I am Sarah. Also known as Nameless14. This blog is dedicated to writing and sharing about my journey to Japan. This summer, 2011, I will be going to Japan through the YFU exchange program. I will be staying with a japanese family for (about) six weeks. This is about my experiences. My travels. My story.
I have been studying japanese for the past three years. 「はじめまして」(Nice to meet you!) My original reason for wanting to study Japanese was so I would not have to wait for games, manga and anime and Japanese books to be translated. And so I could understand/read/play the things that are not being translated. (Specifically a few books that are not being released in English as well as a series of video games that was never translated.) This reason has changed and evolved over the years. I learned my first Japanese words from my swim instructor, back when I was on the YMCA youth race team, the Piranhas. He taught me how to count up to forty. I must have been in 1stgrade at the time. I was a huge sailor moon fan and I didn't like waiting for the books to come out. Hahaha~ Then my mom signed me up for karate classes. As I grew older my reasons evolved from just not wanting to wait for a book to wanting to go to Japan and experience all the things there. I knew that I would not be able to really experience Japan without being able to speak the language. This summer I have the opportunity to travel to Japan. While I was being interviewed for this program, my interviewer suggested that I blog my journey. What a good idea! And here I am. . .
I am extremely excited to go to Japan. This is something I have wanted to do since childhood. I so grateful to have this opportunity. I love Japan, and Japanese culture. Now their are aspects I do not like. For example there xenophobia, fear of difference (In japanese, the word for 'different' and the word for 'wrong' are the same. What does that tell you?) and sexism. However, I love manga and anime and many other aspects of their culture. (History, Art, Folklore and more). I love manga and anime for the same reason I love books. For the story, for the character and for the message the author is sharing with the reader. Manga expresses stories in a much different way than American comics do. For one there is a lot more variety in subject matter. Manny American comics are hero-oriented, As well as being less prominent and less often made. Most American comics are of things I myself cannot relate to. Manga on the other hand, is able to express through words and art many different messages and experiences. And that is something I love. My desire to go to Japan is that of experience. I want to go to the country to see what its like. I want to attend Japanese school. How will it be different from here in America? I want to experience what its like to live in another country. How will it be different than here, from New York? How will it be similar? What about the fashions in Japan? Gothic Lolita? What about cosplay? How is the cosplay scene different in Japan, than America? How about daily life? What will be different? And what will be similar? These are all things I want to know and experience. It has always seemed so far away. But now it is happening. And I can't wait!
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For more information regarding the YFU (Youth For Understanding) exchange program visit their site at http://www.yfu.org/
