Culture – DU Abroad

After having been in classes for half of a semester now, the life that I have built for myself here in Japan is slowly, but surely, establishing itself as normal.

I have a routine now and am able to navigate Kyoto alone as if I had lived here my whole life. I go out with friends, do my homework, and exist as if I was living in Denver again, only this time, across the world.

I never thought I would be able to assimilate into life here so quickly. I still struggle with things, but I am not nearly as hopeless as I thought I would be. I will say, having friends from home here with me has most definitely helped speed up the process. We have all struggled with the same things and helped each other out, which would be a completely different story had I came completely alone. But I think, still, that I have done pretty well so far.

Classes are actually kind of fun! They are difficult, especially the ones I have that are not in English, but I have greatly enjoyed the people I have met and almost mundane normalcy of it all. I even have my study spaces and cafes I frequent near campus (let me know if you want a cafe/sweet treat review post!)

The way classes work here is extremely difficult than how I am used to in Denver. For instance, our classes start at weird times of the hour–such as 2:55 or 12:15–and are only an hour and a half long. In Denver, though, all of my classes started on the hour and always ended at either half past or 10 minutes before the hour, so I had to get used to that adjustment. I still forget when classes end sometimes, especially my evening classes, but I will get it eventually.

I also only have each class once a week, other than my extensive language courses. I’m so used to having each class twice a week back home that it felt like years had passed since my last class when I first started classes here. It is also weird to have a blocked out lunch period where no classes are occurring. I like not having to block out my lunch plans when registering; they are already established in our schedule. I don’t know why America doesn’t do this, but if any politicians are reading this (I doubt anyone is but hey, a girl can dream), bring this up in your next policy meeting. It is so much more convenient, especially if you have a big test or homework coming up and have no room in your schedule to block time out for it.

I have also thoroughly enjoyed the convenience that is public transport in Japan. I can go across Kyoto for under $10 by simply taking the train or bus, which is so much cheaper and different than many places in the United States. My hometown doesn’t even have any kind of public transportation infrastructure, and the one in Denver is, unfortunately, known for being not one of the best, so I never truly understood how beneficial having train infrastructure is.

And not only is the train infrastructure so nice, but I have now been exposed to the wonders of a walkable city. A 30-minute walk would sound miserable to Denver me, but Japan me is saying “that’s nothing!”. One of our first days here, we went out for drinks and karaoke and missed the last bus, causing us to take on a two hour walk back home at 2 am with ease. Needless to say, after that, I can walk any distance back home now.

It’s not all completely normal though. I do miss being in the same time zones as my loved ones; my day starts as theirs ends, one sun rises, causing another sun to set. Having to schedule calls and meetings based on my 15-hour time difference is difficult, and I can’t wait until I am back on the same continent as my friends and family for that reason alone.

I crave food from back in the United States constantly. While Japan has delicious cultural cuisine, sometimes I just miss a good, spicy taco or some cornbread. There are lots of international foods to try, like Indian or Vietnamese food, which are both incredibly delicious, but I can never truly fight off my American mind craving a burger. Japan and America do burgers differently, and they just don’t hit the same. Same with American candy and treats, sometimes I want a bag of hot Cheetos or Nerds and just can’t find them.

Also, sillily enough, I miss the size of paper back in America. Paper here is huge! It’s almost as if two American sized sheets are stuck together in one big sheet. Almost all of my assignments need to be folded to fit into my folder, and I can almost never write on it if it is fully laid out in front of me. I like having small paper, it is so much easier to carry around and write on. I never thought paper would be a culture shock, but alas.

Some things are still the same, such as the way I still go to cafes too often or watch T.V. or YouTube when I study or eat, but overall, my life has been changing in both the best and worst ways.

This could go on for hours if I wrote down every single thing I miss or have adjusted to, so I’ll cut it here, but I have shaped a little life here. While it may not be my permanent home, it is my home for the moment. I might as well make the most of it and do what I can to make my days as normal for myself as I can.

Torii gate in Uji, Kyoto ٩( ‘ω’ )و

Whichever country you travel to or study in, there are things to do every day and every night. You aren’t local to the city or country and there are a million and one things that you want to see before you fly back to your hometown. Historical attractions during the day, good food in the evenings, and drinks to enjoy while discovering a new local nightlife scene. When we rush to do everything at once, we aren’t really giving time to understand the culture or people around us.

Tourists and travelers experience new environments differently. Tourists experience the location as an outsider, travelers enjoy it as if they were local, trying to find what is included in the daily life of people who call the city home. Studying abroad calls for you to embrace your host country as a traveler. I feel like Brno has been the perfect place to take that role. First of all, it’s not Prague. It’s a more authentic slice of Czech life, the language is practically essential here, and the Czechs here definitely enjoy their days at a relaxed pace.

Even though I am guilty of making a Brno Bucket list, I had locals approve it and add spots that they say are worth checking out as well. I also have been taking the time to walk around and visit places that don’t seem like tourist traps. As of right now, that’s included so many cafes, kebab restaurants, and moments sitting on lawns. I’ve found my way into the different grocery stores (Lidl is probably my favorite) and into second-hand shops. But I have gone to some of the more tourist attractions as we were given vouchers from a student club.

I’ve visited the Špilberk Castle, the Romani Culture Museum, and the Ossuary below St. James and explored the city center that houses many historical figures and sights.

ESN voucher exploration of Brno’s history & cultural influences — Top row: 1. Spilberk Castle in Brno, Czech Republic. 2. From the entrance of the Casemate prison. 3. First room of the Romani Culture Museum. 4. Skulls arranged in rows of the Ossuary below St. James Church. Bottom row: 5. Outside of the casemates within castle grounds. 6. Romani Museum’s dedication to film & media portrayal. 7. Installation of musical instruments in the Romani museum. 8. Skulls and bones are stacked as a wall in the ossuary.

The Moravian Castle, a fortress on a hill, was built during the 13th century and acted as a prison for about 200 years. I toured the casements during my visit which were the home to many torture devices, serious criminals, and political prisoners. During the Nazi Occupation of the country, the prisons were occupied by Czech patriots. There is definitely a sinister feeling floating around the casemates still.

The Romani Culture Museum holds the eerie yet vibrant history of the Roma people, who have faced endless prosecution. In the US, the Roma are still often referred to as “Gypsy” people, which is a racial slur because of the oppressive context it was used in historically. They are a group of people who have still not found a way to escape the hate against them, even when assimilated into communities. During Nazi occupation, they were a group that was highly targeted and taken to concentration camps. During Communism, they remained a segregated minority. Even though the Roma have an extensive history with the land of Bohemia and Moravia, they are regarded as being the “unwanted Europeans,” with nearly 90% of Roma people living below the poverty line.

At the Ossuary, you venture below the Church of St. James to visit the underground chamber graves where over 50,000 bodies were believed to be buried. When the bodies were originally buried they were left for 10-12 years before they would be moved into the Ossuary. This religious site has the 2nd largest Ossuary in Europe, and many of its occupants were victims of plague and cholera. One of the chambers still had the Catholic bones arranged in the exact way it was found, remaining untouched. Even though the Czech Republic is an atheist majority, the rediscovery of the Ossuary below the Church in 2001 was a significant experience in the history of the city’s ever-growing population.

All well-known sights and all building up to the culture that the people of Brno experience.

Mendel Quote — Gregor Johann Mendel quote & art within the city center. “To live without experiencing some shame and blushes of admiration would surely be a wretched life.” Mendel is a very important historical character in Brno, even having a square named after him.

The Czech Republic’s history is different than our own in the U.S., with people still alive who experienced the communist regime of the Soviets when it was known as the Czechoslovak Republic. This being said, the Soviet regime was put in place right after the Nazi occupation. It wasn’t until 1989 that they were free from the kind of government and propaganda that fueled the regime. Those with that firsthand experience are stereotypically more closed off and straightforward, and honestly said to be more racist by those 30 and younger who only learned of the harsh history through their older family members and school. Some of my classmates who are Czech have admitted that there is a lot of hypocrisy over racial issues, where some act like the United States is the only offender even though racist presence exists here and everywhere. I feel as if diving into some of the history of the Czech Republic has helped me understand some of the cultural norms and ideologies that linger from it. The local culture here is interesting, and Brno is a diverse place as Masaryk is a very large school for international students to attend and there are many unique personalities within the city.

Tag: Culture

Home is Where–and What–You Make It

Walk through Czech Culture