To what shall I compare this life?
the way a boat rowed out from the morning harbor
leaves no trace on the sea.
- A poem by Priest Mansei
in Manyoshu 万葉集, Japan's first anthology of poetryIn less than two weeks, I will stand in a public space and speak entirely in Japanese.
For this speech contest, organized by my Japanese language school, I will present a short, memorized speech on tea and its borderless nature.
Today, as the world becomes louder about division, cross-cultural exchange is no longer optional but a necessity — perhaps now more than ever!
And by the end of February, I will sit for a series of final exams in Japanese (listening, speaking, and writing) covering everything we have studied intensively over the past six months, so I can finally move on to the intermediate level to dive deeper into the nuances.
In a Japanese tearoom the other day, I could listen to and follow parts of the discussion among Japanese tea people. While I still struggle to fully understand Japanese and hold complete conversations at events, little by little, I feel relieved to grasp more of what everyone else is saying.
A year ago, this would not have been possible.
Crossing borders: From international education, to development, to exchange
I’ve always have a strong interest in international cross-cultural activities and love a good adventure.
Having moved more than 10 times, I can relate to how it feels like to leave everything familiar behind for a new city, to a new country for a better life.
It takes courage to start again, to face fears and the unknown.
I moved to San Francisco without knowing what job I would have or where I would live, and later went on to work with the University of California, Berkeley.
For my first few weeks in Singapore, I stayed in a hostel located in a red light district (unknowingly), just before I started working at the International Relations Office in the National University of Singapore.
In Washington DC, I’ve stayed in a hostel for almost the entire two weeks while job hunting, to eventually relocating to Jakarta — starting my journey in international development.
Here in Japan, I know of Japanese people who would like to move overseas. At the same time, many foreigners are drawn to life in Japan and are doing their mighty best, to build a life here for the long term.
Sometimes you have to take a step back, maybe even ten steps, to move forward. My goal is clear: I want to stay here longer. - Alone in JapanZhuangzi and the Empty Boat
There is this empty boat tied to the dock in front of a Japanese teahouse.