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had
been trained about the Japanese bathing ritual before visiting Japan. When
I arrived at my first home stay, my hostess showed me how to use the hand
held shower but said nothing about the tub of hot water so I assumed that
she and her family did not follow the ritual. I bathed in the cold air with
the shower wand trying to get the warm shower water to keep me warm. On
the third night, my hostess told me there was a Jacuzzi that could be put
in the tub and I might like to use it. She asked me to choose bath salts
that I liked and showed me how to use the portable Jacuzzi pump. Afterward,
I felt invigorated, warm and relaxed. Since my mother had told me to always
empty the tub and clean it out after I used it, I did so. The
next day while we were driving to the store, my hostess began to laugh and
said Japanese families used the same tub water every night. The previous
night she and her son had to wait for the water to heat in order to have
their bath but that her husband couldn't wait and went to bed without the
usual ritual. I apologized profusely and said we had miscommunicated. Her
husband must have forgiven me as he bought me a towel as a parting gift.
The moral of this story is that Friendship Force ambassadors don't always
communicate correctly but will be forgiven their faux pas. |
