Dreaming Days

Both in Leiden and Dusseldorf, I met two freinds each who I knew before this journey.

The guy from Leiden who has been to Japan to study Japanese as well as for his MA study at my neibouring university. In addition, he was participated in our seminar's study tour to Indonesia in 2008. We had a nice time in both.

A woman from Dusseldorf who she is blonging to the same university as I. At the same time she has studied with the same teacher of my seminar called KG. Even before she started to live here with her husbund, I took part in with her PHD class which I was very interested in.

Those days when I stayed with them in a past one week, I was very relaxed to stay talking Japanese as well as tuching Japanese mentality which we have.

The last time to meet a guy from Leiden was last Feb. brfore he was back to Holland at the Sibuya St. in Tokyo after we done a last drunk in there. Few days ago, we met in Leiden after long break and he showed me around. The city was really beautiful looks like pretty AMS and I enjoyed drinking with him as well as his friend. Since he was back to here, he is hard to make a time to speak Japanese and looks like hunger to speak it as I was. We were talking with Japanese as much as we can at the first day we met again. The next day when Santa Claus Day in Holland, he showed me at his pretty city with some Dutch foods. One of the finest thing which I ate was a fish called "nishin" in Japanese. That was very tasty and reminds me Japan. Just few days before I came to at his place, he with his girlfriend went to Japan and some of the Asian country for traveling. Even after he back to Holland, he looked that he want to get in touch with Japan. It was easiliy to understand how he is crazy to Japan once you saw a lot of manga such as "Hazimeno-ippo" out of his shelf. According to his information, he is the only MA student who haven't done for his final thesis to his study. I hope that he will work out before too late! He bought me a lots of foods. I really appreciate about it.

The wonam who I really respect from Dusseldorf in Germany I met her last time in Tokyo close to my uni. on Feb 2008 when was about two years ago. She is a person who strongly have a Japanese mentality more than that I have. Two days when I hanging out with her were really great and important time to my mentality. It won't hard to find the similar person who have a Japanese mentality even in Japan which I strongly feel in these two days. She always tried to think what I want to do and gave me a lots as much as her could. Again, I haven't met such a woman who have strongly has a Japanese mentality even in Japan.
What I felt from her with our conversation was that she was hard to make a life in Germany even she can speak both English and Germany (English won't work in here, by the way) . Why? Because there is a big differences between the people in Germany or I would say in Europe and Japan. People in Europe they think "I am the first." When they need something they require strongly or try to make them happy by theirself. But in contrast as I told you before typical Japanese people they might wait before something happen even though we want to something. I heard from her that there are several things which people feel rude when she tried to do something with Japanese way. It is not easy to live at a place where is a big cultural differences. In addition, she is writing a paper to her PHD school in Japan but for her it is not easy to write in her life having a cultural differences as well as language differences.
If you think that languages are not a part of culture, culture is important than language. I need English to travel but it is not enough to make my travel confortable in here. I cannot completely understand what mentality they have! How people's mentality is different from Asia and Europe. Both should be respect but both should be adaptable.

I know a little bit how hard to make a life in a middle of European country as a stranger. That's what I want to write for a graduation paper by the way!!

I hope she will be fine to live in Germany!!

I am going back to Japan in a next few months but she won't be back in next few year I think. However, I simply hope we can meet again in next ten year somewhere in the world.

She gave me everything while I was in Dusseldorf. Doumo arigatou gozaimashita.

People who have same identity helping with each other in the world.

Nations makes a small family outside of that country.

Yuji @ Dusseldorf, Germany

PS. Who said Dusseldorf is a boring city? Seeing is believing!!
Dusseldorf is the best city with the number of Japanese people in Europe. I came across a "Japan town" in Europe. Nihonshu, umakattna-