Poetry Musings - first weeks in Japan

10-22-26

First quiet morning in our Juso house

    pinching myself at this dream-turned-reality

        We're here!

        And this quirky house is perfect for us!

Closer than I realized to LOTS of things!

    Vending machine -- 5 steps out our front door

    Two different konbinis -- 2 minute walk

    Juso train station (with affordable access to nearby cities) -- 3 minutes

    Outdoor (with roof) walking market -- 2 minutes

    Donki (difficult to describe) -- 4 minutes

    Gyomu Super (my fave!) -- 4 minutes

    dozens of restaurants -- within 5 minutes

    Mustard Seed church -- 25 minute walk or 1 stop train ride

And then the house!

    businesses on either side, so less likely to disturb neighbors

    4 floors of charm -- room to spread and roam

    traditional tatami mats room

    4 other bedrooms

    a living area with TV

    a kitchen with lots of counter space and cabinets

    a rice cooker and easy-to-understand microwave

    a little outdoor patio

    lots of "city balconies"

    one fancy bath-room

    three toilet closets

    enough chairs to all sit around the table

    TV in kitchen with a channel with fun Japanese kid shows

And the monthly rental was very affordable

(cue the music) I think I'm gonna like it here!

10-28-26

Our first full week in Osaka

We've had lots of connections with PEOPLE

    We met with other worldschoolers at a park

    Hideko came on Thursday for shopping and cooking

    Sunny and kids came on Saturday to play games and answer questions

    We met lots of people (both Japanese and foreign) at church

    Sachiko and Satomi walked to our house after church

    We met up with Masumi at Itami station to walk around

We've visited lots of PLACES

    We walk down the shotengai near our house every day

    We walk to a grocery store pretty much every day

    We walked to Umeda and shopped at Nintendo, Pokemon, Oasis

    We went to Tennoji Park

    We went to Itami and checked out the huge Aeon mall

    We went to Mustard Seed's 15th anniversary service

We've bought lots of THINGS
    books in Japanese, English, and both

    groceries and treats

    items to supplement our AirBNB

    Pokemon plushies and cards and figures

Soaking in

    all these new

        people, places, and things

10-29-26

I already know

    I want more time here

I thought two months

    seemed like a long time

        and it is

            compared to those from the cruise

              who are already home

    but after one week,

        I'm already sad at the thought of leaving

Perhaps I'm still in the "honeymoon phase"

    of my love for Japan

It's not that everything is easy or glamorous

    but this lifestyle

        of being immersed in the Japanese language and culture

            making connections

            walking down the shotengai every day

            praying as I go

            exploring new places

        and seeing how the "new" becomes "familiar" and "known"

    is where I want to linger

        and I don't know

            if two months is enough

10-31-26

Just because I'm here

    doesn't mean

        I'll automatically

            absorb the language

Sure, I'm surrounded by it,

    but it can be relegated

        to background noise

            even during the sermon portion

                in Japanese

I try to read

    all the hiragana and katakana

        in front of my eyes,

            but there's so much kanji,

                I still can't make sense of it all

Even in speaking and listening,

    I stick with the basic

        "Daijoubu desu" (No thanks/I'm fine)

            when they ask if I want a plastic bag

                (at least I think that's what they're asking)

I may be surrounded,

    but it's not automatic

It takes concentration

    and effort

        over TIME

11-5-26

I'm loving our life here

Some things are very similar to home

    Completing schoolwork lists

    Doing laundry and dishes

    Having people over for dinner

    Plugging in to a church community

    Meeting up with friends at the park

    Shopping for groceries

but with different twists

    school without many books

    laundry without a dryer

    hospitality without an oven

    church without our beloved Sunday School class

    meet-ups without a van (only walking and/or trains)

    groceries every day instead of every week

We take day trips to other cities or other countryside

    and spend some days mostly at home

We've made friends with local Japanese

    and with travelers from around the world

It feels like a parallel dimension

    Things are still happening at home

        but we're in this alternate existence 7,000 miles away

        and I don't fit in here

        but I don't know if I'll fit in at home, either