Basic Conversations
I know I have been pretty weak with posting here, but I actually have been somewhat busy. I apologize though.
So, a lot of things have happened to me recently, and I feel I should rant about them a bit.
This past week, I realized that I was now capable of basic conversation. I could both say and understand things like, where do you live, what did you do last week, how did you get here, have you ever been to america, how are you feeling, what are you doing tomorrow, do you have a boyfriend, do you like to watch movies, etc.
This revelation has seemed to untie my hands a bit. I first learned about month after getting here that with my Japanese at the time, I couldn't really talk to anyone. Steve and I were in a bar with two girls, and while his Japanese level is through the roof, I couldn't even ask them what their name was. Now after a couple more months of being stuck in rural Japan and actually studying a bit, my Japanese has improved quickly. This seemed to come to a head this last week.
First, I had to visit a new elementary school in my town. This is the one furthest away, and requires 20-30 minutes to get there from the school by bike. This elementary school is a pretty amazing place from a distance. Located on the top of a hill/mountain(they just stick up around here), it is mostly concealed by trees. The playing field has large spotlights for baseball/soccer games, which makes for an unusual image. This school looks like a maximum security prison. You just see a drab stone building on top of a mountain, concealed by trees, with giant spotlights surrounding it. The only ways up the mountain are steep paths on each side, which are nearly impossible to bike up. Anyone who makes it to the top is sweating like a pig, fat or no.
Anyways, at this school, I got there about 45 minutes early, which meant 40 minutes of getting poked and prodded by the school staff. Now, this consists of the standard questions, showing of pictures, and embarassing fawning by 40-80 year old women. Only this time, it was different. Instead of sitting there just nodding my head and grunting, I actually understood their questions. I found myself capable of answering them as well. My study of grammar also allowed me to figure out which words I didn't know and ask them about it specifically. I actually enjoyed myself a bit. I even told some good jokes, my personal favorite being the Danshi joke. You need to know some kanji to understand that one, but it has to do with the fact that danshi means young boy and my name is Dan.
Anyways, the conversation went well, and of course right after it was all over, one of the women had to goto a meeting with the principal of my school. Now, I don't plan these things, but I seem to have an insane amount of luck with the principal and teachers at my school. Whenever the principal walks by, I just happen to always be talking to the kids in the hall, teaching them some American game or cool English word. When he is not around, I am rough housing with students, setting them up for pile drivers, giving them light smacks to the back of the head, and saying vulgarities in Japanese to them. It just happens he always sees me doing good things. Or, I will meet some random person at a festival, bar, or shop, hit it off, and it will happen that they know someone or know the principal and it gets back to him. Already I have gotten the impression that I am welcome to recontract for next year, and my supervisor has actually told me directly that he wants me to stay.
Now I know there weren't a lot of good stories here, but I want to segment my posts so I can post more often but smaller stories. Besides, who will read this far into a post to get to a good story. But just a hint of coming attractions:
Crazy Enkai(Having the parent of a student come onto me)
Proving to Andy that I am not all talk
Joining the gym
Politeness or flirting
Trip to Utazu(Junk section of Hard-Off and Giant used goods and collectables store)
Halloween Bash in Takamatsu
Marugame Castle Party
Takase Izakaya(bar) Explorations
Crazy questions from students
Funny shirts, labels, and mistranslations
So, a lot of things have happened to me recently, and I feel I should rant about them a bit.
This past week, I realized that I was now capable of basic conversation. I could both say and understand things like, where do you live, what did you do last week, how did you get here, have you ever been to america, how are you feeling, what are you doing tomorrow, do you have a boyfriend, do you like to watch movies, etc.
This revelation has seemed to untie my hands a bit. I first learned about month after getting here that with my Japanese at the time, I couldn't really talk to anyone. Steve and I were in a bar with two girls, and while his Japanese level is through the roof, I couldn't even ask them what their name was. Now after a couple more months of being stuck in rural Japan and actually studying a bit, my Japanese has improved quickly. This seemed to come to a head this last week.
First, I had to visit a new elementary school in my town. This is the one furthest away, and requires 20-30 minutes to get there from the school by bike. This elementary school is a pretty amazing place from a distance. Located on the top of a hill/mountain(they just stick up around here), it is mostly concealed by trees. The playing field has large spotlights for baseball/soccer games, which makes for an unusual image. This school looks like a maximum security prison. You just see a drab stone building on top of a mountain, concealed by trees, with giant spotlights surrounding it. The only ways up the mountain are steep paths on each side, which are nearly impossible to bike up. Anyone who makes it to the top is sweating like a pig, fat or no.
Anyways, at this school, I got there about 45 minutes early, which meant 40 minutes of getting poked and prodded by the school staff. Now, this consists of the standard questions, showing of pictures, and embarassing fawning by 40-80 year old women. Only this time, it was different. Instead of sitting there just nodding my head and grunting, I actually understood their questions. I found myself capable of answering them as well. My study of grammar also allowed me to figure out which words I didn't know and ask them about it specifically. I actually enjoyed myself a bit. I even told some good jokes, my personal favorite being the Danshi joke. You need to know some kanji to understand that one, but it has to do with the fact that danshi means young boy and my name is Dan.
Anyways, the conversation went well, and of course right after it was all over, one of the women had to goto a meeting with the principal of my school. Now, I don't plan these things, but I seem to have an insane amount of luck with the principal and teachers at my school. Whenever the principal walks by, I just happen to always be talking to the kids in the hall, teaching them some American game or cool English word. When he is not around, I am rough housing with students, setting them up for pile drivers, giving them light smacks to the back of the head, and saying vulgarities in Japanese to them. It just happens he always sees me doing good things. Or, I will meet some random person at a festival, bar, or shop, hit it off, and it will happen that they know someone or know the principal and it gets back to him. Already I have gotten the impression that I am welcome to recontract for next year, and my supervisor has actually told me directly that he wants me to stay.
Now I know there weren't a lot of good stories here, but I want to segment my posts so I can post more often but smaller stories. Besides, who will read this far into a post to get to a good story. But just a hint of coming attractions:
Crazy Enkai(Having the parent of a student come onto me)
Proving to Andy that I am not all talk
Joining the gym
Politeness or flirting
Trip to Utazu(Junk section of Hard-Off and Giant used goods and collectables store)
Halloween Bash in Takamatsu
Marugame Castle Party
Takase Izakaya(bar) Explorations
Crazy questions from students
Funny shirts, labels, and mistranslations
posted by Omega037 @ 9:45 PM
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