The Japanese culture and language are so different from the American and European cultures. You could almost describe it as opposite. Mannerisms, group-mentality, the written word, art, daily schedules, pronunciations, what is polite and what is impolite. Our Lord has created all of these fantastic differences between cultures--and not only those that I've been a part of, but the others as well! They are all unique in their own ways. Yet, when you get down to the core of who people are, what we want most, and what we need--we're all the same. What a Master Craftsman is our God to create people who are all different while remaining the same.
Life is Japan is becoming routine. Earlier this week I was blessed to be able to babysit for Nate and Michelle. I was sitting on the couch in their apartment watching the boys play a sort of hide-and-go-seek game and I thought how familiar it all felt. These boys, this view from the window, what we had for dinner and the way it was made, separating the trash, the Kanji characters on the Wii. It's all familiar.
The feeling of familiarity is odd because I never imagined that I would experience it. I imagined knowledge--understanding pieces of the language, knowing how to drive on the left side of the road and how to get from here to downtown by train, knowing what is what in the grocery store. But I never expected it all to feel familiar and comfortable and like home. There are different feelings of home--the release of tension and relaxation when you walk into home at the end of a long day, or the excitement that comes from finally pulling into home when you haven't been there in awhile. And then there's this, the feeling of home that you don't realize. When you're so familiar that you move around without even thinking. When you close your eyes and know what's happening where because home is built into your psyche.
This is not to say I don't miss Pennsylvania or Indiana or the States, of course. I miss free wi-fi everywhere and I miss how stores are open from early morning to late at night. I miss late-night coffee with friends and I miss understanding street signs. I miss street signs! And I miss my friends and family and Mona and the dogs. Absence might not necessarily make the heart grow fonder, but it certainly makes you appreciate different aspects of your life and re-evaluate others.
The time in Japan is a blessing and as if I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again: every single morning I wake up thankful to be here. I know that God is using me as an encouragement to the people here and I know that He is working in me, changing me, and preparing me for whatever may lie ahead in the future.
I'm working on my next newsletter now, so it should be out in the next few weeks. If you haven't been getting the others (the last was sent right before I left for Japan), please email me with your address and I'll add it to the list! LWalker730@yahoo.com
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