Japanese Homestyle (Private with Ishigreensa)

[BabyGabrial]

"Well.......here we go" Gabriella says as she takes a deep breath and steps off of the airplane and enters a new world. Gabriella is 19 years old. She had graduated high school  months ago but due to having no job and her family having low income and bad credit she couldn't even afford to go to community college. However when she was researching online for possible scholarships she came across a writing contest where the contestants would write an essay about what they believe living life abroad would be like. There will be three winners and they would get a chance to study abroad in Japan for 2 years fully paid for and if they did well they can stay for the full four years. Gabriella is a smart girl, though pretty naive, so she wrote her essay and a few weeks later she received a letter that she was one of the winners. So here she is stepping off the plane and beginning her new life.

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji had learned to speak English like most Japanese kids did in school, but he really liked it. He had had many good teachers, and had learned a lot about the world outside of Japan because of it. 

Now, a local Japanese school for foreigners had filled its dorms too full and asked the community to put up a student at their house for two years. 

“I can pay society back for what it has given me,” he said to himself volunteering. 

Kenji arrived at Narita Airport to meet his live in student. Because  of foreign names and so on, there was a mix up and he held a sign with Gabriella’s name but expected a boy to meet him. 

[BabyGabrial]

Gabby looked around very nervous scared and confused. She knew she was looking for a man holding up a sign with her name on it but there were so many people with signs up that it's still intimidated her. Eventually she looked in the distance and saw a man holding up a sign with her name and she ran over to him immediately "H-hello i-i'm Gabriella. B-but you can call me Gabby for short" she said looking up at the man shivering a little.

[Ishigreensa]

The man didn’t catch everything she said at first. It was a little too fast. 

Finally, he realized this was the student. She was really nervous looking and quite a bit smaller not to mention a girl. All of these things surprised him a bit, but after  recovering a minute later, he smiled. 

“I’m Kenji. I will be your er... host brother? I guess?”  

He smiled at seeing all her stuff. 

“I should take some of your bags for you.”

[BabyGabrial]

"Oh uh thank you it's nice to meet you Mr Kenji or is it  Kenji-san?" She says desperately wanting to make a good first impression. At this point along with her shivering she's also starting to sweat a little and she's taking gulps in between each sentence she says she is very scared and getting more scared by the moment.

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji smiled and nodded. 

“Kenji san is correct when you address someone that isn’t family or a close friend,” he said. “You said it right, Gabalelela.  He got tongue-tied with the ending of her name and only added -san after a moment to show her he was done butchering her name. 

“Can I call you something shorter?” He asked. “Many people just call me Ken, and since you will stay at my house, Kenkun or Ken-Chan is also okay. Chan is what we say to people we are closer to.  It replaces san. 

“Don’t be so scared. I won’t bite if you make mistakes. I promise.”

[BabyGabrial]

She giggles a little at him messing up her name. "Yes sir Ken-Chan. Gabby is the short version of my name" she says starting to warm up to him a little. "I already have all my bags should we get going Mr....I mean Ken-Chan?"

[Ishigreensa]

He smiled and nodded. 

“I park my car this way. I sorry to say, but it takes almost three hours to get my house. Are you hungry?  Did you eat dinner?”

He started to show her the way out. 

[BabyGabrial]

She opens her mouth to say something but her tummy grumbles to answer for her. She holds her stomach and whimpers a little "I uhhhh...didn't have time to eat when I got to the airport and all they had on the plane were penuts and pretzels" she says having an excuse for herself

[Ishigreensa]

(International flights from America to Japan serve two meals though they are kind of small and not always the best food)

Kenji shrugged. 

“I’ve flown a few times. I know what it’s like. We can stop somewhere for dinner on the way home, okay?”

Japanese we’re driving on the “wrong” side of the road!  When they went around blind corners, it was a little uncertain if he would run into another car or not. The roads were far more narrow in Japan than in most cities in America. 

Was he avoiding the interstate? Or were all roads this narrow?  One lane only for each side of the road. 

Every time someone made a right turn, the cars behind had to stop. Sometimes, Ken included, they would just squeeze by on the inside of the lane crossing the side margins. It was definitely illegal to do that in America, but looked like the norm in Japan. 

[BabyGabrial]

(Sorry should I edit my previous post?)

At certain points Gabriella had to close her eyes just to brace for impact that never came. All of this thrilling car ride is just making more hungry as they go. As they go though she is starting to see how roadways work and how driving works here. It doesn't really matter though it's not like she can drive here she'll need a whole new drivers license and have to go through the process in this country and that's not something she feels like doing all over again.

 

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji eventually pulled into a McDonalds thinking that food would at least be familiar to her.  

“Most Americans eat here, right?” He asked her. 

Once he parked the car, he got out and waited for her. 

 

[BabyGabrial]

She smiles and happily nods, but when she takes a look at them menu she notices certain things aren't there like the southern style chicken sandwich she would usually get back home. This disappoints her to an extant. She is happy though that the names of the meals are in english so she asks for a chicken fillet-O without the toppings she is a very picky water and she asks for a large coke.

[Ishigreensa]

Actually, the menu is written in katakana, but also has pictures so you can just point to what you want.  The Japanese way to say things is a little different. 

Kenji ordered a burger that came with a thick fried egg on the meat. 

It was true that some things were replaced with Japnese style items. 

Once they had ordered and sat down with their meal, Kenji smiled at her. 

“You have to start learning Japanese soon, don’t you?”

[BabyGabrial]

( sorry about that I pulled up what I thought was a a Japanese menu but it was just a list of things on the Japanese menu)

 

"Yes sir. I've already started learning the basics though I got Rosetta Stone when I first learned that I won the contest" she says taking a big gulp of her drink and starts eating her sandwich looking around at everything and notices the differences as she sees them and it brings her a mix of wonder and nervousness. " will I be able to adapt to all of this" she thinks to herself which brings a friend to her face as she looks down

[Ishigreensa]

“Is the program really that good?” Kenji wanted to know. He couldn’t see how a recorded or even computer program could really replace real interactive study with a real teacher. 

“Watashi ha Kenji desu.  Anata ha?” He decided to test the program at its very basic level to see. 

[BabyGabrial]

"Uhhhh like I said it was only the basics and I didn't have much time" she says looking scared not wanting to respond and possibly offending him. She just turns away super embarrassed and sucks her drink down more.

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji shook his head. If she didn’t even understand that much yet, then he was right about a program like that not being as effective as a teacher. He knew a teacher could teach that much in a day if they were really a teacher. 

“It’s okay,” Kenji said smiling at her. “It’s like I thought though. Those programs are useful when you are too busy to study a language properly, but they will never replace a good teacher. 

[BabyGabrial]

"Well....will I have a good teacher" she asks looking up to him and taking more sips of her drink just chugging it down. She is starting to feel the need to go to the bathroom but for right now she can hold it in.

[Ishigreensa]

“Well, you’re going to a very good Japanese school as I understand it, so you should have good teachers.”

He finished his food and was about to stand up to head to the car....

”We should get on the road. I told you before, it takes like three hours to drive home when traffic is heavy. “

[BabyGabrial]

"Y-yes sir I'm ready to go" she scarfs her sandwich down and finished her drink before throwing it all away and running back to Kenji like a good girl.

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji smiled. 

This girl seemed a bit like a junior high school kid to him rather than one suitable for college, but then maybe it was just nervousness or maybe it was a culture difference that he never noticed before. Either way he figured he should jump the gun in judging her. 

They got in the car for a two hour and forty minute ride home....

[BabyGabrial]

About an hour in Gabby has her legs crossed tightly. "Ok ok I can hold it. I'll be fine" she tries to reasure herself and sits back

[Ishigreensa]

Kenji having no idea about girls like her, being too shy to ask, just kept driving. 

[BabyGabrial]

Thirty more minutes in she is absolutely bursting and she is trying to hold it in but a bit spirts into her panties "uh um.....Kenji-san......c-can I......can we pull over.....i.....I need to go to.......go to the bathroom...." she requests and looks down