2016年10月7日金曜日 - 
Valerie: Moving to Japan
I've been interested in
Japanese pop culture since I first started reading manga when I was fourteen
years old. As a college student I studied in Nagoya for two semesters, and
graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Japanese and linguistics. After graduation, I
searched for work in Japan and in a few months I was hired by Nova. In August I
packed all my suits and I moved to Osaka.
For someone like myself who
has lived in the U.S. her whole life, learning to live in Japan has its
difficulties. After one month, I've learned how to separate my garbage, navigate the subway system, and to
ride my bicycle on the left side of the side walk. My Japanese has already
improved greatly, especially when it comes to asking for directions. I've purchased
a cell phone, opened a bank account, and applied for health insurance in
Japanese. I've even made friends with the elderly couple who own the bread shop
next to my apartment building. Before I came to Japan, I thought I was prepared
for the challenge of living in a foreign country and speaking a foreign
language. There was, however, another challenge that I hardly considered before I
arrived in Osaka. It hit me the moment I set foot in my new apartment. I'm going to be living alone for the first
time.
There's probably a time in
many people's lives, perhaps when they're in their early twenties, when they finally
appreciate just how much their parents did for them, and how little they know
about the world themselves. Now, certainly some people have had more independent or responsible childhoods
than others, but I think that it's safe to say that my parents did nearly
everything for me when I was growing up.
I had learned to cook a few
things in college, but more often than not I had my meals in a cafeteria. At
home, my parents always cooked dinner. I never ironed my clothes, because I had
a dryer.
I always kept my bedroom clean, but my parents always took care of the bathroom
and kitchen. What I've realized in the past several weeks is that not only have
I been learning to live in Japan, but also how to be a working adult. I've
learned that while cooking three meals a day is tiring, eating out can be
expensive. I've learned how to iron shirts, how to marinate chicken, and how to
pick
out
tomatoes at the grocery store.
In the past month I have become the most level-headed and responsible version of
myself, but I still have a long way to go. Every day I learn a new recipe, find
a new shop in my town, or make a new friend at work. I hope to keep growing in
this way, becoming a better Japanese resident and a more wholesome human being.
Degree：学位
Linguistics：言語学
Navigate：うまく通る
side walk：歩道
when it comes to：～に関して言えば
applied for：申し込んだ
hardly：ほとんどない
set foot：地を踏む
twenties：二十代
independent：独立している
dryer：乾燥機
pick out：選ぶ
grocery store：食料品店
level-headed：しっかりした
wholesome：健全な