There’s no doubt about it: living in a foreign country for many years will change a person, something my father learned when he emigrated from the U.K. to the U.S. in the 1950s, becoming quite “Americanized” from the viewpoint of his family back home though he seemed very British to us. After living in Japan for twenty years I am quite unable to recall my weight, height or shoe size using the Imperial system of measurements, and driving over train tracks back home always feels weird to me, as all vehicles are required to stop at train crossings in Japan. By now I don’t think twice about taking my shoes off at the front door or sitting on the floor while relaxing at home, and eating steamed white rice with every meal seems totally natural, too. Japan is a country with a little under half the population of the U.S. crammed into an area 1/25 the size, and I realized I’ve gotten quite good at organizing my stuff in an incredibly small space. Money is quite different too — instead of mailing a check to pay your bills, you bring them to the convenience store and pay the employee in cash. Living in Japan for a long time can affect your English in strange ways. Once I bought a charcoal grill called the Weber ONE TOUCH and did a double take at the title, as my eyes somehow managed to read onee-touch or “touch the older sister” (it’s also a general term for any young woman aged 20 or older). Or maybe I’ve just been doing J-List for too long.
Paying bills in a convenience store is…convenient.
