How to Make Friends With Popcorn — and Other Lessons From Tokyo

From getting lost in Tokyo without a phone to making friends using a salty strategy, Adama shares the unexpected lessons shaping him outside the classroom.

Tokyo is full of surprises. Some days, I feel like I have finally figured it out. Of course, that’s when I end up taking the wrong train or getting lost in a sea of signs I can’t read. Every day is a mix of challenges, small victories, and unexpected lessons. I wanted to share a few moments that have stood out.

Graphic by DALL-E

Learning to Get Lost — With Confidence

I knew I was in trouble before I even landed in Tokyo.

In the days leading up to my departure, I had shared with Ashleigh that I was anxious about navigating from the airport to TUJ’s dormitory. She helped me use Google Maps to set up a few different route options. Our backup plan was to use Google Translate to ask some kind strangers along the route for directions. The backup plan to the backup plan was that I had the dormitory’s address written down on a piece of paper and would just have to figure it out. This was the plan I hoped to avoid at all costs.

But during a security screening on one of my layovers, my phone dropped out of my pocket at an angle and speed that left a dense spider web of cracks across the screen. As of that moment, I was officially on a technology blackout: no Google Maps, no translation app, no messaging app. I couldn’t even call the school to ask for help. When I stepped off my final flight, I was terrified. I held the paper with the scribbled address — my final lifeline — in a death grip. I made it to the dorms that day carried by nothing but a current of desperate hand gestures, a lot of pointing, and the kindness of strangers.

That was a moment of growth for me. The thing that I was most scared of happening happened, and I survived it. I had just spent three days on planes and in airports, jumping through so many time zones I lost track, and barely sleeping for 72 hours. If I could navigate Tokyo’s transportation system in that state, I knew I was capable of figuring it out under normal circumstances.

So rather than spending my first weeks walking through the city with my nose buried in my phone because I was scared of getting lost, I was forced to get to know the city. I learned to read the route maps, recognize the bus and metro signs, and understand how the bus and train systems work. There were still moments when I stood in the middle of a station, overwhelmed, watching people rush past me, wondering how I’d ever get used to this. But I learned to stay calm, ask for help, and trust that I’d figure it out. Now, I barely think twice when I’m taking the train across the city.

My broken phone gave me the gift of confidence, and it also immediately showed me the kindness of the Japanese people. If I had a working phone when I arrived, I would have been hesitant to walk up to a stranger in a brand-new country, afraid to offend them and unsure if they would understand me. Without a phone, I had no other choice. All I could hope for was kindness, and I was met with so much of it that I was overwhelmed with relief and gratitude for a culture that could produce such consistently kind people wherever I went.

Graphic by DALL-E

The Art of Waiting in Line

Another aspect of Japanese culture that has intrigued me is the patience people show in their daily lives. In particular, I am fascinated by the way people here wait in lines. Whether it’s waiting for a train or standing in a queue at a store, people are always calm, quiet, and patient. I have never seen anyone here lose their temper over having to wait too long — ever.

In a previous post, I shared with you that in The Gambia, we have a very relaxed way of approaching life. We don’t stress ourselves out about things outside of our control. But I realized there is a difference between being relaxed and being patient as a culture. The Gambia may be The Smiling Coast of Africa, but make us wait too long in lines, and we will make our displeasure known.

So, I’m learning to pair my Gambian sense of ease with the Japanese sense of patience. I have no doubt this will serve me well for the rest of my life. It has already helped me to be more patient when I am out in the world, and to be patient with myself.

Graphic by DALL-E

How to Make Friends With Popcorn

Popcorn is something I grew up eating back home in The Gambia, and it's one of my favorite snacks. As a way to help ease my transition into Tokyo, Ashleigh ordered me a box of microwavable popcorn. But because my budget is so tight, I did my best to stretch out those bags of popcorn for as long as possible.

The first time I decided to treat myself to one of those bags of popcorn, it ended up becoming a treasured memory. For starters, I had never used a microwave before. In The Gambia, we made popcorn in big heavy pots over a fire outside — everything we cooked was made this way. As the kernels popped in the microwave and the warm, familiar scent filled the air, I was grateful for the momentary connection to my home — and surprised by its efficiency.

On my way back to my room, with the popcorn bowl warming my hands, I did something that felt natural — I offered some to everyone I passed. It didn’t matter if I knew them or not. In The Gambia, sharing is a way of life. If you have food, you share. It’s not about how much you have; it’s about the joy of giving.

But several people I encountered during my popcorn-offering route seemed surprised and hesitant. At some point, I ran into a friend who hesitated before taking a kernel. Knowing about my tight budget, they asked why I was sharing my food.

The question caught me off guard. I had never thought of sharing as something that needed explaining. Back home, offering food isn’t seen as an act of generosity — it’s just what you do. You don’t eat alone if someone else is around. Even though I’m in a new country, the values I grew up with still guide me.

So I explained this to my friend and shared a little bit about Gambian culture. After that, making friends in the dorm became even easier because I was “the popcorn guy.”

While my friends teach me about the rest of the world and their home countries, I hope I am returning the favor by educating them about what life is really like in Africa. I have been surprised by a lot of the assumptions my peers have about the continent of my birth. I hope I am changing minds one person — and popcorn kernel — at a time.

Looking Back

Looking back on these first few months, I see how much I am growing outside the classroom. The challenges, the small wins, the moments of confusion — they’re all part of the journey. And that’s something I didn’t expect. I thought my education and growth would come only from inside the classroom. But I’m starting to see that this experience isn’t just about reaching my goals. It’s about learning to adapt, embracing the unexpected, and growing into the best version of myself.

Thank you for being on this journey with me. Your support reminds me that, even when I’m far from home, I’m never alone.

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