It was during my first winter in the United States.
I visited San Francisco during the winter when I was 19
because my close friends, who are from North California, invited me there.
It was the moment my image of United States and the real United States encountered.
My image of United States was created by the drama “Full House,” which is stories about a family in San Francisco.
Although I was excited to see many “Full House” tourist sites,
I encountered unexpected feelings when I looked at them.
Later, the experience caused me to realize how I see each tourist site in different way,
and realized that the difference is depending on whether I created stereotype before the travel or not.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Childhood – Meeting the country, America
I think it was when I was around 7 years old.
I was watching TV show until 6:30pm every day, but I turned the TV off when an unfamiliar looking show started.
However, one day, somehow I continued watching TV even past 6:30pm.
The unfamiliar looking show was “Full House,” which is an American comedy drama.
I remember that
I felt so new that I jump into a new world!
also it was fun to watch it because the drama contains people’s laughing sounds so often!
It is such a freedom that laughing sounds actually laugh together with audience!
It is like a variety show!
I’m not sure if the drama is famous in the United States,
but the Intro of the drama is like this.
How do you think about this movie?
People, scenery, buildings
All of them in the drama are representatives of the United States.
People in the United States are like those actors,
Houses in the United States are like those white beautiful ones in the drama,
and I thought that the blue sky, red bridge, and western style buses were everywhere in the United States.
I was watching TV show until 6:30pm every day, but I turned the TV off when an unfamiliar looking show started.
However, one day, somehow I continued watching TV even past 6:30pm.
The unfamiliar looking show was “Full House,” which is an American comedy drama.
I remember that
I felt so new that I jump into a new world!
also it was fun to watch it because the drama contains people’s laughing sounds so often!
It is such a freedom that laughing sounds actually laugh together with audience!
It is like a variety show!
I’m not sure if the drama is famous in the United States,
but the Intro of the drama is like this.
How do you think about this movie?
People, scenery, buildings
All of them in the drama are representatives of the United States.
People in the United States are like those actors,
Houses in the United States are like those white beautiful ones in the drama,
and I thought that the blue sky, red bridge, and western style buses were everywhere in the United States.
(Photos are from Google)
June 2007, first visit to the United States
When I was 18, I flied 12 hours from Japan to California State in the United States
because I was accepted to Soka University of America (SUA) in Aliso Viejo city.
You can see many similar houses with white walls and orange yards from the campus.
I had chance to visit some houses around the campus and I was really amazed by those beautiful architectures.
Moreover, inside of those houses are also so artistic!
You can see beautiful well decorated decorations such as paintings, stones, pictures, and furniture.
Gardens and windows are also artistic,
like dreaming houses we can see on magazines or movies!
I visited some tourist sites there such as Disneyland, museums, and famous beaches.
However, I did not feel like I “traveled” there because those trips were decided by my English Second Language Program and also we went to one site for each day.
I think it was more like visiting each location rather than traveling.
My definition of “traveling” is to see around some tourist sites for a few days
while visiting is to go to places in certain amount of time and go back home during the day and usual days such as studying or working start from the next day again.
It might be the difference is just the amount of period,
but I think that traveling has more excitement than visiting.
I think that traveling to San Francisco was “travel”
while visiting tourist sites in California was “visitation.”
For these reasons, I feel like traveling to San Francisco was my first “travel” in America.
because I was accepted to Soka University of America (SUA) in Aliso Viejo city.
You can see many similar houses with white walls and orange yards from the campus.
I had chance to visit some houses around the campus and I was really amazed by those beautiful architectures.
Moreover, inside of those houses are also so artistic!
You can see beautiful well decorated decorations such as paintings, stones, pictures, and furniture.
Gardens and windows are also artistic,
like dreaming houses we can see on magazines or movies!
I visited some tourist sites there such as Disneyland, museums, and famous beaches.
However, I did not feel like I “traveled” there because those trips were decided by my English Second Language Program and also we went to one site for each day.
I think it was more like visiting each location rather than traveling.
My definition of “traveling” is to see around some tourist sites for a few days
while visiting is to go to places in certain amount of time and go back home during the day and usual days such as studying or working start from the next day again.
It might be the difference is just the amount of period,
but I think that traveling has more excitement than visiting.
I think that traveling to San Francisco was “travel”
while visiting tourist sites in California was “visitation.”
For these reasons, I feel like traveling to San Francisco was my first “travel” in America.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
October 2007 @ SUA
It was the time when many of us started to plan for coming winter break.
I usually hanged out with my roommate and some other friends that time.
Coincidently, all of them are from North California, including San Francisco.
“Ami, you can come to North California and stay our houses for winter break! ”
“Really!!!!!!!!????????? :-O Thank you sooooo much! =’)”
I am really really fortunate to have such amazing friends!!!!
Later, many friends asked me the plan for the winter break.
“Ami, what is your plan for the winter vacation?”
“I’m going to San Francisco!!! My roommate and some other friends invited me to go there!!!!”
“wow, that’s really cool!!!! So you can see the Golden Gate Bridge!!!! That’s really beautiful!!!”
“Really!? Wow- I cannot wait for it!!!!”
In this kind of conversation, most people told me about the Golden Gate Bridge.
However, I had no idea about the bridge at all that time.
The only American bridge I came up in my mind was the red bridge in the blue sky – the one I watched in “Full House.”
I don’t think I have to say how much I was happy to know that the Golden Gate Bridge was really the red bridge in the drama.
I usually hanged out with my roommate and some other friends that time.
Coincidently, all of them are from North California, including San Francisco.
“Ami, you can come to North California and stay our houses for winter break! ”
“Really!!!!!!!!????????? :-O Thank you sooooo much! =’)”
I am really really fortunate to have such amazing friends!!!!
Later, many friends asked me the plan for the winter break.
“Ami, what is your plan for the winter vacation?”
“I’m going to San Francisco!!! My roommate and some other friends invited me to go there!!!!”
“wow, that’s really cool!!!! So you can see the Golden Gate Bridge!!!! That’s really beautiful!!!”
“Really!? Wow- I cannot wait for it!!!!”
In this kind of conversation, most people told me about the Golden Gate Bridge.
However, I had no idea about the bridge at all that time.
The only American bridge I came up in my mind was the red bridge in the blue sky – the one I watched in “Full House.”
I don’t think I have to say how much I was happy to know that the Golden Gate Bridge was really the red bridge in the drama.
December 2007, San Francisco
After I realized that San Francisco is the place of “Full House,”
I started to be excited for the travel.
I asked my friends to visit the Golden Gate Bridge and Alamo Square, which can be seen in the Youtube at 1:03 besides the places they chose.
When I visited to see the Golden Gate Bridge,
I was moved by the fact that I was looking at the same bridge which I watched in the TV.
However, at the same time, I also felt like something empty.
I started to be excited for the travel.
I asked my friends to visit the Golden Gate Bridge and Alamo Square, which can be seen in the Youtube at 1:03 besides the places they chose.
When I visited to see the Golden Gate Bridge,
I was moved by the fact that I was looking at the same bridge which I watched in the TV.
However, at the same time, I also felt like something empty.
I felt like something was lack in the bridge.
Is that because of the weather? – It was cloudy on that day.
Is that because of me?
If so what’s wrong with me?
You might notice what I was thinking if you see my eyes that time.
You might feel that I was looking at the bridge but not completely.
I was looking at different bridge that time – in my mind.
Somehow the image of the red bridge with the blue sky was in my head,
which was a bit different from what I was watching in the reality.
Unconsciously, I was comparing the bridge in reality with the bridge in my head which is my “ideal or created Golden Gate Bridge.”
The “ideal or created Golden Gate Bridge” was the red bridge with clear blue sky.
The emptiness came from me though this was also because of the cloudy weather.
Alamo Square – the “American houses”
I had similar experience when I saw Alamo Square, too.
As we can watch on the “Full House Intro” Youtube at 1:18, I was expecting to see the white house with the red door.
As we can watch on the “Full House Intro” Youtube at 1:18, I was expecting to see the white house with the red door.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZnMz1vVdGuECX2-NPj71oza9vLZJ4BjGTLUT-Nlv3fuaN6AyXef4ansSPHskeggwj4KbXRnhIi2JhgwWA-QUeQYPYJbwlvj6ec8u6sXFa8TH9o4hvOU1bdhwtDgbafIY5eD8sXjLlJMd/s320/full+house+house.bmp)
However, in reality, color of the house had changed – It was pastel blue, yellow, and gray
I carefully looked at each of them many times but I could not find the white house with the red door…
Of course I was excited to see those real houses, too
but I felt sad again that time because I could not see what I really wanted to see
even though I looked at the same house in reality.
It was a weird experience.
※
However, I just noticed (on November 25, 2009) that
houses in Alamo Square are different from the house on the Intro.
I have totally misunderstood until now.
In fact, I was looking at those houses on this Youtube at 1:16.
houses in Alamo Square are different from the house on the Intro.
I have totally misunderstood until now.
In fact, I was looking at those houses on this Youtube at 1:16.
I’m so happy now that I coincidently looked at those houses on “Full House” though I totally did not notice.
That’s also interesting, huh.
Maybe what all I wanted to do was to see those real ones which appear in “Full House.”
Lombard Street
Moreover, I had one more similar experience again during the travel.
It is about Lombard Street, which is in the photo below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMC_3_K1gRoFORJ40EyA4lGWVIIfabgGhpqtoGUFPyfujeffpogN0qg3ITAf5cx_SgS3cTryXOOIdydP54PkYQWejMuHupvO7jzhoPmGeTtQUiVniWmQr63dlGSPogT_61t5SsxWQf1bLs/s320/lombard+street.jpg)
Before visiting the place, I saw the place on postcard which looks similar to this photo – a zigzag road surrounded by pretty flowers.
However, the Lombard Street I saw during the travel was much different from the photo.
There were no flowers along the road,
and the road was filled with too many cars which look like bugs.
It was just disgusting.
It is about Lombard Street, which is in the photo below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMC_3_K1gRoFORJ40EyA4lGWVIIfabgGhpqtoGUFPyfujeffpogN0qg3ITAf5cx_SgS3cTryXOOIdydP54PkYQWejMuHupvO7jzhoPmGeTtQUiVniWmQr63dlGSPogT_61t5SsxWQf1bLs/s320/lombard+street.jpg)
Before visiting the place, I saw the place on postcard which looks similar to this photo – a zigzag road surrounded by pretty flowers.
However, the Lombard Street I saw during the travel was much different from the photo.
There were no flowers along the road,
and the road was filled with too many cars which look like bugs.
It was just disgusting.
I was thinking why many people were willing to pass the road though it was like nothing during the season.
For me, passing the road is just difficult because of the zigzag shape.
How come they wait in line for too long time to drive the empty road!?
Isn’t it worthless!?
It just takes too much time!
They might be satisfied with the fact that they pass the famous road.
We are satisfied when we do something special.
For example,
don’t you feel happy or excited when you step on the equator and take photos
though it is just a border?
Lombard Street is in the same way – people are happy to drive the road because they think that the road is still special regardless how poorly the road looks because of season.
Tourists are looking for satisfaction and excitement through the travel.
I seek the satisfaction and excitement through matching my image and the reality.
And those other tourists in Lombard Street seek the satisfaction and excitement through passing the road regardless the visual.
However, we feel empty if we cannot achieve the excitement and satisfaction.
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