Hey everyone. Hisashiburi desu ne! (It's been a while, hasn't it?!) I've been very busy with things here in Japan, as usual. I just wanted to take time out to say that even though I am not in the States, I am giving thanks for all in my life. It's amazing how much someone can miss the holidays when abroad! Oh, and a huge SHOUT OUT TO GRANDMA, GRANDPA, & MY WHOLE FAMILY! Grandma and Grandpa- thanks so much for the lovely note and Thanksgiving card it totally made my day! Family - thanks for always being there through the good and the bad. I love you all very much.
This past weekend was a blast. Kansai Gaidai had not only their International Festival (aka INFES...sometimes we called it INFEStation....get it?), but also their whole school festival. I was thoroughly impressed by the turn out of people in the festival as well as coming to the festival. It was hard core! I saw some Japanese women dance hip hop style and they totally rocked.....I was very surprised.
Dance Booth was a complete success- we all looked great and heck, we got our groove on. I did Soranbushi which is a famous fisherman's dance that originated in Hokkaido. It was a huge hit and a great experience. There is a lot more to go along with my practices and preparation of soranbushi, almost too much to tell, but one time I will blog about it. Along with Soranbushi, I helped lead the group in learning the YMCA, Macarena and yes.....I have helped bring Crank Dat- Soulja Boy to Japan, people. Taught people the dance and everything...it was awesome. My host brother came to see me and taped the performance! He told me that he would make a DVD so I could always have it. The day after he came he gave me a huge box of sweets to give to the Dance Booth....it was so sweet of him. I will hand these off when we all go karaokeing in December.A funny thing happened to me yesterday though. Actually, it really isn't that funny, but it's interesting. While on my way home on the train a couple of spaces opened up in the priority seating area of the train (since everyone was getting off and no new people were getting onto the train) and I decided to take a seat since I had a few more stops to go and I was reading the very interesting Geisha of Gion by the infamous geiko Mineko Iwasaki. I sat down about 3 feet away from an older woman who immediately got up out of her seat and walked far away to sit down next to another Japanese person. At first I thought well maybe the next stop is hers but it turns out that she got off at the same stop I did. I tried not to care, but it made me very mad, sad and a little bit hurt. This sort of thing is very eye opening to me. If I am experiencing this blatant prejudice through something as miniscule as that....I can just imagine how it is for people who face prejudice everywhere and anywhere. Now I know how it feels, even if it is just a little bit. But I think this is probably one of the most significant lessons I could ever learn. It means a lot. Can you just imagine growing up facing these things and the impact that this has on a person's life? Wow.
So yeah, I am constantly learning new things. I wish I could just write them down when they happen, but at the same time....it's better if I just remember them after the fact.
Now I have to go do work. I want to start my essays before the chaos begins with Japanese finals. To all of you, a Happy Thanksgiving and a thank you. We don't realize what we have until it is away from us.
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