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Lost in Japan (3): The Sun

The Sun.

The brightest star from our view here on Earth. That giant ball of gas that allows our planet to sustain life. Our lives revolve around the Sun (quite literally). These are just some of the Sun’s merits for which it needs to be revered for. I’m sure there are more amazing, spiritual, philosophical, and scientific things about the Sun that can help explain some of our existence and the works of the universe, but I am not a nerd. Don’t worry, though. I can still provide some of my own BS philosophy. 

We embody the Sun. We like to shine. But we also don’t like to show off our dark spots. America’s theme of “freedom” is hilarious and heartwarming, but it also has its own implied ideas included within it. To prove it, I asked a lot of people here, “what are your thoughts on America?” The answers are in no particular order, but here are some memorable answers. 

Survey says!

1) “Tall, Wide Men”

2) Trump

3) Tips

4) Guns

5) Tattoos

6) Lemonade Stands

7) Bigfoot

None of these answers necessarily have to do with American tourists in the country. Basically, you know that stuff we joke about when we scream “AMERICA!”? You know: guns and explosions. That’s what they think of American citizens, too. It’s funny. I associate quite literally ALL of these things I mentioned above with Americans as well. When I picture Americans, I picture gun-loving, freedom-loving, lemonade-stand/small-business-loving Americans. But I must clarify that my view of America is too narrow. That’s the side of America that I viewed having been raised in South Carolina. That might not be how you view US citizens.  

As wild as some of these answers were, the intent behind them was not necessarily negative. For the most part, they were the most engaging and light-hearted answers. Japan’s culture has fostered an environment of a lack of open, candid dialogue. Constructive feedback and criticism are often mistaken for each other, leading to little confrontation in any professional or private setting. As a result, it was difficult to decipher what their true feelings surrounding some of the answers were. And I found it uncomfortable to press further. But having watched Japan’s news programs for the past month on the daily, I can confirm that it is very similar to the West’s. By that, I mean that negativity sells more. Russia and France are hot trends this summer. I can only imagine what news of the US they usually see.

But if it makes anyone feel better. There is one answer that they will openly share about. Americans are rich! You speak with any person in Japan right now about the economy and they’ll tell all about how they envy America’s economy. 

That’s a win in my books. Freedom! Oh wait, I’m doing it again…

Cheers, 

Daniel

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Blog Post #3 – Reconciling New Perspectives

It is hard to reflect on the past week or so because quite a bit has happened since I last wrote. In addition to getting to know my classmates, the family I am staying with, and the city of Grenoble a lot better, I have also had the opportunity to have a number of conversations with French hikers, climbers, and skiers on trails and in alpine huts. I thought I would reflect on one particularly memorable one, when I had the chance to talk with a couple about their perceptions of Americans. Some were more surprising than others.

I met the woman and man––both around age 30––while staying a night at the Refuge des 7 Laux, a beautiful mountain cabin in the Belledone Range (see picture below!). Practically no one at the hut spoke English, so the experience was both good practice and at times a little difficult. After eating soup and talking a little about our hometowns and our respective passion for mountain sports and landscapes, we decided to try to play a card game together. I took advantage of this opportunity to ask them some informal questions about their perspectives of Americans and they shared some brief remarks. There were a few themes that stuck out from their comments. Overall, both the woman and the man were very kind and mainly just answered my questions with questions. They were curious about what it was like to live in the U.S. and how the customs compared to those in France. Specifically, they seemed to assume that gender roles were a little more rigid in the states than they are in France. They also made occasional jokes about the “loudness” of American culture and individuals. Unless I misunderstood, neither of them had been to the states but had gathered their impressions predominately from popular media and news. Sadly, I couldn’t help but agree with some of their impressions, but I also think sometimes the loudest voices in a place do not necessarily represent the bulk of the people. I think they very much understood this, too. Most of all, after all, they were interested in hearing more about American mountains.

I still wonder to what extent the language barrier prevented me from understanding all it was this couple was trying to communicate. But maybe more interestingly, I wonder if sharing conversation at an alpine hut where we could easily connect over our shared love of the mountains made it easier for us to focus on our curiosities and commonalities rather than differences. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to study French in Grenoble was its proximity to the mountains (and the chance to familiarize myself with French alpine culture), and this experience was just one among many I have had that make me feel grateful I have done so. I look forward to sharing more about my experience soon!

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Post #2: Critical Incidents So Far

The past two weeks in Costa Rica have been unforgettable. Traveling alone for the first time in my life, along with living in a non-English speaking country, I now understand the value of speaking someone else’s language and the connection it allows people to develop. Spending time with my host family has been extremely rewarding; I do not doubt that speaking with them in their native language has allowed us to develop a strong relationship and allowed me to experience Costa Rican culture in the fullest sense. Similarly, I have developed a strong relationship with my Spanish teacher, Jairo, which I credit primarily to our conversations in Spanish and shared interests.

I have found that Uber rides are the perfect opportunity to practice Spanish since the driver is usually a native speaker willing to talk and answer questions. One Uber ride, in particular, struck me as an ideal example of the relationships waiting to be built that are only impeded by the language barrier. The driver and I struck up a conversation, and to my surprise, he was familiar with my hometown, Troy, NY. Most people at Notre Dame I have met are unfamiliar with Troy, so discussing American history, different cities, and my hometown with my Uber driver astounded me. My connection with the Uber driver was made possible by speaking the same language. A wonderful conversation took place that, if I could not speak Spanish, would have been a silent car ride.

The cultural metaphor of glasses can explain the above interaction. Speaking only English, I would not be wearing glasses in Costa Rica. I would not have been able to converse with my Uber driver or many other amazing people I have met here. My opinions about these people and my understanding of Costa Rican culture would likely have been different without the valuable interactions and relationships I have built while speaking Spanish with Costa Ricans. I would not have seen Costa Ricans and their culture as they are by speaking only English and lacking glasses. Speaking Spanish has allowed me to connect with people at a deeper level; ‘wearing glasses’ has allowed me to know people as they are and understand the culture here as authentically as possible. While I am indeed a foreigner, and my Spanish skills have a long way to go, I have developed a profound appreciation for the gift of the connections and experiences made possible by speaking someone’s native language.

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Jour (séjour)

Watching your goals being achieved is very fulfilling. From my first day at school till now, I have seen significant changes in my attitude towards learning French culture. I am more open to learning new ideas, trying their various cuisines, and speaking in their accent (something I still find very strange). There is so much to learn about the city where I reside, Vichy. I was made to understand by my host family that the city has a thermal source of water. In fact, most of the tourists/visitors to Vichy come because of the healing properties of the water. For that reason, hotels were constructed almost everywhere in the city to accommodate the influx of tourists.

During the tour around Vichy, I was shown the Park created by Napoleon III. He is celebrated every June because of that. This year, the celebration commenced on the 16th of June and ended on the 18th of June with a parade of French officials in 19th and 20th century costumes depicting the Napoleon era.

Tomorrow, Music will be celebrated in every city in France. I can’t wait to see how that turns out!