Christmas
As I am writing this there are 16 minutes left until it's officially Christmas. For some reason it doesn't seem like (14 minutes) Christmas. In Japan Christmas day is a work day (13 minutes), which means people get up at the same time as they do every week-day morning, they eat their same lame breakfast, they put on their same clothes, and drive their same car (12) to their same job that they do every single other day of the year. (11)
I promise I don't actually type this slowly, I'm just easily distracted right now.
(10) Life on Christmas day in Japan doesn't halt like it does in the states. (9) you don't get to wake up late while one of the women in your family makes you an extravagant breakfast.
(All hail the women in the families all over the world who do this, I am not one of them, but I have some wonderful one's in my family, and life would be much lamer without you.) (8)
(Also shout out to the men who do this, you are an MVP as well and deserve recognition)
You don't get to hang out in your pyjamas* all day drinking coffee and eating Christmas-specific pastries.
*Okay, hold up my computer just autocorrected to this. someone please tell me I have not been spelling pajamas incorrectly my entire life.
(7) Japan is so different from everything I'm used to (6). I've heard it said several times that Japanese culture is opposite in every way it can be to American culture. (5) Being here has challenged me to understand that there are people in this world who see through a completely different lens (4).
Until we understand that our way is not always the "Right" way and start trying to (3) communicate with people out of respect for their understanding of life we can never really form relationships with each other. (2) Christmas has always been a big deal to me, I love Christmas and so many things about it, but this year it's just a work day. This year I'm spending Christmas looking through the lens of someone else. (1)
It's hard to spend the last few minutes before Christmas alone on your bed writing a blog post to people who are just waking up at home. I wouldn't trade the lessons I've learned here, and the laughs I've shared with these incredible people, but this isn't the version of Christmas I love. It is however reality for at least an entire country and surely more in the world. So I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you should really appreciate your traditions, whatever they are, and share them with someone else
I promise I don't actually type this slowly, I'm just easily distracted right now.
(10) Life on Christmas day in Japan doesn't halt like it does in the states. (9) you don't get to wake up late while one of the women in your family makes you an extravagant breakfast.
(All hail the women in the families all over the world who do this, I am not one of them, but I have some wonderful one's in my family, and life would be much lamer without you.) (8)
(Also shout out to the men who do this, you are an MVP as well and deserve recognition)
You don't get to hang out in your pyjamas* all day drinking coffee and eating Christmas-specific pastries.
*Okay, hold up my computer just autocorrected to this. someone please tell me I have not been spelling pajamas incorrectly my entire life.
(7) Japan is so different from everything I'm used to (6). I've heard it said several times that Japanese culture is opposite in every way it can be to American culture. (5) Being here has challenged me to understand that there are people in this world who see through a completely different lens (4).
Until we understand that our way is not always the "Right" way and start trying to (3) communicate with people out of respect for their understanding of life we can never really form relationships with each other. (2) Christmas has always been a big deal to me, I love Christmas and so many things about it, but this year it's just a work day. This year I'm spending Christmas looking through the lens of someone else. (1)
It's hard to spend the last few minutes before Christmas alone on your bed writing a blog post to people who are just waking up at home. I wouldn't trade the lessons I've learned here, and the laughs I've shared with these incredible people, but this isn't the version of Christmas I love. It is however reality for at least an entire country and surely more in the world. So I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you should really appreciate your traditions, whatever they are, and share them with someone else
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Good morning and Merry Christmas Lauren. We miss you.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Lauren! We love you and hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Japan!
ReplyDeleteMicah & Rachel
Merry Christmas Lauren. Enjoy your time with you Mom and Dad and safe travels to New Zealand <3 and Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteIt's Dina and Walt - Love your post
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