Sunday was another Rotary district orientation. It’s always a treat to see my district friends. We’ve connected extremely well and I wish we were able to see each other more often than just once or twice a month. I credit much of our friendship to the district Rotarians who have done so much to keep us connected. Each month brings one gathering or another. Sunday we all had to give speeches in Japanese about foods we like and dislike and why. There have really only been two foods that I can’t stomach here in Japan (which let me tell you, is saying something!). The first is called Ume boshi. They’re the pickled plums that are so sour that they remind me of bile! I can’t stand them!
The second is called Shiso. It’s a flat, green leaf that is often served with sashimi squid. Again, the taste is what gets me. It’s a combination of sour and grassy flavors. Not one I find very pleasing… After the speeches we all went to see The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. Hmmm, if anyone actually does understand that movie, please include me in the loop! Very confused.
The only other real highlights from the past two days have been no school. I spent yesterday sleeping in and I watching Around the World in 80 Days online. The same website that has Friends in Japanese also has movies on it. This movie was English with Japanese subtitles, meaning I completely understood the racism, sexism, and superiority complexes of the storyline!
I can’t believe there was ever a point in time when people held such inaccurate stereotypes of foreign cultures. I am glad I watched it simply to show me how far the world has come in the past several centuries. I just pray no one looks back on our generation and says the same things. From scenes of Indians trying to sacrifice beautiful princesses, to Americans all running nasty brothels, to Native Americans attacking a train with bows and arrows only to try and burn their captive alive, I can easily understand how such fables and inaccuracies could exist in ages when it took 80 days to travel around the world. Stories could be warped and twisted, it’s like a 2½ month long game of Telephone! What is not acceptable is for such prejudices and lies to be spread in an age when an email, video, or press release can circle the globe in about 8.0 seconds, and a flight can make the journey in far less than 80 hours! It makes me want to enter the field of international studies, diplomacy, and education even more. I don’t yet know exactly what job I’m striving for in the future, but I’ve realized that it’s always been a secret desire of mine to work for the United Nations (oops, now I’ve let it slip). I have no idea if that’s where I’ll actually end up, but I hope whatever I do helps to show everyone the mind opening lessons that I am learning here during my Rotary exchange. As you can tell from the pictures below, Japanese, Canadians, French, and Americans, if you spend a bit of time getting to know each other you realize that when it comes down to what’s important, we’re all just the same.
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