Just a sudden spurt of inspiration to pen my unedited thoughts.
Life in Japan has been great. It has been a real learning experience for me so far. For someone who has never been on exchange (having, to some extent, mindlessly devoting myself to my extra curricular activities these last 4 years and severely miscalculating the opportunity costs), this trip to Japan has opened my eyes to many things and issues.
Probably the most salient issue is that of national identity. Being a foreigner in the famous Japan -- that is in some cases subtle and in many blantant, xenophobic -- I have come to understand and appreciate my own identity as a Singaporean a lot more. And even more so when many of the classmates I have met are either foreigners or Japanese with a lot of international exposures. And through their stories (especially in Introduction to Intercultural Communications class), I get to hear many stories and see from their perspectives what it means to be Japanese, or whichever nationality that they come from. And of course, their stories have gotten me to think about what it means for me to be Singaporean.
I sometimes wonder why so many students were encouraged to go abroad for exchanges in NUS. I half suspect that, after going abroad, a sense of national identity and pride swells. Well, it did at least for me. I am very happy to talk about my country, how clean, how efficient and how much cheaper (compared to Tokyo) Singapore is. Of course, I try to objectify Singapore's image and remind them about the high prices for tobacco and alcohol and the death penalty for drug possession. But that only makes me appreciate the policies that the Singapore government has made with regard to these issues.
Perhaps because of me, being who I am, rather than get all hyped up about seeing the beautiful kouyou, or autumn foilage, or the snow covered whiteness of the northern parts, I get more concerned with the human aspects of my own surroundings. Yes, the physical environment is beautiful, but I would rather spend my time drinking coffee inside a warm cafe with friends, or even a (cheap) can of beer on the cold sidewalk along Waseda dori with Tosh. To me, the development of human relationships bears a different kind of beauty. A hello or a smile along the corridor, a touching story of their adapting to foreign environments in ICC class, or even just the silly jesting of nonsensical phrases in Japanese class. These are the moments that get me going.
At the same time, me being a political science major, have this tendency to be bogged down with the more depressing issues of the wider environment. The global recession and its impacts on companies are huge. But take the trickle effects even further, what would be the multiplied effects on the people, especially the poorer segments. And what about the environment that is so intimately linked with poverty? These are issues that bug me and no amount of brown leaves can alleviate the heavy thoughts that weigh my mind.
Of course, as usual, I think too much. =)
I guess being 25, and having to constantly repeat to my friends who ask, that I am 25, pricks my mind to ask, "so what does being 25 mean?" A quarter of my life has passed (assuming I would live till 100) and what am I doing here in Japan that might help me contribute to the betterment of the wider environment? How can I serve and give to making it easier for my fellow humans to breathe better? And this coming from the guy who has yet to find a job, and who might continue to be jobless because of the difficult economic conditions and language barriers.
And again, I think too much. =)
So these some of the issues that I am constantly thinking these last 3 months. Less about where I am going to travel (though I still want to see some specific spots), less about what delicious sashimi I am going to eat (though I really want to try going to Tsukiji Fish Market at 4 am in the morning), less about when I am finally going to fill that bathtub of mind and soak in there for an hour (cos my heater bill eats my money faster than the dropping of oil prices) and less about who I am going to try to get into bed with (cos some foreigners here seem to be more preoccupied with the idea of a more intimate form of "inter-cultural exchange" of the biblical kind). But its nonetheless interesting that I should be so strung up by the tensions of such dialectical brooding.
In conclusion, I am really appreciating and enjoying my time in Japan!
Life in Japan has been great. It has been a real learning experience for me so far. For someone who has never been on exchange (having, to some extent, mindlessly devoting myself to my extra curricular activities these last 4 years and severely miscalculating the opportunity costs), this trip to Japan has opened my eyes to many things and issues.
Probably the most salient issue is that of national identity. Being a foreigner in the famous Japan -- that is in some cases subtle and in many blantant, xenophobic -- I have come to understand and appreciate my own identity as a Singaporean a lot more. And even more so when many of the classmates I have met are either foreigners or Japanese with a lot of international exposures. And through their stories (especially in Introduction to Intercultural Communications class), I get to hear many stories and see from their perspectives what it means to be Japanese, or whichever nationality that they come from. And of course, their stories have gotten me to think about what it means for me to be Singaporean.
I sometimes wonder why so many students were encouraged to go abroad for exchanges in NUS. I half suspect that, after going abroad, a sense of national identity and pride swells. Well, it did at least for me. I am very happy to talk about my country, how clean, how efficient and how much cheaper (compared to Tokyo) Singapore is. Of course, I try to objectify Singapore's image and remind them about the high prices for tobacco and alcohol and the death penalty for drug possession. But that only makes me appreciate the policies that the Singapore government has made with regard to these issues.
Perhaps because of me, being who I am, rather than get all hyped up about seeing the beautiful kouyou, or autumn foilage, or the snow covered whiteness of the northern parts, I get more concerned with the human aspects of my own surroundings. Yes, the physical environment is beautiful, but I would rather spend my time drinking coffee inside a warm cafe with friends, or even a (cheap) can of beer on the cold sidewalk along Waseda dori with Tosh. To me, the development of human relationships bears a different kind of beauty. A hello or a smile along the corridor, a touching story of their adapting to foreign environments in ICC class, or even just the silly jesting of nonsensical phrases in Japanese class. These are the moments that get me going.
At the same time, me being a political science major, have this tendency to be bogged down with the more depressing issues of the wider environment. The global recession and its impacts on companies are huge. But take the trickle effects even further, what would be the multiplied effects on the people, especially the poorer segments. And what about the environment that is so intimately linked with poverty? These are issues that bug me and no amount of brown leaves can alleviate the heavy thoughts that weigh my mind.
Of course, as usual, I think too much. =)
I guess being 25, and having to constantly repeat to my friends who ask, that I am 25, pricks my mind to ask, "so what does being 25 mean?" A quarter of my life has passed (assuming I would live till 100) and what am I doing here in Japan that might help me contribute to the betterment of the wider environment? How can I serve and give to making it easier for my fellow humans to breathe better? And this coming from the guy who has yet to find a job, and who might continue to be jobless because of the difficult economic conditions and language barriers.
And again, I think too much. =)
So these some of the issues that I am constantly thinking these last 3 months. Less about where I am going to travel (though I still want to see some specific spots), less about what delicious sashimi I am going to eat (though I really want to try going to Tsukiji Fish Market at 4 am in the morning), less about when I am finally going to fill that bathtub of mind and soak in there for an hour (cos my heater bill eats my money faster than the dropping of oil prices) and less about who I am going to try to get into bed with (cos some foreigners here seem to be more preoccupied with the idea of a more intimate form of "inter-cultural exchange" of the biblical kind). But its nonetheless interesting that I should be so strung up by the tensions of such dialectical brooding.
In conclusion, I am really appreciating and enjoying my time in Japan!