If You Ever Live Abroad

   “I felt awesome when I saw ‘umbrella plastic bags’ put at the entrance of a supermarket on a rainy day.” Elin Streiffert, a Swedish coed at Linnaeus University who worked as an English teacher in Japan, spoke of her own impressive experiences in Japan. She did a homestay at Hayashima, Okayama Prefecture, from September 2009 to April 2010. “In Japan, they sometimes use double-wheel stands at bicycle parking lots. Only single-wheel stands are available in Sweden. I thought the Japanese way is more convenient,” she said.

 Japan and Sweden are just the same as far as both are developed countries. But Elin found everything quite different except for that, which made her excited. “I was surprised to see primary school children clean their classroom by themselves in Japan. In Sweden, the job is done exclusively by cleaning ladies. My host mother cleaned the streets even in the public space. I thought we could learn from that culture.”

 Elin said she didn’t like seafood very much before staying in Japan. But now, she likes many of seafood including eel and oyster. On the other hand, her last-favored Japanese food is takoyaki (octopus dumpling). “I don’t feel good with that texture. I don’t like takoyaki just as natto,” she said.

 Elin said she also likes the autumn in Japan. “The sky is clear and it’s not that cold. I felt cozy in that season.” The sky is always overcast during the Swedish autumn and the temperature is around 10 degrees centigrade. Enjoying a clear sky in Japan was attractive for her.

 “Japanese people don’t have the custom of hugging each other. I felt a bit sad. That was one of the things I missed in Japan. I think hugging is great,” Elin said smilingly of the Swedish culture.

 The reason she chose Japan as a place to teach English was quite simple. “I wanted to experience a totally different culture in another country,” she said.

 If you ever go abroad and live there, what motivation do you have in your mind? Finding something interesting of your own country or looking attentively at your surroundings may lead you to some new idea.

Written by: Shizuka Kato