus at pool side is definitely one of my favorite
memories. Go Charlie! The Japanese bath. I had never been in a bath before that
was filled so high that you actually floated when you inhaled! Yet, I felt honored
to share that Japanese tradition and grew to enjoy it as a way to wind down
from an exhilarating day. Having my first yoga class. I attended a yoga class
with one of my host families. All in Japanese, it was hard for me to follow
along and "concentrate" on my breathing when I couldn't understand
the instructions! I even did my first handstand in about ten years - yet I can't
imagine a more perfect place to have my first lesson. I'm not sure my rather
stern yoga instructor was as delighted as I was in the experience! The barbecue
under the sakura. I went to a BBQ with my first host sister and her friends.
Although I spoke no Japanese and few spoke much English, it is a night that
I think of fondly. Two of the people at the party were making fun of each other's
accents (the accent in Osaka is different than Tokyo) and I could follow along
with the teasing, just by body language and inflection. I also found it quite
hilarious that I realized after about a half an hour sitting on a tarp under
the cherry blossoms, that I was the only person who still had her shoes on -
whoops! The food! Before I left, I never thought I would have tried octopus,
eel, and cherry blossom ice cream or drank a beverage whose title was "Pocari
Sweat".
Thank you!
As always there are many people to thank for our program and visit. I would like to extend a special thank you to: The GSE organizing team for District 2660; Mr. Nomura, Mr. Matsuoka and Mr. Katoh; The GSE 2660 team that during May visited us in America - affectionately known to us as the "J-Team" (Japanese team); My host families; District 6260 (our sponsors); and the West Bend Noon Rotary Club (my sponsor), and Rotary International, for putting together such a selfless program for non-Rotarians! To my fellow "A-Team" members, you guys are the best!
