Kiki Syndrome

For those of you that know me rather well, I am a big fan of films directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Some of his earlier works are now Disney movies. One of them is Kiki's Delivery Service.


I grew up on this movie along with My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, and Laputa-Castle in the Sky.

In the story, Kiki is a witch. No, not like the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz. But a person with "powers" none the less. Unfortunately, the only thing she has trained herself to do is to fly on the broomstick. So now comes the time for her year-long independent training. She's always wanted to live in a large city by the sea so off she goes, leaving family and friends behind, but accompanied by her faithful, if not partially reluctant black cat, Jiji.



So with starry eyes and many dreams, Kiki sets off into the night.
Well, she finds her city by the sea, but getting settled becomes a rather difficult situation. No one there understands the witch training concept and keep asking for her parents. And no one seems to see the need for a witch with hardly any skills. But Kiki meets the bakery-owner, Mrs. Osono. This lady becomes like her mother-figure and allows Kiki to stay in the spare bedroom with no rent charges, free use of the bakery's telephone, and breakfast everyday so long as Kiki will watch the shop every once in awhile.


And so Kiki decides to use her ability to fly a broomstick towards a delivery service. Through this service and Osono-san's popular bakery, Kiki meets more people in the community, some who are nice and want to make Kiki feel welcome, and others who make Kiki still feel like the newbie in town. But her sweet and slightly provincial optimism draw the interest of a young boy her age, Tombo, and two elderly women whom she assists in a delivery.



I feel as though I can really relate to Kiki. Here I am, in Japan, the place I've wanted to live since coming back from the summer homestay experience in 2003. But I think I may be like Kiki in that I have these high ideals and starry-eyed expectations. And of course, in the story, there are some trying times. I haven't really hit those yet and I have experience in my favor because this is not the first time I've been to Japan. Everyday, I feel more comfortable in my town and the students and teachers at school have made me feel welcome. Today was a marked highlight because I ate lunch with another teacher and we laughed awhile, sat in on a chorus rehearsal, and throughout the week, I've had students stop what they are doing and bow to me and call me "sensei". It's been a real treat.

And I've been so fortunate to have a pre-existing network of people in Japan who have been so helpful. My host mother, Mrs. Sasahira, met me during Tokyo Orientation and has given me plenty of advice regarding A/C and cellphones and calling me at night to make sure I'm okay and not too lonely. My mother's friend, Yo, and HU graduate has been a great help also with the A/C and finding me an affordable and tricked-out camera. And the most marvelous of all is God's provision of a church here. Sure, it's small, only 6 members, but it's a church, a fellowship of believers. The Sagitanis have been so hospitable to invite me to lunch every Sunday after service and arrange for me to be picked up in the mornings and taken home afterwards. They are geniunely sweet people, almost like another set of grandparents. They have loaned me one of their cellphones to use until I get my own. So overall, I am well taken care of through family connections.

I want the optimism to last and I want the "euphoric" feeling of finally being in Japan to keep up my spirits even when times get tougher. But for right now, I'm so happy just to be HERE.