Over three years ago, my friend Matt attended school in Japan after dedicating many hours to learning the language. Several weeks ago, as I was mining the various documents on my computer for candidates to store on Google Docs and Spreadsheets, I stumbled across a short essay Matt had written while in Japan.

Now I do vaguely remember asking him to write some of his reflections about Japan, however I do not remember exactly what I intended to do with them. I’m sure it involved posting them to whatever website I was dreaming up at the time so perhaps now they are finally liberated from my dusty archives and are able to achieve their intended purpose.

October 3, 2003 I arrived at Nagoya Airport, at night. I was in quite a different place than I am now as I breezed through customs, as me and the three other white guys on the 747 met 2 Mei Dai students with about of month of North Carolina experience then loaded into a miniature van and started heading somewhere. I had never spoken to a real Japanese person, only teachers and exchange students, until I talked with the lady next to me on the plane . I say that Japanese exchange students are not real Japanese people in the same way I am not a real American. I was more of a real American for the first few weeks, but now I have been spoiled by experience, a permanent impression of Japan that cannot be forgotten.

The formation of the impression is the most exciting period. Of course there are no solid edges and impressions are dynamic so every minute it continues to change, but it can never return to that of mystery. The formation of a solid impression from the mystery causes somewhat of a euphoria in me at least, not only in a situation of visiting a new country but any new activity. Meeting a new person, reading a new book, or even eating a new kind of food.

The euphoria may last for a long period of time with a change as drastic as moving to a new country but inevitably it will wear away. The feeling drastically distorts my perception. If the experience is ended before the sensation has depleted then the memory will remain in that state, which can be very misleading.

I visited Brazil for two weeks and returned to the United States before this feeling ended. I do not know enough about Brazil to think of it as a normal place instead I now have an irreversible impression and regard the country as somewhat of a paradise. With Japan I wanted to avoid this misconception. I could have visited for a few weeks in summer, and even though the euphoria would not have lasted the entire time, it would have overshadowed my daily life and sober experiences.

By now I tend to believe I am experiencing life in Nagoya as a Mei Dai student in a quite sober state, yet I realize that upon returning to the United States I will understand much more about where I am at the moment. I can not help but be immersed in my present environment and situation left with only a small and subjective point of view to analyze my current position. Maybe reflecting my current point of view in writing will help me to remember how I see Japan from the inside and outside at the same time once I am in a new situation.

The first opportunity I will have to reflect in this way is in 20 days. I will fly away from Japan for my first time in 5 months and land in Shanghai, China. I have no prior impression of China except the stories of Chinese Exchange Students, Japanese people who have been to China, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and ant-Communist propaganda.

If possible, I hope to simultaneously confirm all stereotypes I have of china in 1.5 weeks, and then go see the great wall. Yet, I am not very confident that I can find a real Chinese restaurant in China. I am worried by the fact that I have a Weezer t-shirt with a Chinese takeout box smiling and playing a guitar with, “Thank You” written in Chinese style roman letters. I told a Chinese exchange student that it was a Chinese shirt and she had no clue what I was talking about. She just said that maybe Chinese people say thank you a lot because they truly mean it, unlike Japanese who do it out of custom. I’m glad that they do it at all, even though they should have seen enough American movies by now to know that politeness is a waste of energy. Anyway, I will do my best to find a real Chinese restaurant in China and take a picture.