It seems like there are required posts (but not really) going around on my blogroll, which is fun, so I'll take my turn now.

Also, I'm just going to say family/friends are a given and don't count.

1. American Food. And by American, I actually probably mean Mexican. Americanized Mexican. I love Chipotle. If I could, I would probably eat there weekly. When I lived in Provo, I would drive the 30 minutes to the nearest Chipotle at least once a semester.

And there's also the chicken and beef I'm so used to. Having grown up in Kansas, fish isn't really a main staple of my diet. To be honest, I don't think I've ever cooked fish. I've eaten and I really like it, which is good, but I don't know how to cook it. So that'll be something fun for me to learn.

Oh, also, peanut butter and good cheese. Neither are easy to find or cheap.

2. Being Fluent in the Country's Language. I can (or could, at one point) speak Japanese, but it's not the same as being fluent. My kanji comprehension is very low at this point, and my vocabulary is no where near what it used to be. So just not being able to communicate with people is something I'll have to adjust to.

This could also fall in the category of not being fluent in the culture. I'm sure I'll make lots of Japanese faux pas, which I'm not so much looking forward to, but that's all part of the experience. Plus, my job is to speak English, which I can do, so it'll mostly be in my personal life where I'll have to worry about it.

3. Driving on the right side of the road. And my car. I've only had my car for a couple years, but it is my car, and I will miss it. My placement is a driving one, so I'm going to have to learn to drive on the left side and all that craziness, which will be interesting. I'm definitely taking my good driving charm, heh.

And...I can't really think of everything else. I'm not going to miss my current job. I don't have a place of my own right now, so that doesn't exist to miss. So yeah. I'll probably think of other things once I don't have them anymore, but I'm sure that'll be another topic for another day.

Comments (2)

On March 6, 2010 at 9:54 AM , Anonymous said...

aaah I forgot to mention normal driving conditions! haha I found myself thinking for one brief, fleeting moment... "Why couldn't I have chosen Korea? They drive normally over there!" haha I'm terrified of driving! :P Ganbarimashou ne!

 
On March 6, 2010 at 7:45 PM , Anonymous said...

You can get Skippy in Japan but it's super pricey for a little jar. I'd suggest hitting Costco and getting one of the uber jars and bring it with you. A thing of grape jelly too, if you can fit it in your bags.