Menu

We went out to dinner tonight, and this was the menu.

Welcome to our life. We constantly feel illiterate, every single day. It's frustrating.

Yes, I know, it's partly our fault. We should have kept up with our Japanese classes and took advantage of the language opportunity here. But the fact is, we didn't. Life events overtook the priority, and it is what it is at this point in the game.

The language barrier has certainly made it difficult to get out and try new things, especially when it comes to food and restaurants. If it doesn't have an English menu, or at least pictures to look at, forget it! So we find ourselves always going to the same "safe" places; places where we know ahead of time that we can get by.

Luckily we had a couple Japanese friends with us tonight, who went ahead and ordered for us. But can you imagine that feeling?... not being able to read a single word, and then someone just going ahead and ordering what they think you would like..? Sometimes it feels like we're children here. But I'm not complaining, because it it wasn't for friends, we would never try any place new.

I feel very fortunate that several restaurants here even offer English menus. I wonder what do people do when they move to the U.S. and can't speak a word of English? Americans aren't usually quite as accommodating when it comes to foreigners and language barriers - many just expect people to know English.

Living here has certainly been an eye-opening experience, on many different levels. The language barrier is just one of them. It's truly been a fantastic opportunity to experience another culture and see the world. But with all of that said, we're both looking forward to going home for good in the fall. Being able to read AND understand everything is such a great feeling!