[The Japanese] have their clocks down to the second; they're never late, so it's always very dependable. It's annoying to come to America and wait for the two-hour late plane, and that never happened in Japan. |
Culture shock was worse coming back than it was going to Japan. My mom had to worry again. |
Despite the cultural boundaries, it was easier to live overseas. They would go out of their way to help me. I learned a lot from their culture, and they have a lot that America lacks. |
I did really gain an appreciation for the strong work ethic of the Japanese people. I had the opportunity to teach English every week ... They'd been learning English, some of them since elementary school. Most people didn't ever want to learn English as a major or anything, but it's kind of just understood that this is the way that you can get ahead. |
I realized that I'm not special anymore. I'm just a number. That was hard. I was used to being in this school of 200, and then I go to Georgia where there are about 1,500 students. |
I remember my second night. I got my first taste of sushi. It was revolting. We kind of jumped right into the cultural experience. |