Japan "became" normal

I worked in the lab in Tokyo for 6 weeks and by the end I started to feel comfortable, the daily life became a routine. Japan became normal. Meeting other travelers during my 2 week trip, I realized I didn't take photos anymore. I didn't find things strange anymore.

Just before I finished working in the lab in Tokyo, they had an academic visitor from the United States. We students took him for lunch. It was a really strange experience. He was like a person from another planet. And the strangest thing was that I belonged together with the Japanese.

After his visit, I got comments from several people from the lab. "How did you know how I felt?" "I can understand you, and you learned to understand what I think. But it's hard to communicate with him." "Tina, you really are much more like Japanese than him." I took the last comment as a compliment. But I'm not sure if I should have.