Wannabe Japanese

At one of the places I worked at this summer I met a girl who told me about a girl she had lived with who was such a Japanese wannabe. She wanted everything to be Japanese, always talked about Japan and she even got a picture of herself done where she had Japanese features. When I heard that I though that it must have been a crazy person or a person who’s not really…normal. But now I get her, I really do. I’m probably going to be like her after a year here. I totally understand how you can see Japanese people and just envy them for being them. This culture is something I didn’t know existed, the culture and this city is one of a kind. I’m afraid that Tokyo will leave a hole in my heart when I leave. But I still have lots of time left here so maybe I shouldn’t worry about that. Of course there are things I don’t like about Japanese society but that’s what’s so great being abroad, if you don‘t like something you really don‘t have to deal with it as you would have to back home.
It’s strange how you can feel so at home in a place that is so totally different from what you’re used to. Maybe that’s one of the advantages I have, I don’t fit in anywhere so you can turn that around and say that I fit in everywhere. If I wasn’t “rootless” maybe I wouldn’t have bothered coming here in the first place. Ohh, I’m sorry, I’m not rootless just that I have roots everywhere so I can’t really keep track of them… And I really love Sweden, just that sometimes it’s good to be apart from the one you love so you don‘t take it for granted. The grass is always greener on the other side, but I haven’t really seen any grass in Tokyo.
I’m looking for an internship here but it seems to be hard to find if you don’t speak Japanese. So I’ll just have to keep on trying and I have to remember that nothing that’s worth having comes easily. And working at a company would be a great way to learn Japanese…
I got a job teaching though, one of my friends here passed me one of his students because he didn’t have enough time. I haven’t met my student yet but soon I’ll start teaching her Spanish. Tokyo is one of those cities that are most fun when you can enjoy it fully, and that means having money.
Soon my birthday is coming up and already some of my friends gave me a cake (pics are posted in my photo album) and yesterday Kai brought me flowers, chocolate and a pair of super nice gloves. I’ very touched by their kindness. Thank you guys!!!!
Next time I write I’ll probably be 23, what a huge change!