It is said in the Greek mythology that in ancient times the man had 2 heads, 4 legs and 4 arms and that he was very strong. Due to this, Zeus, the God of all Gods, decided to cut them up in two and to make them weaker by throwing the two parts to different corners of the earth. Since then, the two have been wondering the world in search of their other half, or soul mate how we like to say it nowadays. From this perspective, finding your happiness abroad is a natural act. For me anyway it has been as natural as it can be, which has even startled me at the beginning. Somehow I was expecting more resistance from myself, but it did not happen and I just accepted to go with the flow since I do not see the point in complicating matters too much.
Yesterday I was reading a blog written by a Romanian woman who has a passion for Japan. I told my boyfriend about it and he told me not to read it since it would be fake. He says Japan is different for the natives and for the tourists. He asked me what is my image of Japan after reading the blog and seeing some photos of it (some as in hundreds, lol) and at that moment I realized that I have not build an image of Japan and how it would be like. This relationship had developed in such a natural flow that I feel that the Russian saying about going to the end of the earth to be with your beloved can be now applied to me. However this is not something that can be said about Moldovan women in general. Though we do have a tendency to be romantic and assertive at times, most women in Eastern Europe have a fear of the unknown. The scars of the massive women trafficking, that still lingers in this part of the world, can still be felt. It is even more incomprehensible for our families since their communistic upbringing can still be felt. If travelling to Europe and even USA had already become a norm in Moldova, there is still very little that is known about Japan. Information is crucial….so with patience and a lot of information even the walls of the misconceptions and stereotypes of our parents can be broken through. many families are old fashion, but always very kind and hospitable.
Happy endings exist and the two halves can find each other…mine lives in the Country of the Sunrise (an alternative way we call Japan).
P.S. Take that, Zeus! Lol.
I don't know if the image of Japan for the Romanian woman is positive or negative, but I can understand why your boyfriend told you not to read it, though I would not say the same thing to my foreign girlfriend as I prefer for my girlfriend to make a judgment on my country on her own. He might be worried about the situation where you would be negatively affected by her own viewpoints on Japan in general, which could be interpreted imprecisely or more or less biased. In Japan, there are a lot of Eastern European women who are mainly Romanians, Russians, Ukrainians, and Moldovans. Most of them come to Japan to work as an entertainer with a proper working visa, so called as a show dancer. There is nothing wrong about it. Some of these dancers properly fall in love and consequently get married with a Japanese man and lead a happy marriage life, but others do in order to just get a permanent residency of Japan, which is illegal. The latter often work as a hostess every night at a bar/club. So there are some Japanese people who don't see the Eastern Europeans as they should be in spite of the fact that no all the Eastern Europeans engage in this type of work. Because of this, if you get married here, there will be always a risk of getting curious eyes from others. In this sense, your mind has to be strong enough to repel such wrong impressions from inconsiderate people. At the same time, your partner and family will have to protect you from harmful language and behavior by them. That is what I will do in that case.
ReplyDeleteHi, as always, it is great reading your comments. From what I understand you too have a foreign girlfriend. May I ask where she is from? Don't mean to pry, just curious...What difficulties did you meat in your relationship? Do you currently reside in Japan? As for the part where I might get a lot of stares and such, I kind of figured that. I cannot yet imagine how bad it can be, but I am getting myself emotionally ready. Anyway, keep you fingers crossed for me:)))
ReplyDeleteHi. You are right. I live in Japan. I have foreign girlfriends, but am not seeing any of them exclusively, although some of them seems to be interested in exclusively going out with me. I've just chosen to let all the things about the relationship grow naturally. I'm not in a hurry to find someone special at this moment. Most of them are Romanians and Russians. Maybe one of them will be my partner in the future. You'll never know. I have not faced any serious issues with being around with these women. All women are different. Some are easy to get along with, while others are not. You may get a lot of attention, but they are not all unwanted. The Japanese are generally kind to foreigners. The key to get yourself assimilated into the Japan's society is to learn the language first and foremost, and respect the culture. If you also could show your own culture to the people you will get to know here, they will surely appreciate it and respect you. Here is some practical advice for you; try getting to know Japanese people genuinely, and ask them to teach you some Japanese stuff or whatever you can come up with. You will make good friends who will be on your side when necessary. Sure, I keep my fingers cross for you;)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the great advice, I will try to do my best:)))ganbarimasu:)))
ReplyDeleteMy Dear,
ReplyDeleteWhere are you?
I had discovered your blog by chance and I liked it.... Also, I am interested in the subject...
I am a Romanian native but believing my soul mate is there.... so far but so close.... he will come into my life, too.
(Don't laugh, my waiting is active :)))))
How is going your relationship? I hope from the bottom of my heart that You and Him are OK, His family, too.
It's easy for me to write in Romanian but seeing there are already friends of this blog - I am happy to be one of them :))))
Please, give us some good news,
Mikyko