Confidence is 90% of everything.
Biking into a strong headwind will never be fun.
Beauty lies in contrast.
Smoking is cool.
And this one's not mine, I actually stole it from the movie "BIG." --- In the end, you just want to be with the one who makes you laugh.
.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Questions I answered for a student journalist
Why did you choose to teach english abroad? And why did you choose the
country you chose?
I chose to teach English abroad for a couple of reasons. First, I have always wanted to live in a different country for an extended period of time in order to experience a different culture, and second, I enjoyed volunteering with teaching English for a bit in college. I knew it would be a challenge, and was excited for the experience. Japan attracted me because it is modern, but non-Western. I had wanted to study abroad here while in college, but the timing didn't work out. So when I learned of the JET Program a few semesters before I graduated I decided to apply. (I had to submit my application about 8 months before the expected departure date).
There was a lot of preparation. I am under a one year contract with the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching) which is a Japanese governmental program. I'm paid by taxpayers. I can renew my contract up to 4 times for a total of 5 years. Since this is a very reputable program with thousands of participants each year and many more applicants, the preparations are rigorous and extensive. There was everything from getting my fingerprints taken to applying for a visa to filling out tax forms - and of course packing. It took me about a week to figure out what to bring and about 4 hours to limit it down so it could fit into my luggage. I also bought a laptop and a camera.
As for mental preparation, I hosted a party at my house for friends and family (it was also a kind of a graduation gathering for my sister and me) and got together with good friends for what I knew would be the last time together for a while. I also ate some of my favorite foods (it's really hard to find cheese with flavor here in Japan).
I recently resigned for another year, so I'll be here for a total of 2 years at least, maybe longer.
There's definitely been a learning curve for this job of teaching. My major wasn't education, so I don't really have the theory or background to be doing this...just a fluency in English! One thing they tell you in the JET Program is E.S.I.D. - Every Situation Is Different, and it's true. At my school they are expecting me to write curriculum and order textbooks...not something I really know how to do, but I've been doing some research and am doing the best I can with it. I suppose I'll have everything figured out by the time I have to leave.
Knowing the kids is really rewarding. I have a ton of fun chatting with them or hanging out with them during club activities (band, tennis, soccer, etc.). I often see my kids outside of school in my small town so we'll chat or bike together. It's fun to see these kids growing and maturing and improving with English.
And of course there's all the "abroad" aspects. I have met so many interesting people from countries all over the world. I really didn't expect to have as much contact with other foreigners as I have had. I have friends who are from Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa and all over the US. I've met people from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Cambodia, and China. Struggling to live a 'normal' life here has been rewarding too. There are so many challenges that really can't be anticipated because they're either so unknown, or I've taken certain aspects of my life for granted. Like rules on throwing away garbage, or trying to find edible/cookable food in the grocery store or buying a bicycle, riding the train....I can't list them all. But, I'm still alive and beginning to thrive so that's been rewarding.
Hmmm... I did relatively little research before coming. I took a religions of East Asia class and History of East Asia class in college, I lived in the same dorm as a Japanese exchange student for a year and was friends with him, I took a Japanese language class and hung out with some Foreign Exchange students at a coffee hour each week. My family hosted a Japanese student for 5 weeks the summer before I came here. Does that count as research? Also my roommate my last year of college lived in Japan for 4 months so he told me a lot about Japan. I wrote a few e-mails back and forth with my predecessor to learn about my particular school and city. Despite these things though, I still realized that I was going to be unprepared on many levels no matter how much research I did. Like I said before there are so many things that are different that just can't be anticipated. I just came with an open and inquiring mind, an adaptability to change, and a willingness to "just roll with things." Not that it hasn't been hard at times...
Whooo.. I'm not sure. One girl mentioned to me at our initial orientation that, not only was she living abroad for the first time, but she was now living alone for the first time. That struck me. It's been an adjustment living in my own apartment (having always lived with family or roommates before) especially now that I have a much smaller support network. It does get lonely here missing friends and family.
Another huge struggle - probably the bigger one - is the language barrier. If anyone tells you that you can move to Japan and you don't have to learn Japanese- that everyone speaks English here - they are dead wrong. It is possible to survive without speaking Japanese, but you cannot thrive. Not being able to communicate basically relegates me to sitting in my apartment or moving on rotation through a few rote, familiar steps. It's not a lot of fun. So I've been studying and studying and taking all the opportunities I can to use Japanese. I live here, but since I teach English for my employment, I'm not really immersed. I have to be purposeful in finding people that will patiently communicate with me in Japanese. I've said to many other friends over the past few months that learning Japanese and making Japanese friends is going to be the bellwether for success.
There was a big problem with NOVA a few months ago - I think the CEO or President was stealing a bunch of money. They had to shut down most of the schools and many teachers were out of a job. Most either had to quickly find other employment in order to pay for their food and housing or go home.
I like living next to the ocean and these beautiful hills. I also have an incredible view of Mt. Fuji from my school. I like meeting people from different cultures and having conversations about what's going on in the world.
Not having a car. I could get one with some effort, so maybe I'll do that if I plan on staying longer than 2 years.
Missing friends. And I sometimes feel sorry for myself because I can't eat Tombstone Pizza.
It really varies, but like I said, I'm kind of left to my own devises. We have a lot of support through the JET Program, and even more through my contracting Prefecture. They have provided teaching tips, lesson ideas and a reassuring voice. The JETs in this program help each other out a lot as well. Technically the program is based on "Team Teaching" where a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) and an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher - that's me) teach each class together. Ideally we sit down together each week and go over what we want to teach and how we're going to teach it (selecting activities, etc.). Arriving halfway through the school year, I kind of just went at it week by week throwing activities together so the kids could learn English. I designed all the classes and the JTE was mostly just there to help with class management. I teach with another ALT at my school (not common in this program) so we've been given a couple of classes a week where we teach without a JTE. This week is the start of the new school year, and I'm trying to do things differently. Since I'm here from the beginning now, I picked out some texts and scheduled overall goals for the term, so I hope that will help me organize the order of individual lesson plans. I'm also working in the JTE a lot more so that it becomes team teaching.
I live in teacher housing about a 15-20min. bike ride from school (depending on the wind, grrrr....). It's subsidized by the government, so I pay a little over $200 a month for an apartment with 2 bedrooms, a living room, large kitchen, bathroom area and entrance way. I also have a small walk-in storage space outside (I keep my Honda SuperCub in there as well as my recycling - I haven't figured out how to get rid of that yet). The apartment was quite dirty and moldy when I moved in, and the air-conditioner didn't work. I scrubbed for about 12 hours. The moldy smell eventually went away after running a dehumidifier 24/7 for 3 weeks and blowing fans. The place is nice all things considered and is a 5 min. walk, 3 min. run from a train station so it's easy to get out of my tiny town and find some excitement. (I do like my city - it's quaint.)
Most of my friends are other Westerners, though recently I've been really trying to make Japanese friends. It helps that my Japanese is improving so that I can communicate with people on basic levels. I usually get together with another ALT(s) at least 4-5 times a month. I recently hosted a party at my apartment and about 20 people came, so that was fun. I work with and now live right next to another ALT so a lot of my social time is spent with her. I'm staring to spend a lot more time with this girl named Yuriko, maybe she'll be my girlfriend soon...
I've discovered that most of the people in the JET Program like to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. My voice went hoarse during our Tokyo Orientation (1200 JETs gathered together for 3 days in Shinjuku). Most people here are outgoing, though of course not all. Most people are very intelligent and interested in global issues. Many people are active in helping people through all kinds of ways all over the world. A lot of JETs like to travel. Of course people who want to teach abroad and still enjoy it after getting here have an adaptability to change and a willingness to try new things.
Go for it! It's going to change your life.
country you chose?
I chose to teach English abroad for a couple of reasons. First, I have always wanted to live in a different country for an extended period of time in order to experience a different culture, and second, I enjoyed volunteering with teaching English for a bit in college. I knew it would be a challenge, and was excited for the experience. Japan attracted me because it is modern, but non-Western. I had wanted to study abroad here while in college, but the timing didn't work out. So when I learned of the JET Program a few semesters before I graduated I decided to apply. (I had to submit my application about 8 months before the expected departure date).
How did you prepare for leaving the US? How long are you staying? Are
you under contract?
There was a lot of preparation. I am under a one year contract with the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching) which is a Japanese governmental program. I'm paid by taxpayers. I can renew my contract up to 4 times for a total of 5 years. Since this is a very reputable program with thousands of participants each year and many more applicants, the preparations are rigorous and extensive. There was everything from getting my fingerprints taken to applying for a visa to filling out tax forms - and of course packing. It took me about a week to figure out what to bring and about 4 hours to limit it down so it could fit into my luggage. I also bought a laptop and a camera.
As for mental preparation, I hosted a party at my house for friends and family (it was also a kind of a graduation gathering for my sister and me) and got together with good friends for what I knew would be the last time together for a while. I also ate some of my favorite foods (it's really hard to find cheese with flavor here in Japan).
I recently resigned for another year, so I'll be here for a total of 2 years at least, maybe longer.
I always hear teaching english abroad is rewarding...has it been for
you? Why or why not?
There's definitely been a learning curve for this job of teaching. My major wasn't education, so I don't really have the theory or background to be doing this...just a fluency in English! One thing they tell you in the JET Program is E.S.I.D. - Every Situation Is Different, and it's true. At my school they are expecting me to write curriculum and order textbooks...not something I really know how to do, but I've been doing some research and am doing the best I can with it. I suppose I'll have everything figured out by the time I have to leave.
Knowing the kids is really rewarding. I have a ton of fun chatting with them or hanging out with them during club activities (band, tennis, soccer, etc.). I often see my kids outside of school in my small town so we'll chat or bike together. It's fun to see these kids growing and maturing and improving with English.
And of course there's all the "abroad" aspects. I have met so many interesting people from countries all over the world. I really didn't expect to have as much contact with other foreigners as I have had. I have friends who are from Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa and all over the US. I've met people from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Cambodia, and China. Struggling to live a 'normal' life here has been rewarding too. There are so many challenges that really can't be anticipated because they're either so unknown, or I've taken certain aspects of my life for granted. Like rules on throwing away garbage, or trying to find edible/cookable food in the grocery store or buying a bicycle, riding the train....I can't list them all. But, I'm still alive and beginning to thrive so that's been rewarding.
How did research help your experience overall?
Hmmm... I did relatively little research before coming. I took a religions of East Asia class and History of East Asia class in college, I lived in the same dorm as a Japanese exchange student for a year and was friends with him, I took a Japanese language class and hung out with some Foreign Exchange students at a coffee hour each week. My family hosted a Japanese student for 5 weeks the summer before I came here. Does that count as research? Also my roommate my last year of college lived in Japan for 4 months so he told me a lot about Japan. I wrote a few e-mails back and forth with my predecessor to learn about my particular school and city. Despite these things though, I still realized that I was going to be unprepared on many levels no matter how much research I did. Like I said before there are so many things that are different that just can't be anticipated. I just came with an open and inquiring mind, an adaptability to change, and a willingness to "just roll with things." Not that it hasn't been hard at times...
What has been the biggest adjustment and/or challenge?
Whooo.. I'm not sure. One girl mentioned to me at our initial orientation that, not only was she living abroad for the first time, but she was now living alone for the first time. That struck me. It's been an adjustment living in my own apartment (having always lived with family or roommates before) especially now that I have a much smaller support network. It does get lonely here missing friends and family.
Another huge struggle - probably the bigger one - is the language barrier. If anyone tells you that you can move to Japan and you don't have to learn Japanese- that everyone speaks English here - they are dead wrong. It is possible to survive without speaking Japanese, but you cannot thrive. Not being able to communicate basically relegates me to sitting in my apartment or moving on rotation through a few rote, familiar steps. It's not a lot of fun. So I've been studying and studying and taking all the opportunities I can to use Japanese. I live here, but since I teach English for my employment, I'm not really immersed. I have to be purposeful in finding people that will patiently communicate with me in Japanese. I've said to many other friends over the past few months that learning Japanese and making Japanese friends is going to be the bellwether for success.
What, if anything have you heard about scams while teaching abroad?
There was a big problem with NOVA a few months ago - I think the CEO or President was stealing a bunch of money. They had to shut down most of the schools and many teachers were out of a job. Most either had to quickly find other employment in order to pay for their food and housing or go home.
What do you enjoy most about teaching abroad?
I like living next to the ocean and these beautiful hills. I also have an incredible view of Mt. Fuji from my school. I like meeting people from different cultures and having conversations about what's going on in the world.
What do you dislike about teaching abroad? If anything...
Not having a car. I could get one with some effort, so maybe I'll do that if I plan on staying longer than 2 years.
Missing friends. And I sometimes feel sorry for myself because I can't eat Tombstone Pizza.
How are the classes conducted? How much control over classrooms do you have?
It really varies, but like I said, I'm kind of left to my own devises. We have a lot of support through the JET Program, and even more through my contracting Prefecture. They have provided teaching tips, lesson ideas and a reassuring voice. The JETs in this program help each other out a lot as well. Technically the program is based on "Team Teaching" where a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) and an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher - that's me) teach each class together. Ideally we sit down together each week and go over what we want to teach and how we're going to teach it (selecting activities, etc.). Arriving halfway through the school year, I kind of just went at it week by week throwing activities together so the kids could learn English. I designed all the classes and the JTE was mostly just there to help with class management. I teach with another ALT at my school (not common in this program) so we've been given a couple of classes a week where we teach without a JTE. This week is the start of the new school year, and I'm trying to do things differently. Since I'm here from the beginning now, I picked out some texts and scheduled overall goals for the term, so I hope that will help me organize the order of individual lesson plans. I'm also working in the JTE a lot more so that it becomes team teaching.
What are your living arrangements like?
I live in teacher housing about a 15-20min. bike ride from school (depending on the wind, grrrr....). It's subsidized by the government, so I pay a little over $200 a month for an apartment with 2 bedrooms, a living room, large kitchen, bathroom area and entrance way. I also have a small walk-in storage space outside (I keep my Honda SuperCub in there as well as my recycling - I haven't figured out how to get rid of that yet). The apartment was quite dirty and moldy when I moved in, and the air-conditioner didn't work. I scrubbed for about 12 hours. The moldy smell eventually went away after running a dehumidifier 24/7 for 3 weeks and blowing fans. The place is nice all things considered and is a 5 min. walk, 3 min. run from a train station so it's easy to get out of my tiny town and find some excitement. (I do like my city - it's quaint.)
Explain your social life?
Most of my friends are other Westerners, though recently I've been really trying to make Japanese friends. It helps that my Japanese is improving so that I can communicate with people on basic levels. I usually get together with another ALT(s) at least 4-5 times a month. I recently hosted a party at my apartment and about 20 people came, so that was fun. I work with and now live right next to another ALT so a lot of my social time is spent with her. I'm staring to spend a lot more time with this girl named Yuriko, maybe she'll be my girlfriend soon...
In your opinion, is there a certain type of person who chooses to
teach english abroad?
I've discovered that most of the people in the JET Program like to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. My voice went hoarse during our Tokyo Orientation (1200 JETs gathered together for 3 days in Shinjuku). Most people here are outgoing, though of course not all. Most people are very intelligent and interested in global issues. Many people are active in helping people through all kinds of ways all over the world. A lot of JETs like to travel. Of course people who want to teach abroad and still enjoy it after getting here have an adaptability to change and a willingness to try new things.
What advice would you give to someone considering teaching english abroad?
Go for it! It's going to change your life.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Vessel
The precious gem of life-in-Japan has grown many facets since I have been here. Hardened through the pressure of experience and the passage of time this once primordial lump of naivety has grown into a glittering stone, casting light in every direction. The complexities of life are being revealed.
Eight months have passed since I’ve been in Japan. (That’s two-thirds of a year gone, Steve). Many of those initial months passed in a vacation mindset with Japanese people appearing as little more than a curious aspect of this foreign place. I’ve really struggled to grasp the reality of their existence as people, as individuals with personalities and humor and family and backgrounds and all the other complexities of the individual life. I live here in this country, yet I live outside of its process, alienated by my inability to communicate. I have long realized the in to this world is language.
Last weekend, for the first time, I tried to use Japanese. Before this I had only ever uttered sounds, muttered laborious incantations like a child translating into pig-latin. English was the language of thought, English was how the world operated and Japanese was only a secret, seemingly impenetrable code that I could only grasp in the way a dog grasps human language.
Yet all of this changed when I dove headfirst into this language’s tempestuous waters. No longer a lever for pellet food, Japanese was now the vessel of human relation.
My speaking partner (my friend, my human contact!) was Yuriko with whom I have been speaking English for the past few months. I have increasingly felt my destituteness in this culture and have grown adamant in my demands to learn the language, so we decided to use only Japanese for the rest of our evening together. And the world changed to color.
We were at the mall when it happened. Because I was sharing the language I suddenly felt connected to the people around me. There was every opportunity and every possibility for interaction. Individuals gained backgrounds as history rushed into the room. Their features gave way to layers of personality. I even gained that veil of self-consciousness that comes when one realizes he is being perceived. The full vibrancy of life was in my grasp.
When we spoke Japanese that day, Japan became real to me. I have now seen this world through the opened door of possibility, and beyond it all of life awaits me.
Monday, March 24, 2008
I was sitting in my livingroom yesterday reading a book when I heard this sharp buzzing coming from my computer. I was almost finished with the book, so I didn't want to get up and investigate. As I read though, the combination of buzzing plus worry for my machine made it difficult to concentrate. I hurried through the last few pages of George W. Bush's second term in office (I was reading a U.S. history book) and got up to check out my computer. When I got close though I found that the noise wasn't coming from it. I turned to the kitchen and radared my ears about, settling on the stove. This was also a serious realization because if it was a gas leak it had now been going for some time and maybe I should get out of the house. I turned the pipe off. The sound continued. Now my ear went to the vent leading outside. I opened my sliding door and it hit me: cicadas. "Oh no, it's only March," I thought. I was waking up to these guys in September. My only hope is that we'll get a real cold spate and all the cicadas will die. And their children.
If not though, I suppose I'll get used to their chorus like I have with the prefectural highway that runs 40 meters from my head. I'll just hope for harmony when their undulating sounds mix in the summer heat.
If not though, I suppose I'll get used to their chorus like I have with the prefectural highway that runs 40 meters from my head. I'll just hope for harmony when their undulating sounds mix in the summer heat.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Marriage
A twenty-four year old, not-currently-dating, bachelor’s thoughts on love and marriage:
When I was younger I used to think that dating and getting married was about finding the right person. When the “are you dating someone?” question was posed to me, I would answer, “no, I haven’t found the right person yet.” In college I got involved with a Christian ministry and through them I heard a new adage: “Getting married is not about finding the right person, it’s about being the right person.” The reasoning behind this seemed to make sense. This statement takes into consideration the duration of marriage and how feelings cannot carry you all the way through. I’ve heard it said that the “honeymoon period” of a marriage lasts about 8 months to 2 ½ years. After that it can be downright hard work to remain in love at times. So it partially means that one has to work at being married rather than relying on the “compatibility” to carry both through.
This collegiate statement also was getting at the fact that one needs to have their own self-identity settled and be comfortable being single before looking for a spouse. This is related to another thing I heard several times: “If you’re not happy as a single person, you can’t expect to be happy simply by dating.” Be ok with who you are before introducing that self to another person.
Lastly, this statement means to be on the right path in the pursuit of God and to be continually submitting to Him. Marriage is meant to be a reflection of the Gospel – a reflection of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for the church (Eph 5:25-33).
As good and pure as these things are, I was always a little uncomfortable with marriage being defined as being “not about finding the right person…” Really what this statement lends itself to is the conclusion that any two people in the world could get married and it would work out. I actually heard this conclusion made explicitly. I believe that one should work at marriage, that he and she should be comfortable with their own identities and certainly that they both should center the relationship on Christ. But when it’s said that it doesn’t matter who you find, I see that as being detrimental to the future relationship. It’s like saying to your spouse, “I could have married anyone really, it was more convenience that anything else. However, I’m working extra hard to make this work – (love is a verb, right?) – that’s what it’s about. Don’t you agree my 1-in-a-5 wife?” It’s saying to your spouse that they’re not special. It takes the pursuit right out of it.
I have recently made my own statement about marriage building upon the things I have heard, learned and experienced: Marriage is about being the right person for the person you find. This retains all the good advice and Godly things about being the right person without ditching the serendipity (I can’t believe I found you!), or the giddy feelings of love (I can’t even eat…), or the draw of her beauty (My jaw literally dropped when I saw you) or the pursuit (I will fight for you, climb the highest tower for you…).
And it also speaks to the unique relationship offered by the other person. Marriage or relationships can’t be successful simply by following a pattern set out by a Christian manual or series of sermons. This person in your life is an individual with their own dreams and fears, their own glories and failures, their own story and experience of life. Through it all it’s her you’re responding to, it’s him you’re answering, it’s her you’re cherishing in all her glorious uniqueness.
In the past I’ve sat on the sidelines and waited for the right person to come along, I’ve been complacent with the people I’ve found, I’ve been the wrong person and sought selfish gains, and I’ve failed to pursue or to cherish or to celebrate what makes a person special. So I’m going to be different from here on, I’m going to follow my new found mantra, I’m going to build people up in love rather than tearing them down. And when I find that woman I’m going to pursue her with everything as I strive to be the man of her dreams. And if it’s right she’ll be so glad to have found me too.
God, bless this. Be everything to me and all I need. Be my best friend and my constant collocutor.
When I was younger I used to think that dating and getting married was about finding the right person. When the “are you dating someone?” question was posed to me, I would answer, “no, I haven’t found the right person yet.” In college I got involved with a Christian ministry and through them I heard a new adage: “Getting married is not about finding the right person, it’s about being the right person.” The reasoning behind this seemed to make sense. This statement takes into consideration the duration of marriage and how feelings cannot carry you all the way through. I’ve heard it said that the “honeymoon period” of a marriage lasts about 8 months to 2 ½ years. After that it can be downright hard work to remain in love at times. So it partially means that one has to work at being married rather than relying on the “compatibility” to carry both through.
This collegiate statement also was getting at the fact that one needs to have their own self-identity settled and be comfortable being single before looking for a spouse. This is related to another thing I heard several times: “If you’re not happy as a single person, you can’t expect to be happy simply by dating.” Be ok with who you are before introducing that self to another person.
Lastly, this statement means to be on the right path in the pursuit of God and to be continually submitting to Him. Marriage is meant to be a reflection of the Gospel – a reflection of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for the church (Eph 5:25-33).
As good and pure as these things are, I was always a little uncomfortable with marriage being defined as being “not about finding the right person…” Really what this statement lends itself to is the conclusion that any two people in the world could get married and it would work out. I actually heard this conclusion made explicitly. I believe that one should work at marriage, that he and she should be comfortable with their own identities and certainly that they both should center the relationship on Christ. But when it’s said that it doesn’t matter who you find, I see that as being detrimental to the future relationship. It’s like saying to your spouse, “I could have married anyone really, it was more convenience that anything else. However, I’m working extra hard to make this work – (love is a verb, right?) – that’s what it’s about. Don’t you agree my 1-in-a-5 wife?” It’s saying to your spouse that they’re not special. It takes the pursuit right out of it.
I have recently made my own statement about marriage building upon the things I have heard, learned and experienced: Marriage is about being the right person for the person you find. This retains all the good advice and Godly things about being the right person without ditching the serendipity (I can’t believe I found you!), or the giddy feelings of love (I can’t even eat…), or the draw of her beauty (My jaw literally dropped when I saw you) or the pursuit (I will fight for you, climb the highest tower for you…).
And it also speaks to the unique relationship offered by the other person. Marriage or relationships can’t be successful simply by following a pattern set out by a Christian manual or series of sermons. This person in your life is an individual with their own dreams and fears, their own glories and failures, their own story and experience of life. Through it all it’s her you’re responding to, it’s him you’re answering, it’s her you’re cherishing in all her glorious uniqueness.
In the past I’ve sat on the sidelines and waited for the right person to come along, I’ve been complacent with the people I’ve found, I’ve been the wrong person and sought selfish gains, and I’ve failed to pursue or to cherish or to celebrate what makes a person special. So I’m going to be different from here on, I’m going to follow my new found mantra, I’m going to build people up in love rather than tearing them down. And when I find that woman I’m going to pursue her with everything as I strive to be the man of her dreams. And if it’s right she’ll be so glad to have found me too.
God, bless this. Be everything to me and all I need. Be my best friend and my constant collocutor.
“I will fight for you, climb the highest tower for you” taken from Bradley Hathaway’s “Manly Man.”
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Ordinary
Let me explain to you what it’s like to live in a different country.
Imagine this scenario:
You’re sitting in your living room reading a book as day turns to dusk; it’s getting darker. So you get up, get a lamp and plug it into the wall. You continue reading.
Simple, right? Not too much thinking involved? This is a very ordinary part of anyone’s day, and requires very little brain energy to accomplish. However, let me explain to you how I am experiencing this scenario:
I’m sitting in my house and I would like a little more light. So I take my lamp sent from the US and go to plug it into the wall. However, upon inspection I find that my lamp’s plug has 3 prongs while the outlet only has 2 holes. I look around my room but all the outlets have only 2 holes. I look in the rest of my house but cannot find a 3 pronged outlet. Even the washer and refrigerator only have 2 prongs. I then go through my assortment of extension cords and power strips but find nothing there that can help me. So now I have to go to my town’s Walmart-esque store to look for an adapter. So on my way home from school I make a detour to stop by the store. Here I peruse the aisles and don’t find a proper adapter. Now I have to find an employee and try and formulate some kind of sentence to get him to understand my request. I end up walking him to an outlet in the store and describing in motions my problem. He walks me to a different selection, but there are still no “3 to 2” adapters. I’ve now spent considerable time in my quest to plug something in, and am back to square one. I now have to think about what other stores might sell adapters. So I ask around for some suggestions. I have to write the names of these stores down because they have crazy names that I won’t be able to remember. None of these stores is in my city, so I have to try and figure out where they’re located. I discover that both stores are right next to each other somewhere in Shizuoka City. This is all I know at present. I now have to figure out where exactly these stores are. I’ll look at maps, formulate some sentences for directions that I can ask in Japanese, look up train times and bus schedules, figure out what bus stop I need to get off at, and find out the stores’ hours. All in Japanese of course. Then I’ll have to clear some time in my schedule to go down there and make sure I stop by an ATM before I go (my own banks’ ATM charges me a fee after 6pm) so that I’m sure I have enough money since I have to pay for everything in cash. And since I haven’t done any of these new things yet, who knows what other misadventures are awaiting me upon my embarkment.
So now you can see what kinds of things I have to think about while living in a different country. And this is only 1 episode. Imagine stories like this for cooking food, doing laundry or taking a shower. These “simple” things occupy my time, tax my energy and fill my mental capacities. It can be busy work just moving through an ordinary day here.
So please, the next time you plug something into the wall, don’t take it for granted. Step back and appreciate the simplicity of that activity, that you were able to do so much with so little effort, and realize that now you are able to use your energy to accomplish greater things.
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