After the End

We held the closing ceremonies for our summertime English Class today.  Our students performed skits, monologues, and songs in English to showcase their increased linguistic skill.  It was quite satisfying to see their progress.  Some of the students couldn't string a sentence together if they tried when they started, but now they're able to communicate much more effectively.  Seeing them shine like that was immensely rewarding.  I put together a slide show of memories that I'll put at the end of this post.

A finished class also means a finished trip.  I don't have reason to stay any longer now, and I most certainly am looking forward to going back home and being with my help meet.  In fact, that's one thing I've come to understand more keenly these past three months.  Being apart from my wife has been the most difficult part of this journey, hands down.  Even though I knew going into this that I was just asking for a hard time without her, I was surprised at just how...incomplete life felt when the only time I could speak with her was at odd hours of the day through a shaky Skype connection.  I've learned that that isn't enough.  Married life is so fulfilling and wonderful, and it has changed me in ways I didn't expect.  That  became apparent to me this summer.  One big lesson learned from this Japan trip: don't live apart from Mary Belle ever again.

Of course, that's not to say that I'm ungrateful that I had the opportunity to come here.  Far from it.  As far as language learning goes, this trip has been indispensable to my linguistic progress.  I wish I had been able to progress further than I have; I reached the "comfortable medium" level, where I can make basic thoughts understood and I can generally follow the conversation when I'm being addressed.  It's like I'm halfway through a mission, in terms of language ability.  I suppose, had I had different living arrangements and had to communicate more often in Japanese (the Satos tend to keep to themselves quite a bit, so I only saw them around mealtimes), and if I had taken more initiative in instigating conversation whenever I could, I probably could have learned even more.  But for going from "conversation is HARD!" to "yeah, let's chat!" in three months is pretty good, I think.

Culturally, I think I was well prepared by my various Japanese classes about what to expect when I came.  Still, the generosity and willingness of the people here to serve and help is unbelievable.  They genuinely care about you and want to help.  Of course, because I'm a foreigner it is probably more pronounced (they always want to please "guests"), but even so, I was impressed by their dedication to help, especially when it came to the relief effort in Sendai area.  Everybody wanted to help, and everybody did what they could.  Due to the fallout from the Fukushima nuclear reactor incident (no pun intended), nuclear reactors countrywide have been either shut down or forced into very low productivity, creating electricity shortages. Despite this, the Japanese willingly cut back on their electricity usage in little ways, like turning up the thermostat so the AC doesn't use as much juice, using natural lighting as much as possible, etc.  Their spirit of cooperation was palpable.

I learned the value and the depth of family ties as well.  The trips to Ozu and Tokyo to see Mary's family and the Shumways, respectively, taught me how much my family sacrifices for me.  Mary's family paid for the hotel we stayed at in Ozu, and her family paid for all my meals, despite the fact that it was the first time meeting them.  Uncle Doug and Aunt Chikako paid for my entire trip to Tokyo, including travel fare (not cheap) and admission fees to the various sights, and put me up graciously for three days.  None of them batted an eyelash at doing so (at least in my presence).  I love my family!

In thinking about the Japanese and what kind of motivation would be required for them to be so dedicated to helping, to be so selfless in giving to strangers like me, I feel like I've seen part of a deep reservoir of emotion that they carry and that carries them through life.  Despite their roundabout ways of speaking and never speaking exactly what they mean, they have very soft hearts that feel deeply.  They are sometimes unable to express those feelings verbally, but their actions speak for them.  This stay in Japan has only increased my affinity for these people.

In that way, they are not unlike their Korean brothers and sisters.  Despite definite cultural differences (of which there are many more than I had originally thought), both peoples have large hearts and deep emotions that drive them through their lives.  I loved the Korean saints for that reason.  No matter how illogical at first their mindset may have been, their hearts guided them right.  The Japanese are no different.

I will miss this place.  I will especially miss my new friends. I expect that I'll have pangs of nostalgia as I think back on this experience, just as I still have daily moments of wistful remembrances and flashes of desire to return to Korea.  I am tied to two peoples now, and all I want to do is be with them, learn of them, and help them.

I will never forget this summer.