Japan

As part of my ongoing endeavor to go to Japan this fall, I participated in a "class" on the Japanese language. It was a student run hour long session, sponsored by the Asian Student Association. It was good.

There, I talked more with a friend who has been to Japan through the Bretheren Colleges Abroad program. A passing comment inspired fear, and mild consideration.

The passing phrase was, "and you'll be taken drinking every night". There's a lot more context surrounding that but it isn't entirely important, only mildly so. In any case, anyone who knows my stance on drinking or my tolerance level thereof (as told by the infamous "purple people eater" fiasco) can understand my fear.

I have zero tolerance for alcohol and similar substances. For the uninformed, I had two to four extremely cautious sips of dilluted vodka (dilluted in grape koolaid) and went wonkers for an hour and a half before went back to my dorm room and slept, having ranted the entire time not about politics, the weather, my schoolwork or anything relevant but about a cookoo clock bird in a video game and how it was taking over the world in a rather spaced out voice rather endlessly. While that doesn't sound entirely impossible for me sober, the sole witness will tell you it wasn't either typical of me or anything but scary.

As such, I don't think my fears and aprehensions about being taken drinking every night are entirely unfounded. Especially given what I know of Japanese culture, their attitudes about drinking, and social factors, I have cause for concern.

I believe I have the following options, few but more than if I were only turning twenty in a few days.

A) Forsake my views and the college community covenant by building up a tolerance beforehand.
B) Fight against social pressure in a foreign land.
C) Pray.

I like C.


Epilogue:

I'm not really that worried, just mildly concerned. So don't think I'm going bonkers.