Kyuu Kyuu Sha Diaries 救急車日記: Make New Friends

おはようございます、読者。

Good morning, readers.

A sea of bobbing heads and colorful, handmade signs greeted me as I entered through Sophia's north gate 北門. Friendly faces, rapid-fire Japanese, and flimsy flyers beckoned me forward. The occasional "Do you speak English?" spouted from a few recruiters' lips. All combined, everyone and everything exclaimed the same thing: welcome to Sophia.

Over the next week, I perfected how to introduce myself in Japanese 自己紹介 and smoothly transitioned from removed, international student 留学生 to new friend 友達 status. Over the past two weekends, I've spent my time immersing myself in Sophia student culture, taste testing various clubs, or circles サークル, from SISEC (Sophia International Student Exchange Council) and Sophia Communication to KGK (Christian Club). The first two speak directly to the study abroad experience, offering international students a means to make friends with Japanese students, practice their Japanese, and travel around Tokyo.

Last Saturday I ventured with SISEC, a club of about 200 students, to Yokohama 横浜 and spent the afternoon strolling the crowded streets of Chinatown 中華街. Nothing can compare to the aroma of the gourmet mixed dim sum ミックス点心 and the feeling of creamy, strawberry shaved ice かきごお melting on my tongue. After lunch, my new Japanese friends and I played games in Yamashita Park 山下公園 from volleyball to charades, competing against each other in our small groups. The latter activity was the most amusing as one group leader held up Japanese or English cue cards, puzzling several international and Japanese students who couldn't make out the complicated Kanji characters or scribbled English letters. Students jumped, danced, and gestured to try and communicate with their team members. I lucked out with "Twitter," typing away at the air and then flapping my hands like a bird. My first year friend, Moeko, helped our group out with her correct 正しい guess.

Sunday proved to be another adventure as I met up with students from Sophia Communication. We hopped aboard Tokyo's Metro 地下鉄 and headed to Yoyogi Park 代々木園 near Harajuku 原宿. Settling down on a carpet of strung together blue tarps, I ate lunch picnic-style, enjoying the company of several first years and another girl studying abroad from Thailand. Over orange slices みかん and Japanese chocolate cookies (one kind translated as Country Ma'am), us girls discussed majors, interests, and cultural differences (for instance, I explained my high school prom details to my friend, Mio, who was interested in this aspect of American culture that Japan doesn't have).

As I journeyed back to my apartment, I couldn't help smiling to myself on the subway. Despite the challenge of memorizing numerous names and some language barrier bumps, I am really here in Tokyo already creating lasting ties with native speakers. In realizing this, I felt a weight, a light one, lift from my shoulders. Though often surrounded by strangers, I have already found members of my Tokyo family.

We will teach one another. We will learn each other's stories. We will grow together.

This is what I came for.