Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: August Kelm This is one of Kelm's photographs from Japan in which he won an editor's choice award in an online contest. He nearly won in a picture.com contest as well.

Figures. The first flight of my life was 12 hours long, full of turbulence, mediocre food and a seat about half my size. My books were packed away in my carry-on, which happened to be ten overhead luggage compartments down from my window seat. I slept through "Spiderman 3," a movie I was excited to actually see since I was broke at the time it was released in theaters.

But all of that disappeared when I set foot in the airport. I was in Japan. As I hustled along a large glass corridor playing light jazz, people watched as the automatic walk-way pulled me towards the customs area. Most of my fellow passengers were transferring to other flights, a large number to China, while others were going to South Korea and Taiwan.

I was nervous. True I took a whole year of Japanese back at Lakeland, but, all the practice in the world can't hold up to being alone in a country not your own for the first time. I had any and every single document I thought they would need at customs in hand. A large mess was what it was, but the majority of it was needed at the customs window. They didn't smile; they didn't really even look at me until they had to verify the picture on the passport. I brushed it off as "I wouldn't be smiling either having to deal with rude foreigners too."

After the first customs area, I was pretty much approved to enter Japan officially. I made my way through a maze of hallways and floors. All this just to get my suitcases. The rest of customs was easy. The only things I had with me were money, my camera, gifts for my host family, clothes, and books. That was it. My plan was to bring more back than I took with me.

Meeting my host family went well, which was nice considering I was going to live in their home. For the most part, they spoke no English, only bits and pieces such as simple sentences or words. The first question my host father asked me was this: "Do you drink beer?" I became his drinking buddy. I was only in Japan for five minutes and already, I made a friend.

In between formalities and very slow Japanese, they supposed that I was hungry. Personally, I really wasn't. My stomach was still turning from the ten hours of turbulence they called an inter-continental flight. So what would be THE worst meal to eat on a queasy stomach? You guessed it. Sushi!

Continued...

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