There is something that reminds me almost daily that I'm not at home. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to properly adjust, and I feel ridiculous every time. Ready? It's...
Walking.
Yes, somehow, one of my most obvious cultural clashes (and crashes) is encountering people while walking and trying to get past them. I instinctively swerve to my right, and everybody else swerves to their left.
I'm kind of not so good with the spatial awareness thing, though, so I'm having a hard time getting my body to go the other direction. It gets easily confused and can't remember which was the original direction and which was the new direction. Don't ask!
Anyway, it often makes me wonder what other cultural situations I may be blundering into (and completely unaware of). People around me are always randomly standing and bowing. Sometimes, I will be really deep into something at my desk and then realize that everyone is standing up! That is discombobulating!
It's always interesting, though! I think I had definitely been rooted in my own culture's forms of politeness (naturally), so it's interesting to see life and behavior through different eyes. I just never realized the enormous scope of things I didn't have to think about before Japan!
Oh, on a fun note, next year's hopeful JET participants have been finding out whether or not they've been accepted!
HEY! That means this blog just had it's first anniversary!! Um, happy anniversary, dear blog! Maybe someone will send us a gift of paper!
Comments
I never thought about the left and right thing . . I can see you dodging, and THEN running into the very person you were so kindly trying NOT to run into!!
I would never have thought of people moving naturally to their left rather than to the right...guess that is because they drive on the left??
It is hard to believe that you have packed so much into 12 short months!