Culture Shock and White Out, By Joey Ridge

Joey Ridge

"Culture Shock and White Out"

You think that you know "Japanese", but really you don't.


When you do get to Japan, and hear that gibberish spoken for real.

You won't even be able to say you know SOME Japanese!


You know what? I actually think it's better for you to go knowing nothing.


Then you'd be starting at zero. Not going backwards like I was...


I thought that I knew a little Japanese.


And tried so hard to hold onto what I had I couldn't learn anything else.


Add to that living in Japan, with all the people everywhere, and everything feels so tight and cramped.



Pretty soon the White-out was everywhere. It was like someone had gone into my head and left a trail of empty white splotches behind.



If I had known what it was really like in Japan, things would've been different.