By Jasmine Mitchell, JFOU Fellow

During my time at Oberlin, I always explored unique research topics centered around Blackness Abroad. My fascination with this topic led me to study the historical and present dynamics between the African Diaspora and Japan and explore these dynamics firsthand in Japan. After almost two years of living in Japan, I recall all the feelings I’ve endured: romanticization, frustration, appreciation, confusion, and assimilation. While admittedly, the word “assimilation” has a negative connotation, it was a necessary evil I thought I had to develop, given the close relationship between language and culture with Japanese. Similarly to “Code-Switching,” where individuals alternate between 2 languages depending on specific social settings/contexts, I found temporary comfort in assimilation as a coping mechanism as a Black woman in Japan.. This, however, got exhausting.

By Jasmine Mitchell, JFOU Fellow

Every year Oberlin Shansi holds an extensive orientation for fellows ahead of our departure to our respective sites. During this orientation, there are many sessions, training, activities, and panels to help us prepare for our careers and lives abroad. The session that stuck out the most to me was our discussion about culture shock. I had never heard of this phenomenon before but listened acutely as I had done in the other sessions prior. As Ted, Deputy Director of Oberlin Shansi, detailed the 4 stages of culture shock to us and tips to mitigate the challenges in each stage, I paid close attention. In my head, however, I thought: