Amy Mirus was studying in Asia during September, October and November 2001 as part of her education. She wrote these e-mail letters to her friends and family when she could find a computer. They have been slightly edited for this web page and personal messages were deleted.
From: Amy Mirus
Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2001 Subject: I’m here
Hello everyone!
I survived the 13 hour flight and the indescribable plane food. You thought regular plane food was bad, wait till you try oriental plane food. mmmm, let me tell you. Well I was in Japan less than 15 minutes before I made my first cultural mistake. We tried to capture the Tokyo baggage claim on film, but I guess that is not allowed. We were told to quickly abort our photo taking. I was off to a great start.
The rooms in our youth hostel are like tiny cells, my bathroom at home is larger. Enough complaining. The city is very interesting, the number of people amazes me. The stores are hysterical. They sell shirts written in English, but it makes no sense. For instance, one shirt said, my teacher in France, nobody doesn’t like Sarah Lee. Eating out is an adventure. Luckily there are plastic models of all the food outside the restaurants, so we just compare the characters next to the food, with the characters on the menu. Its always quite a sight to see, because we never go out in groups of less than 8.
I have actually ran while I’ve been here! A friend and I go out in the morning and we went running through the park by our youth hostel. Green and blue tarps spot the grass, people sleeping under them, some of them dressed and some not. The women’s gold high heeled shoes line the black rod iron fence that surrounds the park. it was quite a sight to see.
Getting around in Tokyo is the best. I love the subway! It is incredibly easy, and signs are in English. even when we do get lost, everyone is so friendly and willing to help (those that are bilingual). Getting used to walking on the left hand side of the street /sidewalk is still a problem. By the time I get it, it will be time to go home.
Tomorrow is our first day of class. We have had the whole weekend to ourselves. we went out to eat quite a lot, I even ate fish! we went to a club, a shrine, the imperial palace and shopping. Sorry this is so scrambled and not organized, this was a spur of the moment trip. I am at the internet cafe above Starbucks attempting to use this tiny computer. Everything here is tiny, the people, the restaurants, the clubs....everything! Anyways, next time I will try to be more organized, and I am kind of rushed, I have a time limit. More next time.
I miss and love you all! Give all the little ones a hug for me! I hope everyone is doing well, good luck with classes all you college students! Well, I have to get going, Please email me back, it might take a little while for a response, but I will respond as soon as I can. I want to know how everyone is doing and what you are all up to. Well, I love you all.
From: Amy Mirus
Date: Fri, O7 Sep 2001
Hello everyone!
I’m back in Tokyo after our mini vacation to Akagi. Akagi was absolutely beautiful, through the fog. I climbed Mt Akagi! This wasn’t a grass path either! I was on my hands and knees hoisting myself up the rock cover mountain. I got up and down with only a few minor scrapes and bruises. Reaching the top was absolutely amazing! We climbed for about 4 hours, everyone really had to push themselves the 1332 km up the rough terrain. I’m ready for the next mountain, Ryan I’m coming to Colorado to see you and climb some Mts.
Also in Akagi we had a do it yourself cookout. We wheeled the grills out, started the fire and grilled our own stir fry, it was absolutely fabulous! Today we got up at 4 am to go to the fish market. There was a tuna auction going on, it was quite interesting. I have never seen such huge fish! These fish go for thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Tonight I am going to see the Lion King, a musical in Japanese, I can't wait! Tomorrow is the Kabuki theatre and Monday is the baseball game. Yes, I do go to class, but just 3 days a week usually.
Well, I have completely immersed myself into the Japanese culture. I eat every meal with chopsticks, have rice with everything, even use the Japanese style bath and toilet, for those of you who don’t know what those are like I will tell you at another time. I am so proud of myself, things I wouldn’t touch in the U.S. have become the foods I look forward to here. Meat for example. I have tried so many different kinds. I have no clue what it is usually because I can't read the menu, but I have decided to become adventurous. It usually turns out well. I am amazed at the way we all can get around. Everyone is usually very friendly and the Japanese that speak English will go out of their way to help you with anything.
From: Amy Mirus
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001
Hello everyone!I hope everyone is well and I hope that things have settled down a little bit at home. we had a memorial service this morning, the same that was held at Augustana last week. It is very hard being away from home and friends and family at this time. The looks and comments we get from the Japanese have been sympathetic though and they are all willing to help us understand the Japanese newspapers.
On a brighter note, we have left the busy, bustling city of Tokyo for Kyoto. I can’t believe that we are already finished with our two week stay at Tokyo. however, I absolutely love Kyoto! We have been here less than 3 days and I love it! I have woken up every morning at 5:30 to run through the streets. They are covered with shrines and temples and the Japanese gates. I don’t recommend running through the shrines and temples as they are very confusing as to where you end up, we ended up running around the streets of Kyoto lost for over an hour.
There is a river that runs through the city and it is right down the street from our youth hostel. It is so cute, the paths follow the river down its course and the street is lined with little restaurants and shops. I have yet to explore anything except in the early morning cause we have midterms tomorrow and I have been studying for my tests. After tomorrow though, the art museum, tours of the beautiful shrines and temples, we’re going to rent bikes and bike to the mountains and the university of Kyoto, hopefully. We’ll see what happens.
The youth hostel we stay at is so cute. It’s a family owned business, the father is the one who started the youth hostel movement in Japan. All the students not running through the streets of Kyoto wake up to the sound of the very elderly mother of the hostel telling everyone to wake up and clean their rooms and get ready for breakfast (6:40 am). Breakfast is announced over the intercom also and all 80 of us who aren’t waiting in line for the four shower bath room start eating. The hostel is closed during the day to keep us out and about and seeing the city.
The professors, except for one, encourage us not to study during the day and instead see the sights. Dinner is announced at 6 and everyone bolts down the stairs to the dining hall. It is as if we are at asummer camp, it is actually really comforting, a very family like atmosphere. We live in very close proximity. Each room has multiple bunk beds that make us feel as if we are in cribs, but at least I know I won't fall off. I don't know why I chose the top bunk, but it's working out.
My favorite part of the youth hostel is tea time. At night, tea and coffee is set out on the tables and random people come down to drink and socialize or study, it's very relaxing. I love it. There is a curfew of 10:30 pm but that doesn't even bother any of us because we are so tired by the time we get back from the days activities that all we want to do at night is sit around and chat or play cards. I have picked up quite a few games I never knew existed. Well, that's all I have for now, I really haven't gotten a chance to get out and see the city, just what I see in the early hours. Let me know what is going on at home, I'd love to hear any kind of story! I hope everyone is going great! I love you, Love Amy
From: Amy Mirus
Date Mon, 24 Sep 2001
Well hello everyone!
No, I have not fallen in the sea, things have been really busy here. We took midterms, and of course my incessant worrying was needless as I pulled off an A. We actually had class everyday the past two weeks, it was quite unusual. But the afternoons were packed with millions of activities.
I have been to a few temples, but the most amazing one was the Kiamizu Temple. It rests on stilts in the mountainside. the view of Kyoto is amazing, don't worry I have pictures. It has been 1 month and I already have 10 rolls of film to develop. Anyways, this temple was beautiful. My friend Alissa and I toured the temple together, taking the love walk, which I passed with a little help. You have to close your eyes and walk from one stone to another in the middle of a busy pathway. We were blessed by some Japanese woman and we followed in all the buddist rituals, covering ourselves in incense ash and some purifying waterfall. It's all on film, don't worry.
So the latest event was our home stays this past weekend. My single woman turned out to be quite fun. For those of you who don't know, I was a little disappointed when I found out my family was really a single woman with no children who lived alone. We ended up spending time with a couple other augustana students and their single hosts and we had a blast! We made our own sushi, it was delicious! Family, look out, we are eating it when I get home!
The group who organized our home stays is called hippo, and the members learn about 13 different languages, it's amazing. Their language isn't perfect, but it's good enough. Yukiha (my host) and I only had a couple of interesting conversations of misunderstanding. it took me 20 minutes to explain the trash can to her, all I wanted to do was throw away my kleenex and it was quite the ordeal. Then we were determining what time to get up in the morning and she said to wake up naturally, she didn't think I understood her so she proceeded to explain that when your eyes open by themselves, we'll get up. It was quite humorous. Maybe you had to be there.
The best event of the weekend, besides the beautiful weather and the castles and buildings we visited, was I taught the families the "electric slide". The 20 that were there were impressed by the dance and proclaimed that they would have to teach their friends and all the members of hippo. My friend Jer and I have decided that we have now started the electric slide movement in Japan, look out!
We have been to Nara, the historical/cultural center to see the largest temple and bronze structure in the world. A giant buddha is housed in the temple. A pole stands next to the statue with a hole in the bottom that is the size of buddha's nostrel. The story has it that if you fit through the hole, you'll reach enlightenment. So of course all 80 of us had to try, it was quite the sight watching everyone slither their way through the hole. Don't worry, I made it, I can now reach enlightenment!
No comments:
Post a Comment