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It took Odysseus twenty years to return to
his home in Homer's epic tale; in my case, it
has been ten years since I was last a resident
of Shimane, a place I have come to regard as
my Japanese home. While there are many obvious
changes (the Internet, cellular telephones,
and digital cameras were not available in the
early 90's), the things I missed most about
Shimane remain the same, especially the beauty,
history, and tradition of the prefecture and
the kindness of its people.
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Rose
with students in 2004 - Hamada
2nd Junior High School |
While I was at the Kawamoto Festival with some
friends in the summer, an old man saw that I
was wiping the sweat from my brow with my yukata
(cotton kimono) sleeve. I had forgotten to bring
a handkerchief and my battery powered mini-fan;
he offered me his paper fan. Embarrassed, I
tried to refuse it, but he said that he didn't
need it and insisted that I take it. I just
smiled and thanked him. Another time, I was
riding out to the Matsukawa Festival with a
fellow foreigner by taxi. The buses and trains
to the festival location weren't frequent, so
taxi was our only option. Our driver was a woman,
a sight not so uncommon these days. I asked
her if she knew where the festival was taking
place. She wasn't sure, but she had a general
idea. Our fare from Gotsu Station came out to
2,300 yen or so, but she discounted it to 2,000
for us. On our way back to Hamada, I saw the
same driver at the station and I gave her a
can of cold coffee to thank her for her friendly
gesture. We even bumped into the Mayor of Gotsu
while in line for barbequed squid and he insisted
on paying for our chewy skewered snacks. These
are just a few examples of the kindnesses I've
received since coming back to Shimane.
The greatest pleasure about my return has been
the numerous accidental reunions that I have
had with former students and colleagues. One
of my students from 1990 is currently the math
teacher at one of my schools! Another is a music
teacher in a neighboring town, and yet another
is a kindergarten teacher. I have seen several
of the English teachers with whom I used to
work and seminars and teaching conferences.
Some are now principals and vice principals.
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Rose,
ten years ago, volunteering for a day
at Atoichi Post Office, Gotsu-City |
Since arriving last August, I've made many new
friends as well. At first it astonished me to
discover that my new acquaintances shared many
mutual friends with me. For instance, a young
English teacher in Kawamoto who helped me with
my yukata turned out to be a junior high school
student of one of my close friends from a decade
ago. Several of my co-workers at the Hamada
City Board of Education are also former pupils
of contemporaries from 1990-1993. I have since
ceased to be amazed, but instead find it a convenient
ice breaker to ask people I meet who their assistant
language teacher was. Many times it has proven
to be an instant connection for us, and my new
acquaintances and I often are both amused and
left with a feeling of natsukashisa - fond feelings
for past memories.
Of course, I have also been able to reconnect
with friends that I have come to regard as extended
family members. Luckily, my Japanese language
abilities did not become too rusty during my
time away and we easily picked up our friendships
where we left off in summer of 1993. Indeed,
sometimes it is hard to believe that it has
been over ten years since I have seen some of
them. Then again, it makes me happy when I see
what splendid young men and women my former
students have become. Some of them are even
parents now!
Like Odysseus, my return to Shimane was long
and full of challenges, but it was worth the
effort. I am happy to be home.
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