Welcome to Rainy Season
06/03/2023
Yesterday was my first day here and while it was quiet and restful, it was also very rainy. The month of June is the rainy season in Japan known as 梅雨 (Tsuyu).
One of my internship leaders, Karis, took me to lunch in the city of Nagoya and we stopped by a supermarket on our way. While we were walking for less than 30 minutes each way, by the time I got back to my host family’s apartment, I was completely soaked and dumped nearly 1 cm of water out of my rain boots.
Another surprise, which I really should have expected, is that everything at the supermarket is labeled in Japanese and there are very few “American ingredients.” Walking into the supermarket with Karis was honestly a little overwhelming as I wondered: how in the world am I going to cook meals for myself when nothing is familiar? Later I returned to the supermarket with my Host-Mom, Lois, and I felt much better. The LORD graciously provided me the opportunity to cook for myself during this last year of college and I enjoyed exploring Asian cuisines which is benefiting me now.
Today, the other interns and I have orientation and are learning how to navigate the city. Please continue to pray for the requests in my previous post as well as that I would be able to traverse the city easily by myself starting on Monday.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.”
Isaiah 45:5-8 ESV
The written language will be somewhat difficult to learn. Not just because of the markings themselves, but also because of the construction of the Japanese language itself. Unlike romantic languages, katakana and kanji use single symbols to represent broad ideas or concepts, like “fire” or “honor”. This requires the reader to many times guess the meaning of sentences or phrasing when it comes to more modern things.
Hi Olivia! Papa and I are so proud of you and so thankful that you made the trip to Japan ok. What an experience you will have! We will be praying for you. We love you so much!