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What do you miss?


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Just now, TronRP said:

I miss JAPAN!!!!!

~~~~~

Specifically Shiga.  As a student, they put us in a Harbor Town so the Provisional Government wouldn't have to worry about a bunch of rude foreigners bothering their residents.  But living in Shiga, Japan was one of the best experiences of my life.  And being one of only a handful of Black students there, I was able to help dispel the myth that all Black people were murderers and drug dealers that robbed everyone they came across...and this was decades before "Black Lives Matter".

 

The majority of the residents our classes encountered had never seen a Black American before so I was often told I was from Nigeria every time we visited the main areas of Kyoto.  However, after our school was introduced to the areas where we were invited as guests, all of the representatives wanted me to participate in everything from homestays to official ceremonies.  I actually became the representative of the school as Postmaster for a day among other cultural observances.  Everywhere I went, the visiting elder instructors would always dress me in traditional kimono with very elaborately tied Obi.  I was interviewed by multiple reporters and was even featured in a news article during an Ikebana demonstration at the Kyoto International Convention Center.

 

But the main thing I miss is the politeness.  Even if someone had a preconceived notion of you, the moment you showed your level of politeness and cultural understanding, you were immediately viewed with understanding and if you were prejudged by that individual, they would immediately apologize and open communication with you.  At one point, I actually had patrons thinking I was working for a quaint, little Tea House in the hills of Kyoto because, due to the oddness of how the steps ran into the door and the location of the door to the inside tables, I would slide open the Tea House door and greet the little ladies as they came up into the building.  They thought the proprietor had hired me, but a school instructor (who was doing Hanami with me) had informed them that I was just polite like that.  When we were about to leave, the owner thanked me for my assistance and commended the instructor for taking care of me (which is a very high compliment). 

 

I'm sure the world has changed a lot in the last 20 years, but memories of living in Japan will always be dear to my heart.

🥰

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My left hip not hurting. Took a fall on the stairs of a place I used to work at (see picture for building style). It was one of those Victorian houses where the main floor was used for public entertaining while the top floor was family only. Not sure what the basement was used for. It was on the stairs going into the basement where either I slipped on a step or completely missed one (the stairs were wet from either rain or snow) and landed hard on my left hip. 

Granted today (and the past week) has been hard since I've been on my feet seven and a half to eight hours on my feet at the airport. 

 

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I miss being able to go to museums more often. I miss concerts and festivals (wasn't able to go to Wastelands this past fall). I miss being able to travel more easily just for enjoyment. I miss going to movie premiers at midnight, and I really miss events like Comic Con.

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