Lost and Found in Translation

I have learned so much so far from our school visits and seminars, but I think I have learned just as much, of not more from my time with my host family. There are many lessons I am still processing, but one has been on my mind a lot. I have been figuring out how to make connections with people despite a language barrier. My host family does not know a lot of English, and I know hardly any Japanese. Apart from the logistical difficulties of trying to communicate, I also worried about how I would create bonds with people that I struggled to have even basic conversation with. I often bond and connect with people over laughter. I grew up in a household where there was always a lot of laughter and teasing and making fun. It is how my siblings and I show affection for one another. My first few attempts at making jokes with my home stay were total flops. I got blank stares, and trust me, after using a pocket translator, Japanese phrasebook and emphatic hand gestures, a joke is pretty much dead. The only laughter the first day was at my pathetic chopstick skills.


The ice between my homestay sister, Hina, and I was broken after a couple days when the four of us were sitting together in the living room. She was getting up off the floor when she accidentally kneed herself in the face. Neither of her parents saw, and once I saw that she was okay, we made eye-contact and both burst out laughing. Her parents had no idea what was going on, which made us laugh even harder. A bond was created in a hilarious instant. Lesson one: physical comedy is pretty much universal.


During my first week, I was fighting off a cold, and my homestay mother bought some cold medicine for me, including this small bottle of liquid I was supposed to drink. I asked what it was, and the three of them struggled for the words to explain it. I wanted to save them the trouble, because I trusted that whatever it was, it would be good for me, so I asked, "Genki juice?" Genki is a Japanese word for health and vitality. My host family thought this was hilarious and it has become a running joke in the house. Hina was tired yesterday after our outing to the zoo, and her mother joked that Hina needed some Genki Juice to revive her. My first attempt at a Japanese/English hybrid joke was a success!!


It has helped our relationship so much that we are trying so hard on both sides. I have been trying to form sentences and use as much Japanese words as I can, and they have been trying so hard to use English. Hina is the strongest speaker, but she is only 9 and I think sometimes it is trying for her to always be the translator. Her parents and some of her friends call her "Super-Helper" and it is so true. It has definitely been a challenging, but rewarding experience. The desire for communication and connection is there on both sides which creates a bond in itself and when we do really connect on something, it feels amazing. One night, we traded well-known sayings, or adages. My favourite on that they shared basically translates as "A journey of 4000 kms begins with one step" I think it is beautiful, and applies to so much of my time here, and my future journey as a teacher.