Happy Holidays!!

As I am writing this blog entry, I am sitting at Gate 26 in Narita Airport. In about 3 hours, my flight will depart for Portland, Oregon, where I will go spend the next few days with my family. I'm pretty excited about it, because even though I speak to my mother about once a week over the phone, I haven't seen her or any of my other relatives in over a year. This will also be my first Christmas in the States in three years; I have spent the last two in Tokyo.


Before I came to Japan, I had NEVER been away from home for a major holiday. I had always been with my family. The last two years, then, have been a learning experience for me, to say the least. I have had the chance to learn how other people think about and celebrate Christmas (among other holidays) and have also had to get used to being creative about how I celebrate. It's a lot different when you aren't able to take part in the same family traditions that you had when you were growing up.


Whenever I am in Japan during Thanksgiving, for example, I try to invite friends over to my house so we can share the holiday together. While this is never the same as being with family, I have found that it is a great time to make memories and even to learn new things I never knew about them before, like what their own holiday traditions are.


My first Christmas in Japan was a real eye-opener for me. I had never considered that people would go to work on December 25th or even on Christmas Eve! I was used to people staying home with their families and loved ones, eating big dinners and opening presents. So when I had to go to work that year, I was miserable. That night I came home to an empty apartment because my roommates had gone back to see their families for the holidays, but I was too poor to buy a plane ticket back, so I was stuck in a tiny, freezing cold apartment in Azamino. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm never going to spend Christmas alone in Japan again!"


Another thing that surprised me about Christmas in Japan was that it is usually considered a holiday for couples. "How strange," I thought. "Being single in Japan during the holidays must be rough."


But after all the surprises, I began to notice a few small things here and there that I actually kind of liked. Instead of letting myself get too wrapped up in disappointment about not being able to go home, I have learned to take pleasure in observing the differences between my home country and my "adopted" country. For example, I love watching Japanese people look at Christmas lights. Everyone takes pictures with their cell phones and utters little "ooohs" and "aaahs". I have also found it fascinating that Kentucky Fried Chicken seems to enjoy such popularity on that particular occasion. That is definitely not something I would see at home. :)


I think that one of the most difficult parts of my first two years in Japan was being away from home on holidays, but I have found that as time passes, I am able to create new traditions. That being said, I'm sure that this Christmas will be a very special one for me. Having spent Christmas away from my family will help me to appreciate even more the times that I am able to be with them. And I hope for everyone else, as well, that you are able to enjoy the holiday season with people that you love.


(2006) Washing dishes with my roommate after my first Thanksgiving dinner in Japan.(2007) Sharing a traditional Thanksgiving meal in America with my family and neighbors. I'm not in the picture, though, because I was behind the camera...










▼▽▼▼Melanieの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Fun With Morphemes】2008.10.17 (Fri)
・【More About Morphemes】2008.11.21 (Fri)

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