I ate lunch on a whale today.
.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Land Ho
I’ve been at my desk an hour now and I’ve managed to wade through the pile of papers left on my desk, submit my attendance sheet for the month of December and pass out my omiyage to everyone’s desk. I have 4 days here before classes start for me. I still have to figure out exactly what I’m doing for my classes this term, so I’m going to need the days to figure that out.
I got home 2 nights ago, but it certainly hasn’t felt that long. I spent most of the trip from the plane to my apartment in a blurry delusion with one eye asleep and the other cutting in and out to check the station names for my transfers. I’m not exactly sure how I got home. I do remember clearly arriving at the airport and seeing the sign that in English said “Welcome to Japan” but underneath it in Japanese it said, “Welcome Home.” This is such a perfect representation of the dyadic feelings I have as both an American and a man who lives in Japan.
The hours after that were spent passed out on my bed. I woke up on Sunday with enough time to throw away molding food, wash laundry (I tried running the water first to get rid of any rust and in doing so disconnected the hose without turning off the water so it sprayed my entire bathroom and I had to run fans for several hours to dry it out), hike the half a block to my view of the ocean (and smacked my knee super hard on a bolt sticking out of the barrier and almost threw up because it hurt so bad) before heading to the Sano-san’s poruche ramen for dinner. I biked there to keep my knee from locking up – it was becoming quite swollen. I felt kind of bad about not coming for so long. I think Mr. Sano was a little distant because of the elapsed time. I said “hisashiburi” and he responded with a phrase that he explained meant longer than “it’s been a long time.” His grandchildren were there so it was nice to see them. His newest grandkid, a boy named Yuuki now a year and a half old, was wearing a shirt that said in English, “Friendship transcends national borders.” I thought this was so appropriate and a real sign that I should be spending more time at the Sano-sans. I think I might go every Sunday evening.
I biked across the road to the drug store after dinner to buy some ibuprofen for my knee. I was walking very slowly in the store. I was able to say and spell “ibuprofen” for the pharmacist and he recognized it with the Japanese pronunciation so I got a small package for about five-dollars. I was quite surprised to meet the girl working the register – she’s probably the prettiest Japanese girl I’ve ever met, and she even has really nice teeth. (A funny thing to say maybe, but you can’t take that for granted here. It’s unfortunately such a limiting factor with Japanese women…) I talked with her in my terrible broken Japanese and she was still smiling after 10 min. so I think she liked me. Her name is Yumi (You-me) and she lives right next to Ihara High School. We were interrupted a couple of times by other customers so I eventually said, “Ah, that’s right, you have a job.” She told me to come back and see her. I said sure, and she said anytime would be fine. I told her I’d make sure to injure myself again so I could come back.
This year (and anytime) is going to be a year that needs structure. I also have already made myself a calendar with dinners to be cooked each night of the week, a room in the house to be cleaned, and an evening activity. I really do not want these 7 months to go to waste. I don’t want a day to go to waste. I have so much to do and so many reasons to be happy here in Japan. I’m going to focus on very concrete ways of keeping myself occupied.
Well, now really should be work time. I’m keeping my work life and play life as far apart as east and west. That way I can hit it hard when I arrive “home.”
.
I got home 2 nights ago, but it certainly hasn’t felt that long. I spent most of the trip from the plane to my apartment in a blurry delusion with one eye asleep and the other cutting in and out to check the station names for my transfers. I’m not exactly sure how I got home. I do remember clearly arriving at the airport and seeing the sign that in English said “Welcome to Japan” but underneath it in Japanese it said, “Welcome Home.” This is such a perfect representation of the dyadic feelings I have as both an American and a man who lives in Japan.
The hours after that were spent passed out on my bed. I woke up on Sunday with enough time to throw away molding food, wash laundry (I tried running the water first to get rid of any rust and in doing so disconnected the hose without turning off the water so it sprayed my entire bathroom and I had to run fans for several hours to dry it out), hike the half a block to my view of the ocean (and smacked my knee super hard on a bolt sticking out of the barrier and almost threw up because it hurt so bad) before heading to the Sano-san’s poruche ramen for dinner. I biked there to keep my knee from locking up – it was becoming quite swollen. I felt kind of bad about not coming for so long. I think Mr. Sano was a little distant because of the elapsed time. I said “hisashiburi” and he responded with a phrase that he explained meant longer than “it’s been a long time.” His grandchildren were there so it was nice to see them. His newest grandkid, a boy named Yuuki now a year and a half old, was wearing a shirt that said in English, “Friendship transcends national borders.” I thought this was so appropriate and a real sign that I should be spending more time at the Sano-sans. I think I might go every Sunday evening.
I biked across the road to the drug store after dinner to buy some ibuprofen for my knee. I was walking very slowly in the store. I was able to say and spell “ibuprofen” for the pharmacist and he recognized it with the Japanese pronunciation so I got a small package for about five-dollars. I was quite surprised to meet the girl working the register – she’s probably the prettiest Japanese girl I’ve ever met, and she even has really nice teeth. (A funny thing to say maybe, but you can’t take that for granted here. It’s unfortunately such a limiting factor with Japanese women…) I talked with her in my terrible broken Japanese and she was still smiling after 10 min. so I think she liked me. Her name is Yumi (You-me) and she lives right next to Ihara High School. We were interrupted a couple of times by other customers so I eventually said, “Ah, that’s right, you have a job.” She told me to come back and see her. I said sure, and she said anytime would be fine. I told her I’d make sure to injure myself again so I could come back.
This year (and anytime) is going to be a year that needs structure. I also have already made myself a calendar with dinners to be cooked each night of the week, a room in the house to be cleaned, and an evening activity. I really do not want these 7 months to go to waste. I don’t want a day to go to waste. I have so much to do and so many reasons to be happy here in Japan. I’m going to focus on very concrete ways of keeping myself occupied.
Well, now really should be work time. I’m keeping my work life and play life as far apart as east and west. That way I can hit it hard when I arrive “home.”
.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Something good
Here's the opening monologue to the movie Hitch - I liked it. So I memorized it.
Of course, the spice of life will only get you so far. It's the garnish, it's the aroma - the spark, the rush, the stomach love.....but it's got to be based on something. Something stable and solid, something that pays the bills and does the laundry - cuts the grass and does the dishes.....speaking of which.....I better put this thing down.
.
Basic principles: No woman wakes up saying: "Gosh, I hope I don't get
swept off my feet today." Now, she might say, "This is a really bad time for me." Or something like, "I just need some space." Or my personal favorite: "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? Because she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying. It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. She may be into her career... but what she's really saying is, "Get away from me now." Or possibly, "Try harder, stupid." Well, which one is it? 60% of all human communication is nonverbal. Body language. 30% is your tone. So that means that 90% of what you're saying... ain't coming out of your mouth. Of course she's gonna lie to you - She's a nice person, she doesn't wanna hurt your feelings. What else is she gonna say? She doesn't even know you. Yet.
Basic principles: No matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom.
Of course, the spice of life will only get you so far. It's the garnish, it's the aroma - the spark, the rush, the stomach love.....but it's got to be based on something. Something stable and solid, something that pays the bills and does the laundry - cuts the grass and does the dishes.....speaking of which.....I better put this thing down.
.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Awesome Pictures
That's a hulluva potato. I'd like to see that sliced and tempura-ed.
And this next one is over a year old - It was on the front page of the BBC News Website and it made me burst out laughing - it was right after one of Chavez' crazy schemes got voted down by his own people:
"Grrr...Chavez Angryyy...."
.
And this next one is over a year old - It was on the front page of the BBC News Website and it made me burst out laughing - it was right after one of Chavez' crazy schemes got voted down by his own people:
"Grrr...Chavez Angryyy....".
Sunday, December 7, 2008
はっきり見れる
This is the most clearly I have seen since coming to Japan. I wrote a blog quite some time ago titled "tearing" which was about my identity and feeling torn between the place where my mind dwelt and the space that my body occupied. It has been very difficult for me having come to a totally new place for really the first time in my life. I was so comfortably situated in my mid-west, Scandinavian, middle-class American life back home. I wasn't willfully ignorant but I was a bit naive - I wasn't arrogant but I was a bit ethnocentric - I meant no ill-will but I certainly committed a sin of omission in letting the world lie, unopened and unexplored.
It's been a real struggle for me in beginning to view the world as "we" rather than "them." And a lot of it has to do with my own identity. I am finally, finally starting to see myself as a whole person - dynamic and whole. I used to have trouble picturing myself since I saw my two worlds as mutually exclusive places - here, and there. But now, slowly, the light from this world has grown, stretched concentrically all the way to where I find it touching and joining the light of my previous known world and I see: I live on one globe and that globe is called "The World." I am very comfortable being Luther and being here and surviving and now thriving.
Some of it has to do with language. I have found that, the more Japanese language I learn, the smarter Japanese people get. It was so easy to fall into the trap of simplifying a thing to meet the level at which I could understand. With every little bit of Japanese I learn, a bit more of the Japanese psyche emerges - everyone's personality is pumped up, everyone's humanity becomes that more apparent. It's horrible to admit, but it's taken me a long time to recognize Japanese people as fully functioning, thinking breathing feeling humans...it was so easy to see myself thinking and operating outside of (again) what I found to be their simple world. I knew it was not simple, of course. But I couldn't feel it.
I took the 日本語能力試験三級 (nihongo nouryoku shiken san kyuu) ((Japanese Language Proficiency Test - Level 3)) today. There are 4 levels with 1 being the most difficult. Level 3 isn't supposed to be that difficult - I think they say you can pass it with about 300 hours of studying - but it also doesn't do a whole lot for you other than give you bragging rights. Passing Level 2 or 1 can get you various jobs in Japan. Even so, I probably failed. I didn't take my grammar studies seriously enough these past few months.
But this test was a great experience. It was a humbling experience (it showed me all the stuff I still don't know) but at the same time it was a great motivator to study harder. If I can just master all the vocabulary and the grammar at the 3rd-level, I should in theory be able to operate in Japan on a daily basis. So this is my goal. The test won't be offered again until next December, but by that time, I should be ready to take level 2.
If I study for 2 hours every day between now and then. That's the suggested amount anyway.
I've never latched on to anything long term in my life. I've always had such varied interests and I've always dabbled. Now here's a chance to grab on to something sooo practical and honestly engaging. I'm pretty sure I'm coming home in August. But that means 7 1/2 more months in Japan. Why be satisfied where I'm at? I have the incredible opportunity to come away from the JET experience with a workable second language. It would be so もったいない (mottainai) ((wasteful)) to move back to the States without one.
Things are good right now and I think getting better. I had a really difficult September and October, but November has seen me on the up and up, and I should share some of why with you sometime. For now I'm bent on living in the moment. I have a history of over-analyzing to the point where analysis turns into paralysis and I'm no longer effective. I'm only thinking about the future without doing anything in the present. I have a lot of high-mined ideas about where and how I should go, but I don't get out of bed. Living in the moment overcomes this. Of course I have goals - I have the ultimate goal to love and serve God and love others - I have the long term goal of becoming a diplomat or finding and pursuing a woman to love - I have the mid-term goals of finishing my time in Japan or finding a job in Rapid City - I have my short term goals of class schedules and lesson-writing - I even have daily goals in a way of doing dishes, laundry, eating food, and this list could go on and on and that's the point and that's why I never get moving because I never stop planning or thinking about how things should or could be. So I set this down, and push it aside, and walk forward. And I push it aside when it rushes back to trip my step. And I push it aside to clear my head for the now - the sudden, immediate, incredible opportunity of now.
.
It's been a real struggle for me in beginning to view the world as "we" rather than "them." And a lot of it has to do with my own identity. I am finally, finally starting to see myself as a whole person - dynamic and whole. I used to have trouble picturing myself since I saw my two worlds as mutually exclusive places - here, and there. But now, slowly, the light from this world has grown, stretched concentrically all the way to where I find it touching and joining the light of my previous known world and I see: I live on one globe and that globe is called "The World." I am very comfortable being Luther and being here and surviving and now thriving.
Some of it has to do with language. I have found that, the more Japanese language I learn, the smarter Japanese people get. It was so easy to fall into the trap of simplifying a thing to meet the level at which I could understand. With every little bit of Japanese I learn, a bit more of the Japanese psyche emerges - everyone's personality is pumped up, everyone's humanity becomes that more apparent. It's horrible to admit, but it's taken me a long time to recognize Japanese people as fully functioning, thinking breathing feeling humans...it was so easy to see myself thinking and operating outside of (again) what I found to be their simple world. I knew it was not simple, of course. But I couldn't feel it.
I took the 日本語能力試験三級 (nihongo nouryoku shiken san kyuu) ((Japanese Language Proficiency Test - Level 3)) today. There are 4 levels with 1 being the most difficult. Level 3 isn't supposed to be that difficult - I think they say you can pass it with about 300 hours of studying - but it also doesn't do a whole lot for you other than give you bragging rights. Passing Level 2 or 1 can get you various jobs in Japan. Even so, I probably failed. I didn't take my grammar studies seriously enough these past few months.
But this test was a great experience. It was a humbling experience (it showed me all the stuff I still don't know) but at the same time it was a great motivator to study harder. If I can just master all the vocabulary and the grammar at the 3rd-level, I should in theory be able to operate in Japan on a daily basis. So this is my goal. The test won't be offered again until next December, but by that time, I should be ready to take level 2.
If I study for 2 hours every day between now and then. That's the suggested amount anyway.
I've never latched on to anything long term in my life. I've always had such varied interests and I've always dabbled. Now here's a chance to grab on to something sooo practical and honestly engaging. I'm pretty sure I'm coming home in August. But that means 7 1/2 more months in Japan. Why be satisfied where I'm at? I have the incredible opportunity to come away from the JET experience with a workable second language. It would be so もったいない (mottainai) ((wasteful)) to move back to the States without one.
Things are good right now and I think getting better. I had a really difficult September and October, but November has seen me on the up and up, and I should share some of why with you sometime. For now I'm bent on living in the moment. I have a history of over-analyzing to the point where analysis turns into paralysis and I'm no longer effective. I'm only thinking about the future without doing anything in the present. I have a lot of high-mined ideas about where and how I should go, but I don't get out of bed. Living in the moment overcomes this. Of course I have goals - I have the ultimate goal to love and serve God and love others - I have the long term goal of becoming a diplomat or finding and pursuing a woman to love - I have the mid-term goals of finishing my time in Japan or finding a job in Rapid City - I have my short term goals of class schedules and lesson-writing - I even have daily goals in a way of doing dishes, laundry, eating food, and this list could go on and on and that's the point and that's why I never get moving because I never stop planning or thinking about how things should or could be. So I set this down, and push it aside, and walk forward. And I push it aside when it rushes back to trip my step. And I push it aside to clear my head for the now - the sudden, immediate, incredible opportunity of now.
.
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