New surroundings...but what langauge is this?

I sit in a room and the sounds that float around are all foreign to me.  Of Asian origin probably.  However i understand nothing.   'This is bad' I think to myself....What could they be saying? I start to feel a bit distant and alone.  Then a bit of American rage rises to the top and i think why doesn't no one speak English around here.  I am reminded I am in a foreign  land.  Of course I am in a foreign land, But this isn't what i expected. This is a bit different than advertised. New surroundings, a different part of town than the Tokyo I have been exploring for a little less than a month.  Ah, the bell rings, glad that Japanese class will start and everyone can speak a language i at least barely understand.

I sit in a room full of Chinese students.  I being the only western and English speaker. What to do I wonder..As my ears are absorbing (is 'assaulted' too rude?) every Chinese word uttered. My brain scans for any recognizable word, but of course there isn't one. I studied Japanese,  not Chinese so how did this happen i wonder.  "ドうしょうかな？- Wonder what should i do?"    Time to whip out my poor Japanese and introduce myself.  Meet some Chinese people,  which i can do in American - and practically every other country for that matter.  I have a theory on why there is a china town in every country... but in interest to stay on topic i will bring it up another time.

The same routine as always.  Hi, where are you from,  nice to meet you, why Japanese?  The tedium of answering the same question is starting to sink in, but as i see no end in sight, the same answers will have to be given time and again.  As i meet and talk to many of them, i get the feeling I am more or less a novelty than anything.  'Ah, an American, let me try my english', or 'Ah, he must have a gun.'  I lie to you not, I have been asked by many Japanese and now a few Chinese not if,  but how many guns i have.  I answer in a polite way that I do not own, and neither does every American own a gun.  I explain my reasons for being in this part of the world. None of which probably was of interest... hmm maybe i should lie and say I have 2... minimum.

So now that introduction is over.  What do i talk to a Chinese person about, through Japanese mind you. Sure if it was English, boy, the stories and the conversation we would have.  The language barrier really set in then i think. I had never worried about not being able to get my point across till I sat next to a Chinese person in a Japanese class in Yokohama,Kanagawa. Sure my Japanese wasn't the best, but to a native speaker i can at least get the main idea across.
Here my words are hit and miss....as a result my pictionary skills must be improving exponentially.

However i find this to be an interesting part of the adventure.  No body but me would be Surrounded by Chinese people in Japan. Speaking to a Chinese person through Japanese. Learning how to write Japanese Kanji from a person who learned the Japanese meaning a few moments prior. Sort of the quirky nature of my life right now.

One week in I have quite a few Chinese acquaintances; Had some home cooked Chinese food and  I sort of  wonder now,  if i go to china will i meet more Japanese people?

zai jian (good bye in chinese)