Obuse

Whew, so much has happened in the last few days!    After so much travelling already, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for Japan.    I was feeling, much as I did before I left for China, totally unsure of what to expect.   And even after getting to Tokyo, it took me a few days to get acquainted to the many differences in living.   The living style here is extremely communal – a bunch of girls all sleep on quite comfortable cushions on the floor.   It feels very home-ey, with everyone eating, sleeping, and living together.   (The quarters are also extremely clean, and the #1 rule is to leave your shoes at the door – no shoes worn indoors ever, even at restaurants, except for designated slippers.)   Even in restaurants.  The super busy yet fun days and communal living takes me back to my summer camp days. 

Even with my culture shock, I started having fun right away after getting in at Tokyo headquarters.   For one thing, there are so many of us – 150 of us teachers (my role is a seminar leader, or SL, and there are also Japanese college students alongside us, house leaders or HLs.)    I knew quite a few of the other Harvard HLs coming in at least as acquaintances, and something about being halfway across the world from Cambridge has led to some awesome “real talk” conversations with my Harvard friends.   Not to mention my numerous new Japanese friends.   One of the great thing about this program is that since I’m collaborating with a Japanese college student on my seminar, we’re “forced” to socialize with each other and thus there’s no segregation between the “Japanese” students and “American” students.   Everyone gets along great, and I use quotes because many of the “Japanese” students are going to college in the US or UK, and some of the “American” students are Japanese-American, so the distinction is artificial.

This morning, we took a bus from Tokyo to Obuse.   Because it’s a summer holiday where one is supposed to visit one’s ancestors, everyone is returning to their hometowns at this time of year.   So it took us around six hours to get here.   I am in love with this town.   Not only is the food and living a little bit better than our accommodations in Tokyo, but this town is absolutely beautiful.   We walked around and saw Chestnut trees with mountains in the background, and got Chestnut ice cream, a local specialty.   The food is so good because much of it is grown and produced right here in Obuse.

The high school students haven’t even arrived yet, but I think that my love for programs like this one has reinforced my desire to make a difference in international education.   Tomorrow the high school students arrive and the summer school will begi