White Day?

            I met with Eiko for a third time on March 10^th.  It was a busy day for me, so we only met for a quick lunch.

            I was really looking forward to meeting with Eiko, but I found it difficult to hold a conversation with her.  I was surprised because we had never had a problem conversing before.  We went back and forth with small talk explaining our past week’s events.  This was prior to Spring Break, so I also told her about my upcoming plans for the week.

            As we finished our food, I wanted to continue talking, but I had no idea what to say.  I realized at one point we were just sitting there, both looking at our plates in silence.  It was a little awkward to say the least.

            I’m not sure how we landed on this particular subject, but we finally found something to talk about.  She explained to me the Japanese tradition of White Day.  In Japan, only the women give gifts to the men on Valentine’s Day.  It’s only a small gift of chocolates or food, but it usually it is homemade.  A month later, on March 14^th, the men return the favor.  This day is called “White Day.” I am still not sure why it is called this.  On this day, the men give the woman who gave them a gift the month before, a gift back to show their love for them.  These gifts are usually a bit more expensive.

            I really enjoyed learning about this tradition.  To me, that’s the point of this assignment. Not just for me to be an example of English speech, but also for the both of us to learn the traditions and cultures of each other’s lives. 

            The next day, I went to class and then I headed out of town for my Spring Break adventures.  As usual, I called my mom while walking to class and she told me about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the effects it had in Hawaii.  She was concerned because my uncle lives on the coast of Maui in Hawaii.  She was explaining that he had fled to higher ground, but did not yet know if his house was flooded. Obviously I was concerned, but I soon realized Eiko’s family is still in Japan.

            I immediately emailed her to check on her family.  I was relieved to hear that they had not been effect much by the disaster and had already contacted Eiko.  I am looking forward to our next meeting to see what she has to say about the events in her home country.