Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Motivation
I guess I don't get this whole typhoon business. Last night, it was perilously close to Kyûshû and the forecast was for rain all week. Today I woke up to sunny skies and the typhoon had barely moved at all on the map. Now they're saying it will "hit" us tomorrow, although they say that knowing that the center of the storm is unlikely to actually come near this area. Still, we're expecting rain and high winds tomorrow.
I didn't take any pictures today, sorry. I just went to class like a good little student. My test yesterday was a 100% score but don't get excited, it was purely review. Tomorrow's kanji quiz should be the same. At least one student in my class felt a little overwhelmed by the prospect of reviewing 100+ kanji so soon into the semester so she and I had a little study session this afternoon. She knew most of them but I did my best to help her out. We might do some more reviewing tomorrow morning before the exam.
At lunch a random Japanese student asked to have lunch with me. Even though I had already finished I welcomed him and tried to converse with him. He did not speak much English so it was a bit of a challenge. He also had a cold which left him struggling to speak sometimes. I'm not sure you should eat curry when you're congested but I didn't know how to tell him that.
This afternoon's Western Views of Japan class had a few interesting moments. We watched a short piece of The Barbarian and the Geisha starring John Wayne. I know Wayne is an American icon to many but to me he just seems weird. In this film he was particularly ridiculous, playing Townsend Harris, the first American Consul General to Japan. The class was openly laughing at much of what John Wayne did or said, especially his "heroics" in single-handedly ending a cholera epidemic by burning down an entire village. Naturally, the villagers resisted him at first but later thanked him on their hands and knees for saving their lives. The message of the film was pretty clear: Japan needs big, strong Americans to help them deal with the dangers of modern life.
We spent most of the class discussing real-life Westerners who went to Japan for various reasons. The teacher tended to put them into one of two categories (which he admitted was not fair but felt it was a reasonable dichotomy to make): those who came to Japan to somehow "save" the Japanese from their own backward ways and those who were escaping the West for their own reasons. This led me to wonder about my own reasons for coming to Japan. It's a question I am often asked by Japanese and foreigners alike. On the one hand, I am decidedly unhappy with my life* in the United States and I hope to find more of a purpose here. On the other hand, I am somewhat motivated by my disapproval of the Japanese who would teach improper English to each other. Do either of these categories fit me correctly? Is either one a "good" reason to come here?
I suppose it's best not to worry about what others might or might not think of my decision to pursue a future in Japan. I'm sure there are already plenty of people out there who think I'm some kind of loser because my gateway into Japan was through its pop culture. Likewise, there are people who think it's ridiculous to quit a full-time job to go back to school at 28. I don't think much of these people so I see no reason to give their opinions any weight.
*I should qualify this by saying I am unhappy with my professional and social life, not my very life itself. I have wonderful friends and family, of course, but I've never held a meaningful job or been particularly successful in any social settings. Most of my hobbies are very solitary and I often find myself wondering where I am going. But don't fret; that's a big reason why I'm here!
I didn't take any pictures today, sorry. I just went to class like a good little student. My test yesterday was a 100% score but don't get excited, it was purely review. Tomorrow's kanji quiz should be the same. At least one student in my class felt a little overwhelmed by the prospect of reviewing 100+ kanji so soon into the semester so she and I had a little study session this afternoon. She knew most of them but I did my best to help her out. We might do some more reviewing tomorrow morning before the exam.
At lunch a random Japanese student asked to have lunch with me. Even though I had already finished I welcomed him and tried to converse with him. He did not speak much English so it was a bit of a challenge. He also had a cold which left him struggling to speak sometimes. I'm not sure you should eat curry when you're congested but I didn't know how to tell him that.
This afternoon's Western Views of Japan class had a few interesting moments. We watched a short piece of The Barbarian and the Geisha starring John Wayne. I know Wayne is an American icon to many but to me he just seems weird. In this film he was particularly ridiculous, playing Townsend Harris, the first American Consul General to Japan. The class was openly laughing at much of what John Wayne did or said, especially his "heroics" in single-handedly ending a cholera epidemic by burning down an entire village. Naturally, the villagers resisted him at first but later thanked him on their hands and knees for saving their lives. The message of the film was pretty clear: Japan needs big, strong Americans to help them deal with the dangers of modern life.
We spent most of the class discussing real-life Westerners who went to Japan for various reasons. The teacher tended to put them into one of two categories (which he admitted was not fair but felt it was a reasonable dichotomy to make): those who came to Japan to somehow "save" the Japanese from their own backward ways and those who were escaping the West for their own reasons. This led me to wonder about my own reasons for coming to Japan. It's a question I am often asked by Japanese and foreigners alike. On the one hand, I am decidedly unhappy with my life* in the United States and I hope to find more of a purpose here. On the other hand, I am somewhat motivated by my disapproval of the Japanese who would teach improper English to each other. Do either of these categories fit me correctly? Is either one a "good" reason to come here?
I suppose it's best not to worry about what others might or might not think of my decision to pursue a future in Japan. I'm sure there are already plenty of people out there who think I'm some kind of loser because my gateway into Japan was through its pop culture. Likewise, there are people who think it's ridiculous to quit a full-time job to go back to school at 28. I don't think much of these people so I see no reason to give their opinions any weight.
*I should qualify this by saying I am unhappy with my professional and social life, not my very life itself. I have wonderful friends and family, of course, but I've never held a meaningful job or been particularly successful in any social settings. Most of my hobbies are very solitary and I often find myself wondering where I am going. But don't fret; that's a big reason why I'm here!
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Hey Dan, seems like you socialize just fine over there. I'm glad you're doing well. Sorry it's raining, but you know, even that will stop eventually. How do you get along in class? Is it hard to keep up with the other students? Unfortunatelly I didn't get to read all entries since you're gone, but I try to check in once in a while. I can only say I love the pictures, so please keep up with them. Also, it might not help you a lot, but the first three month are the hardest. First everything is new and exciting, but there is a language barrier, then everything starts to become routine, and is less exciting or even boring. Usually during the third month people tend to get really really homesick. But after you made it through that, it will be an awesome experience. Please believe me. I know, I went through it. And everybody I talked to agrees, that after three month you made it. So hang in there and just go with it. You'll see, everything will be perfect in a little while.
That John Wayne movie sounds pretty funny. I think I might have seen it when I was a kid. My dad was a John Wayne fan.
I hate John Wayne.
I hate John Wayne.
Dani: So far, class is a breeze. Japanese class has been nothing but review which is helpful but not a challenge at all. The English-language classes I'm taking are all off to a slow start and I delibrately picked ones that did not require any major writing assignments. More than anything else, writing papers drives me crazy so I avoid it at all cost. Call me a coward, but it's true. I guess I won't be going to grad school.
It's funny, I had almost forgotten that you are a student abroad in America. Of all the commentators here on the blog, you have the most unique experience to report. I can believe your three-month adjustment period, especially since I'm only three weeks into my trip. It's hard to me imagine being truly homesick though, since I came here to discover something about myself that I wasn't getting at home. However, I admit that I certainly miss a number of people from back home.
On second thought, the three month mark coincides with my birthday and Thanksgiving. I do believe I will be homesick around that time!
As far as not reading my blog everyday, shame on you. You should be doing nothing other than staring at the computer on my homepage and pressing the "refresh" key, waiting for the latest news! I kid, of course, but only a little. I hope you saw the pictures of Amanohashidate.
Joe: I hear you! I'm sure my dad has a very different opinion of John Wayne than I do.
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.It's funny, I had almost forgotten that you are a student abroad in America. Of all the commentators here on the blog, you have the most unique experience to report. I can believe your three-month adjustment period, especially since I'm only three weeks into my trip. It's hard to me imagine being truly homesick though, since I came here to discover something about myself that I wasn't getting at home. However, I admit that I certainly miss a number of people from back home.
On second thought, the three month mark coincides with my birthday and Thanksgiving. I do believe I will be homesick around that time!
As far as not reading my blog everyday, shame on you. You should be doing nothing other than staring at the computer on my homepage and pressing the "refresh" key, waiting for the latest news! I kid, of course, but only a little. I hope you saw the pictures of Amanohashidate.
Joe: I hear you! I'm sure my dad has a very different opinion of John Wayne than I do.
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