Stupid Foreigner Moments ~ The Other Side

So, it’s been roughly two days since my arrival in Japan. I’ve become somewhat acquainted with my fellow staff members as we rough it through together. However, having spent the vast majority of life in a country where almost everybody speaks my language, finding myself now flipped to the bottom of the food chain, as it were, has become something of a rude awakening. Now, I mentioned earlier that one of my concerns with regards to coming to Japan was the language barrier that I was due to experience. I know basic Japanese from my poor attempts at self-learning and the ten week course I took upon arrival, but while some of it has been useful, my weaknesses with Japanese are as clear as day. I can say basic sentences and my pronunciation is pretty good – I’ve been told – but my listening ability sucks horrendously which makes having a small conversation extremely difficult. What’s more, I can’t help but think that from the native language speaker perspective, I must look like that annoyingly stupid foreigner that natives roll their eyes at.

Now that I’m on the other side, I find that I get embarrassed a lot more and that’s it’s difficult to get my personality across, even with the most simplest of requests. Take this rather embarrassing encounter. (I’m really fortunate that I wasn’t alone when it happened). In an attempt to gain access to the internet, we were instructed to head to an internet café a station ride away. I’m pretty sure this “internet café” fits the description of what is known as a “mangakisa”, a place where comic book and anime fans come together to chill out, surf the internet, read manga…etc. In the UK, an internet café is just that – a place to surf the internet. There are no restrictions and no ties. You walk in; ask to use a computer; the staff member will point you in the direction of said computer; you may or may not need to log in; you surf the internet; you finish; you get up and pay and that’s it! Bob’s your uncle. At this internet café, we had to join. So this included filling out a form which was of course entirely in Japanese.

I still feel sorry for the staff members at this point – one had basic English and one had none whatsoever but we were instructed to fill out the form nonetheless. It was probably a really simple form but it look rather intricate, and as such we only filled out our names, dates of birth and the address section which I could barely remember off the top of my head. After a little more faffing around – their rates of pay were in English – we were lead to a non-smoking area (even though I could smell the smoke from the smoking area nearby). We had the option of using their computers or bringing our own and hooking it up to their ethernet cables so we did the latter. Only, I couldn’t find a plug socket and my laptop can only span roughly forty-five minutes to one hour; it also, wasn’t fully charged so I was panicking. What’s more, I didn’t know the Japanese word for ‘plug socket’. I tried to show the staff member with no English what I needed but obviously he didn’t understand and ended up merely untangling the charger wire from my laptop. So before my computer died, I loaded up Facebook and located two of my Japanese friends asking them for the word in question. Neither of them answered particularly quickly so I loaded up a picture of a plug socket and decided to find one of the members of staff. I beckoned him to follow – with my hand turned down and not up – pointed at the image and blurted out “kore wa arimasu ka?” while pointing at the image. At first, he said “no” and I had a WTF moment and then after realising that I had a travel adapter attached to my plug, he pointed to underside of the table next to me and I wondered how the hell I managed to miss it completely. I thanked him and felt stupid. Japan – 1, Melissa – 0.

I now understand why people smile a lot more when they’re put in situations where there is a language barrier. People smile because they feel awkward. They can’t quite feel themselves because they know that they’re not able to communicate to the extent that they would if they were with someone who spoke the same language. So they smile. Smiling is universal; everybody the world over understands a smile and for the most part, won’t find it offensive. But it can also, act as a barrier in itself to dissuade the “what the hell am doing” or “I have no idea what you’re saying” vibe that one feels when they’re no longer in a position of familiarity. I’ve had plenty of these moments in the last couple of days and for someone like me, who’s used to being able to put myself forward correctly, it feels like it won’t get any easier.

Another shocker for me was how prevalent katakana is. For those not in the know, the Japanese language has three alphabets, for lack of a better term. Hiragana: used for Japanese words; Kanji: derived from Chinese characters; and Katakana: used for foreign words. For example, my name would be written in katakana because of course, it’s a foreign word. Katakana is virtually everywhere – at least in Nagoya anyway. I see it more than I see Hiragana which is often at times mind-boggling. I had actually promised myself that I would learn Katakana before I arrived in Japan but didn’t do so. My back’s against the wall now.

On a lighter note, one of my customer’s at my previous company recommended a book called “Japan – The Original Point-and-Speak Phrasebook”. This book has images with words in English, Romaji and Japanese characters and came in handy when I went to a couple of Japanese restaurants. I was able to ask a waitress what she would recommend as I wanted something with chicken in it; I was also, able to ask if the food was spicy and all I had to do was point at the word/image and put it into question form. In the second restaurant, I’m pretty sure the waitress commented positively on using the book so I intend to carry it around with me until I become a bit more competent with my language abilities. I would recommend it to anyone with as limited Japanese ability as I have. It includes sections on being at the airport, taking a train, food, sports, emergencies and my personal favourite – being at a pharmacy/clinic/hospital. I expect I’ll catch a cold at some point so that section will serve as an absolute gem when I need to describe my symptoms.

I feel odd and sometimes, I want to hide away, but I know that I have to keep throwing myself in the deep end. I have to attempt things on my own as well if I intend to get anywhere. And above all, I have to study. Right now, I have the support of my colleagues who are pretty much in the same predicament as me, but it won’t be like that forever – especially when I head over to Hiroshima. So I will push, because even though it feels like a mountain to climb, it’s something that I must overcome.

I’m sure there will be more “stupid foreigner moments” to come however.

Cathay Pacific ~ The Good, The Not Bad and The Ugly

I’ve been very fortunate to have holidayed a few times throughout my life, but it’s a very rare occasion that I’ve flown somewhere alone. The only other time I flew to another country by myself was when I travelled to Spain. It was my first time and I picked a budget airline called EasyJet which flies predominantly around Europe. I was quite impressed with the flight and at the time, I had a VISA Electron card which meant I got the flight discounted but the real challenge for me would be to fly alone on a long haul flight. I don’t think I was nervous about it nonetheless, but it was really important for me to find a decent airline as I knew I would be up in the air for quite some time. So the first thing I did was set my criteria.

I wanted an airline that was reasonably priced, that had in-flight entertainment, that would allow me a lot of luggage, that would ensure a short stopover – there were no direct flights to Nagoya - and that held decent reviews. The first airline I came across was China Eastern Airlines. They were cheap and they permitted two huge suitcases in addition to hand luggage. I would have gone with them had it not been for the monster reviews I’d seen online for their long haul flights. Therefore, I opted for Cathay Pacific instead. I sacrificed luggage as they only permit you a 20kg suitcase (yet hand luggage and laptop) but I liked their reviews; there was a stopover in Hong Kong which would only entail a three hour wait and I had confirmation from a colleague that they were decent. They also, had on-flight entertainment including a lot of movies that I wanted to watch. So with my airline chosen, I made my way to the airport and waited with baited breath to see if I’d made the right choice.

My biggest concern initially, was my suitcase. It was overweight and Cathay Pacific indicates that if you are one kilo over, you will have to pay $60 which amounts to roughly £40. I spent a couple of days taking things out and putting things in, in order to get it to weigh correctly. In the end, my big suitcase was over by a kilo and my hand luggage was over by half a kilo, but the lovely man behind the counter didn’t mention it at all and so I had no problems there. I think it might have had something to do with the fact that I was early and I had checked in online already. Or maybe the guy was in a good mood because I’m sure some of the other airline staff might actually impose the rules. All I can say is I was very fortunate there.

Getting onto the plane was easy enough. I arrived in the waiting lounge just as they were asking people to board. I located my seat with ease (aisle seat for the win) but was annoyed that some selfish idiot had decided to place his hand luggage, laptop and coat in such a way that it took up the entire compartment above me. In the end, both my hand luggage and laptop were separated from each other but I settled in my seat and realised that nobody in my row (there were four) knew each other. We were all in the same boat.

Take-off took thirty minutes as there was a queue at the runway (we still arrived in Hong Kong early however) but we took off and when the plane stabilised, I launched into my entertainment. I watched three movies and an episode of The Big Bang Theory. I realised a little too late that I could have plugged in my laptop and played some games. I slept for roughly an hour as they provided a towel and pillow (the pillow was warm but uncomfortable when placed behind my head). We were fed and watered throughout the entire flight – two big meals, a couple of rounds of snacks and a couple additional rounds of drinks – these could also, be requested nonetheless. When I needed to access my hand luggage, the air stewards made an effort to help me without me even asking.

As Cathay Pacific is a Chinese airline, there were more Chinese passengers than anyone else. One was sitting next to me and had a bad habit of getting up constantly and disappearing for long periods of time and then coming back – especially when I was tucking into a movie. I found it interesting however that he did not use his on-flight entertainment once but found it just as interesting to peer at my screen from time to time and see what I was getting into. He wasn’t a bad guy however. He was very helpful and polite to me (especially when we were due to get off the plane and I had nowhere to put my hand luggage. We even spoke briefly).

On my connecting flight at Hong Kong (Hong Kong have free internet at its airport by the way, which is awesome), I found my chair a little more cramped than in the long haul flight (not an aisle seat this time). I felt incredibly uncomfortable and even moreso when they served yet another meal. Had I known this, I probably wouldn’t have filled up on water and sweets beforehand so I promise you that as soon as I rolled off this flight, I felt like I was gonna explode. This was a perk however – good for people with big appetites and the food across both flights was okay. (I would not recommend the Congee  however. What’s more, during my first meal on the previous flight, the piece of bread they gave me was tough as nails). Once more, there was entertainment on this flight also, which I found shocking for a short haul flight (it was a little over 3 hours) but also, a perk. I was too tired to engage however so slept for most of it and then watched what I could of Happy Feat while I ate.

What I found quite interesting about both these flights however was that a lot of the passengers had no regard for the rules. Sometimes the seatbelt sign would still be on or would switch on and passengers would be up and about getting their hand luggage or popping to the bathroom. Even after the air stewards would ask them to sit down, they would continue to queue. Both English and Chinese were used on both flights (and even Japanese on the second one) so it wasn’t the fault of a language issue or anything. Simply put, people just didn’t want to comprehend that when it’s time to switch off your phone because it could affect the mechanisms on the flight, that one should switch off their phone and not put it on silent. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have an issue with flying but I do have an issue with people playing with fire – especially when there’s a chance that it could affect me.

Overall, it was a pretty smooth experience. There were no major issues on the flight; no delays and as promised, my luggage went straight through from air craft to air craft so I didn’t have to check in more than once. In fact, my suitcase came out pretty much as soon as I set foot in the collection area in Japan and I had to run to catch it before it disappeared. Staff were relatively friendly and I never went hungry. I would definitely consider flying with them again, only this time, I got a discount as I went through an agent. If you go through their website and I suspect, going through some agents as well, it’ll be a little on the steep side if you’re flying from the UK.

To conclude, however, I would give Cathay Pacific 4 out of 5 stars.

Japan Prep ~ The Countdown

As I write this, there are less than 48 hours to go before I get on my planes to Japan. I’ve seen all of my family and most of my friends; I’ve eaten copious amounts of food; I received gifts from both here and overseas; I’ve been given kind words and wise words; I’ve shed tears – who would have thought it? But right now, more than anything, I’m hoping that by the end of today, I will be virtually good to go.

Preparing to travel overseas for a long period of time can be stressful – especially for someone like me who is a keen organiser and who likes things to run smoothly. I can pretty much say that I’ve been preparing to go to Japan since I found out I got the job but there were a few obstacles in my way that prevented me from carrying out specific tasks at specific times. Therefore, my biggest piece of advice to anyone would be to have patience. Sometimes, certain things – especially to do with official documents – take a little longer than others. So in the meantime, do other things that will contribute later to your departure; go to work – make some money; you’re seriously gonna need it because moving abroad can be a big feat. Spend time with family and friends because you’re not gonna see them for a while: anything that’s gonna help you in the long run to make your transition smoother.

As for me and my preparations. This is my story.

~

Important Documents

Work Pemit? Visa? Passport, if you need one? Get this sorted as early as possible. I can’t speak for other visas such as the Working Holiday visa, Spousal visa…etc but I was pretty fortunate as my company virtually walked me through all the steps. I can’t say for certain but I believe that when you have a company backing you, it becomes a much smoother process which is why I was determined to find work overseas before travelling. I’m not saying that others have had a harder time by simply travelling to Japan to find work on Japanese soil because I’ve come across people who have done exactly this. But I’m nowhere near brave enough to pack up my life and cross into unfamiliar territory with a handful of cash, a pocket full of optimism and limited direction. I would crumble but I admire those who’ve had the courage to do this. All I can say is that I already had my passport and the process of acquiring my visa and associated documents was extremely smooth; it took no more than a few weeks collectively.

Flight

After you’ve acquired your documents, I would suggest you book your flight. Now I’ve known people who have travelled to Japan and I reckon that even by checking out the time difference alone, anyone could guess that it’s one hellova flight. As for me, I already had a budget in mind. Instead of Tokyo however, I will be flying to Nagoya so I searched across the internet for a deal. One of the cheapest airlines I came across was China Eastern Airlines. They were particularly attractive to me because they permitted you two checked-in 23kg suitcases, plus hand luggage. But I decided against them because of some of the reviews I’d read. I think that when selecting an airline, you have to decide what’s more important to you, whether it’s luggage allowance, comfort…etc. For me, I knew I would be in the air for a while so I wanted an airline that would keep me entertained so that I forgot about the duration of the flight. In the end, I went through an agent called STA Travel who offer discounts to students and those under 26-years-old. Currently, I’m 25 and they had a deal going (within my budget range no less) with the airline Cathay Pacific which had pretty decent reviews (including confirmation from someone I knew).  It’s a stopover flight but my stopover is very short (this was also, important to me) so I get to stretch my legs after a while, but they’re luggage allowance is only 20kg. They do however, allow a laptop in addition to hand luggage.

Money

I spent the longest time racking my brains and trying to figure out how I could get a rather large sum of money overseas without actually having to carry a large sum of money. I think I may have mentioned earlier that I dislike carrying a lot of money on me in my day to day life. Therefore, the solution seems simple enough. Bring a credit/debit card. Only, I’m quite a stingy person. I’ve never liked credit cards and I’m well aware that my bank will charge me through the roof if I even considered using my debit card abroad. Thus, I would lose a lot of my hard-earned cash this way and I didn’t like it. Nevertheless, I knew I would need some cash to use as it would be a while before I got to set up a bank account so I searched high and low and came across a site called Travelex which had one of the best exchange rates going. (Right now, the pound is stronger than the yen). I also, spoke to a relative, who recommended a company called Caxton FX. They provide a currency card free of charge which can be used internationally and which will provide me with the best exchange rate of the day no matter where I withdraw from. And more importantly, there’d be no extra charge when withdrawing or using said card abroad. All I’d need to do was load it with money from a bank account. Result. Lastly, I then emailed a friend in Japan about traveller’s cheques as it’s quite well-known that this method of exchange isn’t very prominent in Japan anymore. Fortunately, the city I’ll be moving to possesses a few establishments that will change the cheques for me. Double result. My money issue was resolved and this brings me to my next point…

  

Networking

I kid you not. Facebook has been my friend these last few weeks. My company put me in touch with some of my fellow teachers. I joined their Facebook group. For women of colour, I joined another group called Women of Color Living Abroad and this too has been a big help as it helped me get in touch with women like myself who had done it all before. Previously, I joined a website called Interpals in order to meet some Japanese people or people working in Japan. I also, joined a site called Japan Guide and posted an ad in the Classifieds section seeking friends and through all this I’ve had some pretty positive results. I’ve therefore, come to the conclusion that by moving abroad, the buffer you have that are your friends and family will not be there anymore. And even though you can still communicate with them – we have Skype, WhatsApp…etc - it’s not the same as having them there in person. What’s more, you’re gonna be walking into unfamiliar territory as living in another country is not quite the same as going on holiday. So get out there and find out as much information as possible. I’ve asked so many questions to so many people. I’ve asked their opinions on certain matters and about their experiences as a whole, and I am grateful to every single one of them. What’s more – who’s to say you mightn’t make a lifelong friend or two on the way. Social networking is the way forward.

Shipping

Cathay Pacific only allow 20kg but I knew that considering that we’re rolling into winter, I would only need winter garb for the time being. That being said, I have a lot of summer items and the like that I would like to send over to myself. So another concern for me was finding a reasonably priced shipping company in the UK. Remember when I mentioned networking? It really does help to know people. A friend of mine recommended a Japanese shipping company called Nippon Express. They’re rates were pretty good so I contacted them and they sent me out the documentation free of charge. When I sat down to look through it all, it all seemed very confusing nonetheless and their head office was based quite far away from me. Instead, I am opting for a company called CourierPoint which a girl I met on Facebook had her items shipped with successfully. They seem a lot more straight-forward as everything is done online. They’re prices are also, reasonable. Based on the quote I got, I can send a 30kg box for £150 (size and other restrictions apply).

Packing

I’ve heard of people spending ridiculous money on suitcases but I bought a large one and a small one for a grand total of £36, both of which sit within Cathay’ Pacific’s baggage allowance. My advice; shop around or use an old one if it’s still good. Unknowing as to where I was going as Peppy Kids have branches all over the place, I blew a lot of money on winter clothing but realised that I was probably going to need some lighter clothing as well considering I’m going to be jumping around with children. I packed the clothing anyway nonetheless because Japanese sizes simply won’t accommodate me; the same goes for shoes as I’m a UK size 8. I’ve put enough cosmetic items in there to last me a month which should be enough time for me to receive my box containing the bulk of the cosmetics I bought.  I’ve packed a load of entertainment from Japanese language books and the fifth volume of the A Song of Ice and Fire series to games on my laptop. I bought some travel adapters even though I know that I could have bought some upon arrival. I’ve also, packed some Paracetamol, and Ear Planes – I get that air pressure pain something fierce. I bought a luggage scale to weigh all of this as well and I’ve pretty much maxed everything out.

Loose Ends

Got a job? Got a mobile phone? Students Loans to repay maybe? Be sure to alert those that need to be told that you’re jumping ship. I don’t know about other countries but in the UK, if you fail to declare that you’re travelling overseas to work, they will deduct a penalty fee of £250. As for my mobile, I had set myself a new year’s resolution to find work overseas within the year so when my two year contract finished back in February, I downgraded to a 30-day SIM-only plan which could be cancelled at any time as long as I gave 30 days notice. I gave my workplace two and a half weeks notice and cancelled every one of my direct debits. I want minimal drama while I’m abroad. So reduce your stress. Tie up all your loose ends.

 ~

There were a few other things that I did in order to prepare for Japan that aren’t on this list, for example, the classes I went to, or the time I took off work in the final countdown but these are the ones that seem to most important to me. I even created an excel document to keep track of my progress. (Mind you, I’m not suggesting anyone should do this as it’s a little extra but this is just my preference). It doesn’t have to be the headache that it might feel like. And don’t feel like you have to do it on your own either. The amount of time it takes to prepare is probably different for everyone. As for me, I feel like I’m ready to go now.

First stop: Hong Kong

Second Stop: Nagoya

Final Stop: Hiroshima

Retail Detail ~ Food, "Fun" and Final Impressions...

So today marks yet another ‘end of an era’ as I worked my – hopefully – final day in the food retail industry. I’ve had quite something of a rollercoaster in the last eight months. I’ve seen people come and people go. I’ve ascended through some ranks – albeit unofficially. I’ve made friends. I’ve made coffee. But above all, I’ve made memories.

Earlier in the year, I pretty much ripped a hole into my situation. I was miserable. I didn’t like my circumstances. I didn’t care for a couple of my colleagues. I felt the entire shop was run like a military operation and I really couldn’t be myself. Despite this, however, I needed the job as I needed the income. And I will admit it’s been nice having a full month’s pay all over again as I was actually able to do things, pay bills, buy things and have money left over by the next pay day. But pay aside, I feel like I should reassess my job, as while some things stayed the same, a lot of things changed over time.

If you recall, I stated that in any job, two things are important to me. The first one concerned my team. I stated that they must be awesome and I think anyone would agree. Getting on with your teammates makes things run a lot more smoothly.

Now I don’t like to make waves. In the past, I’ve often been quiet when I’m upset or annoyed with someone, but as I became more familiar with my role and my colleagues, I think I learnt to be a bit more honest with my feelings. It was very rare but when I had issues with other members of staff, I learnt to take the opportunity to talk out my issues and even though this was quite uncomfortable at times, I realised that it really did take a weight off my shoulders. Making peace is the way forward and I feel like I’ve grown up a bit during this time.

The second thing I mentioned was that management must be tolerable. Now I went through two new managers, plus an extra addition, and I must say that this got a much better over time. I don’t know if it was down to my growing experience, level of confidence or just general trust placed in me, but I felt like the military hold receded and my shop became a much more enjoyable place to work. I wasn’t restricted anymore. I was given more responsibility and through this I was able to let more of my personality shine through. My managers were still my managers but I could also talk to them on a more personable level. This made working there a lot easier.

I also mentioned the customers.

Now this pretty much stayed the same. I had customers that would come in for a quick chat with their coffee and I had customers that I really didn’t give a toss about. I had some particular difficult and anal individuals who felt that their role as an “educated professional” meant that they were entitled to some form of sovereign treatment. I had customers make awkward and sometimes even ridiculous demands. I’ve had customers bold-facedly ask for freebies. Heck, there were roughly the same amount of customer complaints as there were compliments. But at the same time, I’ve had customers put a smile on my face. I’ve had customers that would talk to me and ask after my well-being without me initiating the conversation first. I’ve had customers express extreme gratitude for something I’ve done for them and I’ve had customers compliment me on my ability to cope during rush hour – and boy, were those some intense rushes. A customer even bought me a gift to commemorate my departure and it wasn’t until I started telling people that I was leaving that I realised just how much some of these people actually liked me. I had always been under the impression that they just didn’t give a damn. How wrong I was.

I actually ended up going down the barista route again so in contrast to my earlier remark, I guess they did want me to be a barista, or at least some people, more than others, were prepared to put it into motion. I still don’t drink coffee mind you. (Matcha Latte for the win!) I certainly got a lot faster. I maintained some of those bad habits however, but I still make a good cup of coffee. Mocha, anyone?

I saw a uniform update. I ate some good food. I met some good people and made some great friends.

Retail was never where I wanted to end up. Granted, I’m still of the impression that considering the amount of people to join and leave my company, it can’t be where most people see themselves either. But I still think that as a ground employee, it’s a good place to start. And it's a good place to work too (although it really is the luck of the draw). It was an adventure. I had good days and bad days. I had easier days and hard days. 

Do I regret not taking that other job? 

No, not really.

After all, I gained some more life experience but now it’s time to move on to the next chapter.

The London Files ~ The Will Miss List

The general question / assumption that I get from people as I draw closer to Japan is that I must be excited. But for the longest time, I felt the most ominous sense of calm and neutrality that would make anyone question whether I genuinely want to go to Japan. And believe me, I do. I’ve been wanting to go for many years and to finally have a shot at both going there and starting on a potential career path is simply awesome. In fact, exactly one month from today, I will be getting on that plane but the excitement still hasn’t fully set it yet. And further still, there will be a lot of things that won’t be easily accessible to me and a lot of things that I will have to get used to – whether I find them easy to adjust to or not. And of course, sometimes there will be those moments when I’m sitting alone and that sense of aloneness will make me consider what I’ve actually left behind.

Conveniences

The fact that I was born in London and that I grew up here means that I am very much aware of how to get by. Simple things such as buying something at the supermarket, travelling to another part of the UK or sending mail via the post office are extremely easy for me to do but doing such things in Japan where I’m not fully aware of the practises, nor do I have a common language, are going to seem ten times harder for me. Other typical things such as navigating my way around or ordering take away over the phone are going to be extremely trying and probably frustrating as well. It was only by chance, when I was drinking a bottle of Lucozade while queuing up to pay for it with a Japanese friend of mine, that I found out that opening any item of food or drink before actually paying for it in Japan would get me in serious trouble, whereas in the UK, as long as one has the intention to pay for it, this isn’t the case. I’m going to have to adapt to a completely new set of rules and methods for doing things. My little conveniences will be next to no more.

Home

In London, I live in a pretty good place. I have a large park about two minutes from my front door and this place is great for those keen on exercise as well as the odd festival or fun fair. Five minutes from my house, I have shops and take away establishments for my every day (or once in a while essentials). There is a bus stop not a minute away and I have easy access to both the underground and the overhead trains. If I travel into Central London for a night out on the town, I find it incredibly easy to get home at four o clock in the morning. In fact, I can travel just about anywhere from my location and Google Maps has been so good to me. As I’m still not aware of where I will be living for the next year or so, I have no idea whether my living space will be as good as the house I grew up in. I will certainly miss it and all the benefits that come with it.

Food

Everybody has a favourite food and while I’ve gone through my share of weaknesses (which might still actually be weaknesses) e.g. chocolate, there are quite a few things that I know that the Japanese simply won’t have. In fact, I’m going to have to find new goodies when I’m over there and say goodbye to all my luxuries. For example, I’m actually a great lover of cheese – especially when melted – but I know that it’s very difficult to find in Japan so I’m pretty much getting my cheese fix in the next month so that I can prepare myself to give it up. Other goodies like Ribena – my childhood fixation – and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes – which are truly truly addictive – will have to go on the scrap heap, because I doubt I’ll come across them in Japan and as with other food that I’m used to, I’m sure it’s not gonna taste exactly like home (unless it’s imported that is). This is not that big of a deal however - it’s not like I’m saying goodbye to food in general - but I don’t doubt that I won’t miss a great steaming heap of Mexican chicken in a brioche bun once in a while.

Blending In

As I’ve mentioned previously, London is a multi-cultural hot pot. There isn’t a race or culture or type of person that doesn’t exist here and even if they don’t, if they were to enter into the UK ad introduce their culture to the city, I doubt people would bat an eyelid much as it’s all been done before. I’m a third generation West Indian. Both my parents were born in the UK while my grandparents immigrated here in the sixties. I’m no one special. People don’t pay me any mind, but in Japan, I’m going to stand out ridiculously. I’m a woman and by British standards, I’m average but by Japanese standards, I’m huge. I’m also black and we make up around 5% of the population in the UK but have had enough presence to warrant a sense of normality. In Japan, the amount of black people or non-Japanese is very small meaning that I won’t be able to blend in at all. I’ll be a constant abnormal presence in Japan and I know I’ll be stared at to the point of irritation. I’ll miss not be able to fade into the background.

Essentials

In the same way that all my favourite foods will be left behind, so will all the products I’m accustomed to using. As a woman, I have my regime. I’m not overly feminine but I’m aware of what works for me and I like to stick to what I know. It’s therefore unfortunate for me that Japan doesn’t have any of the products that I use or that are necessities to me. I’ve heard a rumour that Japanese deodorant is weaker than the western variants and that a lot of Japanese toothpastes don’t contain fluoride (please feel free to confirm or dispute this as I’m not in the know). The fact that I won’t be able to access such products with ease any more did have me concerned for a while until I found a website from the UK that does actually deliver every single one of my items overseas. Naturally however, this will probably cost a fortune and so while I hope I’ll be able to find some products in Japan that might agree with me, I’m still leaning towards what I already know.

English

It’s no secret that the Japanese are on the English flex in a similar fashion to most non-English speaking countries around the world. I have heard that if a Japanese person can speak English (and if they’re confident enough), they will use the opportunity to converse with English natives which is pretty useful for us foreigners. However, just because there are some that can speak English, it doesn’t mean that this is the case for everyone or everywhere. The news will be in Japanese, newspapers will be in Japanese, signs will be in Japanese…etc, because low and behold, I will be living in Japan. This means that I’m not going to be understood all the time and that even speaking to Japanese people who can speak English will be, on occasion, fraught with difficulties. And while I know that I shouldn’t expect English speaking to be an everyday occurrence and nor should I simply give up in my conquest to learn Japanese, there will be times when I’ll simply desire to switch off my brain and have a typical conversation in English with no problems or misunderstandings whatsoever.

Friends

I’m not the kind of person that seeks to have many friends. In fact, I’ve brushed shoulders with a lot of people in my life but there are very few that I consider my friend and fewer people still who I trust with myself. In all honesty, as bad as it might be to say, I find it incredibly easy to cut people off if I feel like there’d be no benefit to keeping in contact with them. Additionally, however, I can often go long periods of time without contact with others – even my closest friends – but despite this I still value their friendship. I have odd relationships with people and choose what I share with people and what I don’t share with others but I will miss the relationships I’ve struck up with them. I will miss going out to dance the night away or rolling on the floor laughing until my sides split. I will miss sharing a meal at TGI Fridays or having a diplomatic conversation with those of my friends who are likeminded. And even though I know that some of my friendships will transcend time, I will miss the measured proximity I’ll have had with them when I’m halfway across the world

Family

I’ve talked about my family on my blog before and how I don’t generally feel that close to them and while in some cases, this does still stand, I think it’s only recently that I’ve realised that despite our differences, I’m going to miss my family most of all. I’ve stated up to this point that I haven’t actually felt any other emotion about my moving abroad besides neutrality, but I was actually met with a  bout of sadness not too long ago and it didn’t actually hit me until my mother’s birthday party. All my family were around me. When I unveiled my flight date, there was a still sense of (what I now believe might have been) sadness from them that I initially mistook for coldness but then as everybody began to enjoy themselves and I started mingling, I realised that I was getting homesick and I hadn’t actually left my living room. As a gift to my mother, I got a professional photo of us done together and even looking at it hanging up on the wall makes me relive those feelings even more. But fortunate, I’ve been told by others who have upped and left that this is normal so I don’t feel completely bad for it. But I will miss them because despite our lack of togetherness and the occasions when they’ve driven me insane, because they’ve always been there for me. And even though I won’t be able to physically reach out and touch them, they will continue to be there for me still.

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So yes, I have slandered London and there are quite a few things that are ugly about this place, but it’s my city and it’s in this city that I’ve lived my life up until this moment. And even though I know it’s not forever, I’ve never taken quite as big a step as I will be taking next month. So I will miss it terribly. But I’ll definitely be back some day. And hopefully with a string of adventures, teaching experience and life experience under my belt.

The London Files ~ The 'Won’t Miss' List

Partially inspired by the 1000 Things About Japan blog that I read from time to time and also, inspired by the sheer scale of idiocy and other grievances that I’ve come across during my twenty-five and a half years of living existence, I’ve decided to compile of list of things I won’t miss about my humble and yet infamous city of London, England. There will be a Will Miss List too, but today I feel like slandering my city. Many people the world over desire to come here and I still believe that I am truly blessed to have been born here, but it’s not physically possible for me to love every waking moment of my time here in the UK and so as I embark on my journey across the world, I give you – the unsuspecting internet surfer or Brown Jem loyalist, a peak into the downs and the lows of London town.

Transport

I’ve probably mentioned before, but according to sources, Japanese transport is one of the most punctual in the world. In the UK – particularly in London – it isn’t uncommon for trains to be late or signals to fail; neither is it uncommon for people to fling themselves in the paths of speeding trains for that quick and easy death. But while my heart goes out to those people who desired nothing more than to eradicate their existence, I still need to get to work on time. I despise getting on a packed bus during particularly bad weather, having to rub shoulders with people in thick, damp heat, while the bus creeps along the road because the congestion charge just isn’t cutting it. I hate having to pile drive myself onto a train just because people don’t want to move into that open space directly beside them. I hate rising fares for exactly the same service as last year. I like having an oyster though – it’s quite convenient – but I will not miss public transport in London.

Outdoor Smoking

Now, anyone who knows me will know that I despise cigarettes with a passion. I had a really rough experience with cigarettes as a child and ever since, I have purposely gone out of my way to avoid the puff…and the puff ponies themselves. According to a few people I’ve been speaking to, however, outdoor smoking isn’t common in Japan – albeit sometimes there are areas designated for this. Ever since the UK imposed its smoking ban back in 2007, people are no longer allowed to smoke inside public establishments however; they must now smoke outside. And this is great. It means that when I leave a club or a restaurant, my clothes don’t smell like ash. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t have to deal with people blowing their smoke in my face while I wait at the bus stop or try to evacuate a smoke stream if I happen to be walking in the path of a chimney. I literally have to get in front of them to avoid the ash; it’s like a bloody game – only the game is with my life as I’d rather prolong it for as long as possible thank you very much. The only downside is that in contrast, in Japan, they’re encouraged to smoke indoors so while I’ll be able to breathe easy on the streets, I’ll still have to deal with it inside in Japan.

Cleanliness

Anyone who’s been to London or has lived in London will know that no matter how many road sweepers and dustbin men we employ, London’s level of cleanliness sucks. A Japanese friend of mine couldn’t believe the amount of chewing gum stuck to the streets outside a fancy establishment such as Harrods, but people generally don’t care and fling their rubbish here, there and everywhere.  Even I’ve been guilty of it in the past but I try to locate a bin these days. There’s actually a fine for persistent littering, fly tipping and the like but people don’t pay it any mind and I think this is because it’s difficult to police. Someone I know who went to Japan remarked about how clean it was and that had it not looked out of the ordinary, she would have walked the street bare foot. It’ll be nice to walk down the street and not have to worry about what I’m stepping in for once.

The Weather

While this year’s summer was nice, it kicked off late again and it finished just as abruptly. I couldn’t believe how quickly the temperature just dropped. One moment, we were in our shorts and tees and the next we were reaching for our raincoats and umbrellas. I heard that in Japan the seasons are bit more well-defined whereas in London, we often get mass bouts of bad weather; it snows late January instead of December and the “rainy seasons” cross into June sometimes. I will not miss the crappy, unpredictable and random habits of British weather in the slightest.

British Drinking Culture

If there’s one thing the British are famous for, it’s their outlandish drinking habits. In Europe, the bars and nightclubs open their gates for the sole purpose of welcoming the British who spend copious amounts of their vacation time inside a bottle of Vodka, or Hoffmeister, or Mojito…or just about anything they can get their hands on. Every Thursday (that’s right, Friday is still a working day mind you), Friday night, Saturday night, Football Match Sunday and Bank Holiday weekend, you can expect to find a bunch of British people drinking the night away in their local boozer. They’ll get drunk, lose themselves, get lost,  get leary, get flirty, make themselves sick and then wake up without any memory of the subsequent evening before deeming it a ‘cracking night out’. I dislike being around drunk people as is because there’s no reasoning with them so I won’t miss the British drinking culture at all.

Reality TV

In the early 2000s, England decided to ditch the dramas and replace them with extensive coverage of reality TV. Gone went the really gritty series’ like At Home With The Braithwaites, Catherine’s Cookson’s The Girl, Bad Girls (before it got silly)…etc and on came Big Brother, Popstars, X-Factor and 10 Years Younger. Now I watch some reality television. Channel 4’s Dispatches is pretty good, The Apprentice gets you thinking, and I even enjoyed Wife Swap, but our television is full of these things now. And if it’s not reality television, it’s celebrity television from Strictly Come Dancing to I’m A Celebrity! Get Me Out of Here. I miss a good old fashion drama that has you hooked until the next episode. I don’t want to have to phone in to evict someone. I already pay TV License; why should I pay more? I have no idea what Japanese television will have in store for me but I probably won’t understand a lick of it to begin with anyway. So yes, I won’t miss reality television at all.

The People

I believe that it’s been said by countless people that Londoners are not the most friendly of people and I’m about to confirm that this may well be a fact. A lot of expats or foreigners will say this as well but what they fail to realise is that nowadays, London isn’t just made up of British people but of all types of people from all walks of life. So what we have here in London is a giant culture clash with many people attempting to live their lives by their own cultural standards. But I’m not blaming the foreigners, because while I know that they’re not perfect either, it’s a known fact that London lost its community spirit over fifty years ago. People are rude. (Kids are worse). They will nudge you, step on you, push in front of you in a queue, take up one and a half seats when sitting on the bus, disregard rules, road rage, yell at each other, and that’s not the half of it. I’ve heard that people in Tokyo are equally as cold – although perhaps not as abrasively rude – but I know I won’t be anywhere near Tokyo when I move to Japan. All I know is, I certainly won’t miss the little brat that keeps kicking his ball at my kitchen window and nor will the London mentality either.

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So this is all I could think of that stood out in particular because no place is perfect and everywhere has it’s pros and cons. I think that with most places, you have to take the good with the bad and even though the bad is infuriating, we simply have to make do.

I, fortunately, won’t have to make do for much longer, but I do know that Japan will probably come with its very own negatives as well and I look forward to updating you on what I find.

The Japan Files ~ When Concerns Come Creeping In

It’s exciting, isn’t it? To be moving to another country to live and work for a minimum of one year. The idea of experiencing a completely different world, of trying to integrate into a new culture, and having to adopt a completely different lifestyle in addition to new rules and conduct sounds like a giant adventure. And in my family, this is quite a big deal because I know for certain – that on my mum’s side anyway – no one in my family has ever attempted to do something quite so radical. And with such a big deal comes a huge amount of thought and preparation. In fact, there is so much information out there that it’s a little bit difficult for me to narrow everything down. In fact, my brain is doing some serious overtime right now trying to make sense of what I need to do before I move, who I need to speak to, how I intend to get myself out there and above all how I intend to survive. But as the cogs in my head keep turning, there is a part of me that’s raising alarm bells. Because in fact, the first emotion I got after that lengthy period of “this doesn’t quite feel so real yet” was nervousness. Because the control freak in me is currently yelling a thousand obscenities because she can’t relax. She has a million and one worries about her journey to Japan and what won’t, might and probably will be in store for her so allow me to offload:

Language Barrier

I’m so used to be surrounded by foreign language speakers in the UK but I’ve never been that foreign language speaker myself and with the limited Japanese that I have, I’m royally screwed if I don’t pick up some of the lingo sharpish. I’m aware that in the cities, there are people who are keen to use their English but I’m not going to rely on that. I intend to come to Japan and as a gaikokujin living in Japan, it is only right that I learn some Japanese.

What I’ve noticed amongst my foreign language friends and colleagues is that at times they can become frustrated at not being able to communicate as they’d like. And even though I try to reassure them, I realise that their issues with their inability to communicate are quickly going to become mine. But rather than smile about my apparent lack of Japanese language ability, I foresee myself kicking myself in the shin at not being able to grasp the language fast enough and therefore, not being able to perform every day activities, such as grocery shopping, to a satisfactory standard.

Health Trauma

It’s inevitable. Every year at some point, I get sick. It’s usually in the form of a cold and in more rare cases, a migraine or upset stomach. So I’m gonna need to go to the chemist or see a doctor but how do you explain to someone what’s wrong with you and what you need when you don’t have a common language between you? I’ve heard that in some hospitals, some doctors are bilingual which is great but I can’t expect this really. I’m gonna need to pick up some medical-related words fast.

Money Matters

For some strange reason, my mind’s on my money. I mean I have the money I need; the problem is getting it over there. The easiest way is to bring cash but walking around with thousands of pounds just doesn’t seem plausible to me. I don’t even like walking around with £100. I might carry £30 if I’m going out for the evening or £200 if I’m undergoing some serious retail therapy but this is only because I know the money is going to disappear quite quickly. On average however, I never carry more than £10 a pop in general and I don’t usually withdraw more unless I run out. So yes, basically, I dislike carrying big money and what’s ironic is that I am well aware that Japan is a huge cash populace. Cards aren’t accepted as often as they are here in the UK so I’m going to have the shake this comfort fast.

In terms of the initial overhaul however, I could go down the route of Traveller’s Checks but I realise I know very little about them and am aware that they’re only accepted at banks or at the post office. I could bring my card but I don’t fancy being taxed through the roof for each transaction. Any other option just doesn’t seem attractive to me so I’m going to have to ponder on this one further

Social Damnation

I can be a rather antisocial person at times. I don’t always desire to go out and spend time with people. Sometimes I like being in the comfort of my own home and I often appreciate a lazy day in. But despite this, I’m not a complete recluse. I do crave social interactions and that leads me to my next concern with regards to making friends and attempting to establish a social life. What if I end up on my own a little too much? What if I find it difficult to throw myself even more so out of my comfort zone and what if via doing this, others find me unapproachable? It’s like a double-edged sword really.

Job Strain

In all the jobs I’ve worked in, there have been good times and bad times. Fundamentally, however, I have worked jobs that I’ve loved more than I’ve hated and vice versa. But the fact still stands. A job’s a job and no day will ever truly be the same. But my fear is what if I hate it? I like kids and when I was a kid myself, I often played with the younger children because I found them much more amusing than my classmates. But now I’m older and my experience with children has dwindled. I have no kids of my own and I’m not as maternal as I probably should be. I don’t want to do a bad job however. I wanna become great at it but the issue still stands. What if it becomes a little too much for me?

House Troubles

It’s no secret that Japanese homes are small. The counters are lower, the fridges are tiny and everything’s compact – or at least it will be when I move into my studio apartment. I don’t doubt I’ll be in some sort of apartment complex but I’m a tall woman by Japanese standards and also, a little heavy-handed (and footed too). My first concern is that I’ll break something. I’m not usually so clumsy but I’m much more used to wider spaces. My second concern is my neighbours. I had problems with my neighbours here in the UK who kept playing their music at ridiculous hours mid-week. What if I get horrible neighbours, or better yet, what if my neighbours don’t like me? My last concern in this category is the refuse system. Apparently, Japan have rather strict laws on separating rubbish whereas in the UK, recycling and the like is optional. Certainly, it’s better for the environment but most of us are a lazy people and we gather up all our waste into a black bag, chuck it in the council provided bins outside and wait for the bin men to collect them every week. What if I just can’t grasp it?

Japan Anxieties

Of the people I’ve come into contact with and of some of the blogs I’ve read, most people have talked about Japan favourably but with every situation in life, nothing is truly perfect. Some people have had their reservations while others have flat out hated their experiences but what both these types of people have in common is one denominator: culture shock. I aware of the four stages of culture shock and I’m also, aware that I’m guaranteed to experience it, but what concerns me is that I might end up staying in the Negotiation Stage whereby the frustrations of living in Japan become really apparent to the point that I just can’t hack it. I’m aware of some of the differences already (has anyone heard of the giant crackdown on dancing in nightclubs?) so in a sense, I expect them but I’m sure there are some customs and practises that I don’t know about or mightn’t become accustomed to.

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I’m sure I have more worries (for example, shipping things over to myself and/or back home to the UK) but the above are my main areas for the moment. For some of them, I’m steadily getting my head around how I’m going to have to do things but I fully intend to revist this entry some time next year as an update to how I managed to conquer them or become conquered by them.

Here’s hoping for the former.