You wake up, in Japan (!!), absolutely frozen, because it’s December and you didn’t leave your AC on throughout the night. You need to get out of the bed for your morning class but it’s just too cold. So you wait for a while, until your AC warms up the room just enough for you to get dressed and hurry to the communal kitchen to make breakfast – and you absolutely freeze again on your way, because the windows in the corridor are always open! Next time, don’t leave your bed without a jacket!
You made it to your class in time, hurray! Surprisingly, so many Japanese students have not arrived yet though – and one would think they’re punctual. Or maybe just the trains got delayed because of a natural catastrophe or something, who knows. But now, nothing interesting (other than people of your age talking to you unnecessarily formally) happens, until lunch time.
You go to the canteen early just to avoid the crowds, since everybody has a lunch break at the same time. But when you go meet your friends afterwards and they hear you’ve already eaten, you won’t get rid of the disappointment in their eyes. How come you went without them?! They will not tell you directly, of course not, they don’t really do that in Japan. But rejecting them like this? Oh, c’mon, the more, the merrier, as they say! And it doesn’t matter you don’t like, hate, despise, loathe, … large groups. Everybody needs to feel included! ♥
But don’t worry, you make it up, because you brought them your homemade biscuits. The moment they eat them, you can see their eyes go wide and any moment, you can expect something along: “Oh my God!! This is the absolute best thing I have ever eaten in my life!!” even if it is the most basic recipe in the world. But I mean, it does feel nice to be complimented for your culinary skills, doesn’t it. Moreover, one of your friends went on a trip over the weekend and you’re lucky enough to receive an omiyage (a souvenir – usually food)! Love (all types, we don’t discriminate here) goes through stomach, right?
Then you talk to your other friend. You start telling a story, or try your best at least, since your Japanese is still… not the best. You’re trying to focus, but they just keep butting in with “uhm… yeah… yeah… really?… uhm… ohhh”, which can be quite disturbing at times. The times being you not speaking well the language. Yet! But fear not! They’re just being very polite, making sure you know that they are listening and paying attention to your wonderful story. And, at the end, they hit you with the “Your Japanese is amazing!”. In English, in case you wouldn’t understand Japanese, since, as we’ve established, it’s quite not there yet.
But look at you, you’re so popular! Another friend of yours comes in and starts telling you how they needed to help their friend whose bike has been stolen. Because even though this is Japan, bikes and umbrellas do get stolen. And also about another friend of theirs, or rather an acquaintance, who’s helped them, so now they feel indebted to them, but at the same time, they don’t really like them that much and their help was actually not that helpful. And how they don’t want to meet up with them, but they feel they should, but really don’t… so they will what any other person would do – and meet up with them anyway. Oh well…
But it’s okay, it is what it is. So now you go back to your dorm, possibly with some of your friends, they teach you how to make a quite easy Japanese meal, you’ll have dinner, play some games or just talk for hours. You’ll take your bath (taking shower outside the bathtub – the Japanese way) and go to sleep.
And then you wake up for real and realise this was all just a dream… or was it? (tum tum tum tuuum)
