The Gaijin Bubble

Saturday 3^rd September

As of today I have called Nikaho my home for a month.

It seems to have flashed by, but when I think back to the first night I stepped foot into my new apartment (read: stumbled with my suitcase containing 23 kilos of my life) it seems like another world away. There have been ups and downs – the daunting realisation that when you hang up from that skype call, you are alone in your silent apartment with only the cricket songs outside your window to break the quiet ringing in your ears.

It has gotten easier though. Video calling most nights makes it feel less like you're in a house by yourself (this is where I get myself into trouble for talking to the significant other more than I do my family - sorry mum! ).

I am slowly but surely breaking out of my “gaijin bubble” at school, and finding my feet - even if I am apparently incapable of setting up a points accumulation card online with my local supermarket, the down side to being a gaijin: they KNOW that they gave you that card to set up so when you bowl up without it – there’s going to be questions….

By gaijin bubble I am referring to the initial state of isolation from co-workers, students and everyone else in your town… You’re there physically, people notice you, but to them you are the strange white person that floats around and they vaguely know teaches at the local schools- you are a personified English textbook – nothing more. This is one of the times that I am so very grateful that my substandard Japanese is actually utilisable. Though the conversations may be basic, and my grammar poor (read: absolute crap) it is enough to go from the random gaijin to Kuroi-sensei, who is from NZ, and likes anko and wants to visit Hokkaido  -she has a family, she does not exist in a void.

The Kirtitanpo Wielding Masked Hero

There are cues that it is slowly dissolving. Yesterday I wandered down to check out a small fair at Whale Park, by the Shirase Antartic Museum. I actually bumped into Greg – A kiwi living in Kisakata with his family – and his kids on the way there. There was a small flea market where I had a chat with a baa-san (lit. grandma – but it’s not considered rude) who was selling handmade bits and pieces, and chatted to a couple of kids that recognised me from school – basic stuff “that shaved ice looks good” “it’s hot isn’t it?” etc (I couldn’t go into too much detail as I wasn’t 100% sure if they were from the Primary or Middle school – perks of being the only foreigner in your town- everybody knows exactly who you are and it makes you feel a bit guilty when you can’t remember who they are). I watched a performance of …raider? Where the superhero fought of the villains with his kiritanpo sticks (pounded rice sticks) and then stayed to watch my middle school brass band perform – which involved an appearance from my science teacher donning a wig and singing along with the band.

Seishi Park with Mt. Chokai in the Background

Having said all that rubbish about the gaijin bubble  – we do tend to abuse it (nb the previous post on “gaijin smash”) when a group of JETs get together and it’s all English, with the occasional code switch to Japanese whether it’s due to a lexical gap, or that we’ve just forgotten what the English equivalent actually was.

Last night was an example of this – the Akita Welcome party. Alyssa drove us to the beach that it was based at. We wandered down a dark winding path (back home I would have been terrified – here you know the chances of something happening are virtually nil), passed several beach front cafs that were full of Japanese people – and then finally heard the cacophony of English that meant we had found the place. It was a good time catching up with JETs that are further afield – getting shit from the Australians, giving shit to the Aucklander (sorry I hid your drinks Alan….). Along with the Western Hemisphere JETs finding it absolutely adorable that we refer to “coolers” as “chilly bins”.

Given that it's 2pm and I'm sitting here in my PJs without even having bothered to put my contact lenses in yet - I don't think there is much to report for Sunday.