I'm American Now! ~Naturalization

 It has been a very long time since I last wrote on this blog. I thought it might be a good time to start writing again. I also want to share what I have been doing because a lot has happened since then.

A few blog posts ago, I wrote about getting my green card. Well, now I have become a U.S. citizen! I am American! Yay!

Japan does not officially allow dual citizenship, so many Japanese people choose not to become U.S. citizens. Many hope to return to Japan someday when they retire. So why did I decide to become a U.S. citizen?

The answer is simple: I love the United States.

For a long time, it felt a little strange living in the U.S. as a Japanese citizen. I had spent most of my adult life in America. I paid taxes here, worked here, built my life here, and received support from this country. At the same time, I hadn't really contributed much to Japan in recent years, and Japan was no longer the place where I lived my daily life.

Sometimes I wondered: Am I Japanese or American? I felt like I didn't fully belong anywhere, and that made me sad.

Eventually, I realized that I wanted to commit myself to the United States and become part of this country. I also wanted the U.S. to protect me as one of its citizens.

The process was not very complicated. I submitted the application, paid about $900 in fees, and then attended an interview and citizenship test. I had to study U.S. history, geography, and government. After I passed the test, I attended the naturalization ceremony and took the Oath of Allegiance.

It was a very special moment, and I was so excited.

I am proud to be both Japanese by birth and American by citizenship. Both cultures have shaped who I am today, and I am grateful for the journey that brought me here.

Japan for the first time in 7 years!

I went to Japan for the first time in 7 years.

Many people ask me what I miss about Japan besides family and friends, such as food. My answer is... nothing. I am used to American life style and I can get most of the things I want even in the US. There are Japanese restaurants and Japanese stores.I can read Japanese online, and I can watch the Japanese news.

So I didn't know what I should do when I went back to Japan.

However I enjoyed visiting Japan. I already forgot about many things in Japan and also thought that many things have changed since I left. So I was totally like a foreigner who is visiting Japan.
I found interesting things by looking at everything through "foreigners' eyes", and I took a lot of pictures as a tourist, too. So I would like to talk about it!

I got a green card!

Finally my green card was approved. It was a long process. I'm so excited!

Harvest party - How do you celebrate fall?

I threw a party last weekend. I often have parties with seasonal themes. The theme of this party was "harvest." So I made decorations and dishes related to harvest or fall. I collected dried leaves, hay, wild flowers, acorns and pine cones at parks and bushes, and bought a pumpkin, squashes and corns. I decorated whole my apartment with them. I cooked Japanese dishes and seasonal dishes using squashes and sweet potatoes. We prepared hot spiced apple cider, too.

My American friend made Tsukimi dango. Do you familiar with Tsukimi? and dango? Tssukimi, literally moon-viewing, refers to Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon. We display decorations made from grass called susuki and eat rice dumplings called Tsukimi dango in order to celebrate the beauty of the full-moon. He did not know about Tsukimi at all, but he looked into Japanese harvest party online and found out about it. He made Tsukimi dango. Even though he had never eaten dango before, it was just perfect; both how it looked and how it taste. I got susuki-like grasses from a bush, and served together.

It was like a party blended American celebration with Japanese traditional celebration for harvest. People enjoyed the decorations and dishes at the party.
How do you celebrate this season?

Give me a green card!

"Hey the US government,

I'm an important person for the US!"

About a year ago, I started preparing my green card application. I wrote my job description, collected many kinds of certifications and six recommendation letters from famous scientists to prove how I'm a great scientist who is required for the US. I filed about 1000 pages of documents for the application. It took six months to prepare the submission. I paid $5000 for my lawyer and about $2000 in government filing fees. You know, it's costly and tough work.

Yesterday, about six months after submission, my application was approved! Yay!
But, there is a problem... The number of green cards which can be issued in my category is limited, so I'm on the waiting list. No one cannot tell how long it'll take, but I might have to wait for a few years. Until a couple of month ago, cases in my category didn't have such a problem. I'm unlucky. Sigh...

Anyway, now I can stay and work here legally without a visa. I will just have to wait.

Why don't Americans use the metric system?

I have been in the US for more than 7 years. I have gotten used to many things in the US, but one of the things I am still not used to is the measurement system here.

All of the countries except three countries in the world are using the metric system. The US is one of them. The US is the only industrialized country where the metric system is not the official system of units.
I still have no idea how big, how long, or how hot something is... :(

Recently, I was shocked to realize that the volume of 'one cup' is different between Japan and the US. One cup is 200 ml in Japan, but 240 ml (8oz) in the US. I have been cooking using an American measuring cup for Japanese recipes. Now I understand why my dishes failed...

Dentists in the US vs Japan

This is my experience of seeing a dentist in the US.
I have a lot of cavities. I have known about that for a long time but I had not been to see a dentist since I came to the US. It was not only because I do not like dentists, but also because I was not familiar with dentists in US so that scared me.

Last week I went to see a dentist for the first time in the US. I think the dentist was friendly, and I assume that American dentists are in general more friendly than Japanese ones.
As I anticipated, he found a lot of cavities and most of them were serious. He was surprised that I had not not felt any pain with them.

I was comfortable during the dental work. Actually it was more comfortable than at dentists in Japan. It was very expensive, much more expensive than dentists in Japan. I have a dental insurance which covers most of dental work, but I had so many serious cavities that the insurance could not cover them all. I should have seen a dentist before my teeth became this bad...
I have heard that American people go to see a dentist for check-ups or cleaning before they have problems with their teeth. On the other hand, Japanese people go to their dentist only after they have problems with their teeth.

By the way, my dentist is supper kind! Once I biked to see the dentist and it was rain when my appointment finished, so my dentist drove me and my bike home.

I like a dentist. But I still do not want to have bad teeth!

Having a party and building a network

Tulip "Spring Party" 

I used to throw a party every couple of months. But since many of my friends left last summer, I have not been motivated tohave a party and I had not had one for four months. But my best friend is going back to Japan in twoweeks, so I throw one for her. Also a new Japanese girl has just come here. And I invited many other friends. Many peoplecanceled at the last minute, but still quite a few people were there. I think my party is a little different from the onesyou have because mine is pretty international and there are a variety of people.

I like to throw parties but I put a lot of work into them. I try to have a big party and invite not only close friends but alsonew people and friends I have not seen for a while so that we can keep our network. And I clean up and decoratemy apartment and prepare dishes; I organize very well. Usually everyone looks like they are having a good time so I feel happy.But after everyone leave I feel sad. It is so quiet here.

There is a lot of leftover food. I could survive a few days with it...

Rock climbing

I went to a rock climbing gym with my friend. I did not know that there is such a kind of gym. I never heard about it in Japan. Is it popular in the US? Have you ever tried it?

It was my first time rock climbing. My friend invited me and I was willing to do it. I like to try new things. When I entered the gym, I was astounded. There were huge walls in front of my eyes. I was excited, but also nervous. Can I really do it??

I had to take a training session from the staff. It took about an hour. I learned many safety issues like how to tie the ropes and how to hold the ropes when your partner is climbing. It was quite confusing for me. But it was important to avoid dropping my friend from a high place of the wall, lol.

Finally, I was allowed to climb the wall. I had no idea how high I would be able to climb up. But it was easier than I thought. I climbed to the top of the wall! it was the beginners course, though. I was so excited. Then, I saw my friend on the floor. I became a bit scared. I realized how high it was. But I did it!

I was tired and I had pain in my arms after climbing just two times...

I had a really good experience and it was a lot of fun. I want to do it again. And I want to keep trying new things. It's great!

The place friends get together

I liked the TV show "Friends ". Now I like "The Big Bang Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother". Yes, I like comedy. But I have another reason why I like those TV shows. I like their friendship. In those shows, the small group of friends often get together at someone's house or the bar, and they talk about funny stories and their problems. I always wanted to have such a group of best friends. That is one of my dream! Do you think it can happen in real life? or just in TV shows?

Recently, I sometimes hang out with a small group of my friends. Even though it is still not like a group in those TV shows, I have a good time with them. It is not everyday, but we get together whenever someone wants to. We have a lot of laughs and talk about serious things. Last time, they listened to my problem and I came to feel better. I am glad I have those friends.
Do you have a group of friends like that?

The importance of Christmas in Japan

Christmas is coming soon. The whole town is decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments. I decorated a big Christmas tree at my place.

Today, I would like to talk about Japanese Christmas.
Most Japanese are not Christian, but everyone celebrates Christmas. Because Japan does not celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas decoration and sales start very early, right after Halloween.
They have the same concept in that Santa is coming to give presents to children. But how they celebrate Christmas is totally different from the US.
I think, American people spend Christmas with their family. And some people go to church. On the other hand, Japanese people spend Christmas with their lovers. Therefore, before Christmas, single people desperate to look for their partner. If they do not have a lover, they get together with their friends and have a party.
Japanese people want to go to classy restaurants and eat stake, or have fried chicken at the party. Seriously, Kentucky Fried Chicken is very busy on Christmas.

After Christmas, Japanese next become Buddhists. They go to a temple or shrine on New Year's. I will talk about it later. But isn't it funny?

Why do I like the US?

I have stayed in the US for six years and I want to stay here indefinitely. I want to get an academic position in the US someday. This is my dream.

Many people ask me “Why do you like the US?” or “What is better in the US than in Japan?”
These are hard questions for me. Actually, I do not know the exact answers. I just feel more comfortable in the US. But I will try to answer those questions here.

One reason is that academic research environment is better in the US. In the US, government give more money for academic research. Furthermore, in Japan, we are very busy because we have to do many other things besides our research. In other words, in the US, we can concentrate more on our research and make more progress.

The Second reason is about the people. Americans are very friendly. Even though I am Japanese, they talk to me casually. Also we feel more free to talk with teachers or superiors in the US.
From another point, Americans respect the individual personality of each person. In Japan, it is important to go along with other people. “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” I do not want to care how other people think about me. I want to be myself.

The third reason is that I like the rich nature in the US, though it might be only the place I live. I do not like crowded cities in Japan.

I think I have other reasons. Of course, I have pros and cons for living in the US. If I have another opportunity, I want to talk about the disadvantages, too.

I am coming close to my dream of living in the US!?

I finally started applying for permanent residency in the US, this is called a green card. I have stayed in the US more than six years and I have come to like here, so I want to stay here indefinitely. To fulfill this dream, I have to get a green card. But it is not so easy. I have to claim that I am a valuable person to live in the US as a prominent researcher. To prove this, I have to prepare a lot of documents and letters, and write two essays. That is hard and time consuming. I hired an attorney. It is costly. Even so, I am not sure if my application will be approved. It is not fun. It is stressful... Sigh,I am still far from my dream...

Volunteer at a Bird Center

I think volunteer work is more common in the US than Japan. There are many opportunities and people are willing to work as volunteers here, in the US. That is great! 


So I also started volunteer. Since I like wildlife, I work at a bird center as a volunteer. At the center, we take care of wild birds that are injured or orphaned. I go to the center every week and I feed baby birds and clean cages. We have to feed them every 30 minutes! They are noisy but so cute. They are waiting for food with their mouths open. There are many kinds of birds including sparrows, finches, doves, blue jays, robins and geese. All those birds are brought by kind people who found a bird that cannot survive in the wild. There are about 100 birds at the center at a time, and a few hundreds birds during a entire summer season. After we take care of the birds and they become big and healthy, they are released into the wild again. That is happy and sad moment.

I like this work.

Hello my friends!

This is my first post.

I am Japanese. I came to the US for my research about 6 years ago. At that time, I was thinking it was just experience to study abroad, and I was planing to go back home in a few year.  Actuary, it was not fun. I could not communicate with other people because of my terrible English skill (even though I still found it difficult! lol), I faced many culture differences, and those things made me feel depressed. But I could learn many things by my experiences. And finally, even though I am still struggle with language and culture, I enjoy my life with those problems. I love the US!

I decided to start my blog because I would be grad if I can share my experiences and opinion about culture differences with other people. But I am not the specialist, so do not take them seriously! just enjoy my funny/dramatic/happy/sad stories.

Thanks for reading. I hope to talk with you soon :)