Quote:
Originally Posted by bELyVIS
Why are you going to Japan if you expect everyone to change the way they do things to your liking? How can you truly experience another culture if they are not acting natural?
I hate fish, sushi, sashimi, etc. yet as a manager in my company there I was expected to go out to various functions (almost always at a sushi restaurant and making me pay 5000-10000 yen) and eat this and say "Oishi" (thank God for beer), and even not get angry when they (against my wishes) tricked me into eating Fugu (poisonous blow fish) when I didn't wish to risk my life for eating something I hate in the first place.
I think you should cancel. If things don't go your way there not only will you embarrass this family, but it will just add to the many reasons why certain Japanese dislike gaijin.
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Where did you get the idea that I'm asking everyone to change everything around me? I'm not going to eat seafood and I'm not taking out my eyebrow piercing. Food and piercings aren't the only elements that make up a culture.
It would be a different story if I hated Japanese media, hated Japanese fashion, hated the Japanese language, didn't like Japanese religion or location or geography. It would be a different story if I didn't like Japanese people. None of that is true. I'm going their for one of the best experiences in my life, and I'm looking forward to it. It just so happens that I'm also looking forward to being myself, and bring TONS of pictures of the Virgin Islands, and LOTS of USA pop music so that anyone can listen to it if they want to, and I'm getting ready for a lot of discussions about the differences between West Indian culture and Japanese culture.
I don't agree with the idea of going to another country and morphing into what I think it means to be a citizen of that country. I don't know everything about Japanese culture, but I know Japanese stereotypes. If I went to that country, thinking that I was going to transform completely, I think I would end up transforming into my Japanese stereotypes. Not a good thing. Not a learning experience.
One last thing: I won't say it again, but I'll say it just for you. I cannot eat fish. I cannot eat seafood. I throw up when I do. I don't have a form saying that I'm allergic by a doctor. I do have my own life experiences. I think it might be a little rude for a host family to hear their student throwing their food up through a closed bathroom door. Don't you agree?