Lost in Translation

On 4th of October I left the customs at Narita Airport. British Airways Flight BA005 was delayed for more than 3 hours, so my counterpart at Japan Sewage Works Agency (JS), Dr. Hiroki Itokawa, had to wait all the time at the Airport to pick me up. We already knew each other because we worked together for one year at the Institute of Environmental Engineering (ISA) at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Dr. Itokawa was dispatched from JS’ Research and Technology Development Department to ISA between August 2005 and June 2006 also in line of an exchange program which has a long history. First engineers have been exchanged in 1982 and by now seven Japanese researchers of JS and seven colleagues of ISA got the chance to travel to the receiving institution and learn many aspects about wastewater management and treatment technologies of the foreign country. Now it is my turn to stay for 6 months at JS and I am looking forward to that time. Of course, I am a bit nervous - but also very excited and curious. Nevertheless my situation is better than Itokawa-san’s more than one year ago. During his stay in Germany we spend a lot of time together and he already explained me many things about Japan. Hence, I know the one who will pick me up at the airport and have an idea about how it will be during my stay. I heard and read a lot about people and life in Japan, but how will it really be? What will I have to expect at that time and what do my Japanese colleagues expect from me? Will I become homesick? What about the earthquakes? Will I be able to learn some Japanese or will it be possible to communicate in English in daily life? Will I get some black bread? And how will the Japanese beer taste? Many important questions – and I found satisfying answers for all of them.