Konnichiwa! Its my birthday...and I will blog if I want to !!! So, here's a little somethin' somethin' from my roller coaster ride in September 08:Life in Japan is treating me well...the week of Sept 8th was my first full week of classes...whoa, do I have a new appreciation for all teachers...especially high school teachers. I believe that I am pretty lucky in that I have a supportive group of Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) and a genki (energtic) group of students. The students and I are getting to know each other and for the most part, they are warming up to me. Especially outside of class...they love to chat before school, in between class and after school. I ask them for some Japanese pointers while we weave an "Engrish" conversation. I have been invited to the Judo club a lot...I am starting to think that my presence there will be less cultural exchange and more, breaking Steve-sensei in half. Stay tuned...
I am doing my best to learn Japanese (Nihon-go) both verbal and written. I am learning directions (left, right, in front, behind, on top, between...) and learning new verbs (tabemasu = to eat, mimasu = to see/look/watch and nomimasu = to drink). Now I can watch
people eat and drink in Japanese :) I even carry around a little notebook where I write down new words and phrases, so I can review them later. I am far from being conversational, so when a Japanese person and I are trying to communicate I usually say "sumimasen" (sorry) and then "muzukashi" (difficult) or "nihongo sukoshi" (a little Japanese)...and then they compliment me on my good Japanese. They are very kind, but I know the score...
Life in Japan is good, but not w/o its challenges. Overall, I am very lucky with my placement. my school, the teachers, the students, proximity to city life (Kobe) and other parts of Japan...its difficult to beat. Culture shock of varying kinds creeps up every now and again and recently smacked me square between the eyes...sometimes I just smile and go with the flow and other times, my American mindedness gets the best of me and wonders why "they" do it "that" way. I am learning...yes, even at the ripe old age of 32 :) I always want to learn, but some lessons are surprises fo sho! Just so ya'll know...I really appreciate getting emails, cards and care packages...anything that keeps me connected w/ home is soooo nice. Its funny how the little things...the simple things can mean so much...I always knew they did, but being far away from home really highlights the importance of simple gestures.
One last bit... Every one of us had our first haircut right? I don't remember mine, but I know that I had one b/c a lock of my baby hair is still in my baby scrap book and I am sure there's a polaroid snapshot in my dad's attic of me crying my eyes out with a big tarp around me and some lady w/ a bee-hive hair-do with a pair of sheers in one hand and a cigarette in the other. No? Maybe that's just my story...Anywho, I had the honor of having another first haircut...my first haircut in Japan! Before I embarked on the
epic adventure, I debated...do I just shave it off for good and just accept my eventual bald-headedness or do I let it grow until I come back to the USA for the holidays. I chose the more difficult path...I actually went to a barber w/ my Japanese phrase book in one hand and my dignity in the other and did it. The end result made me look like a new army recruit, but I gained a cool story and some confidence to do it again. My "stylist" was a middle-aged dude w/a "samurai-like" quality and I did not want to test his patience...after trying to explain that I wanted a 3 guard on the sides and a trim on top, it was clear that he was not amused. So, he tossed me a catalog of Japanese men's head shots with more styles than hairs on my head...I chose one and tried to explain that I wanted "this one" but just a little different than the picture...well, w/o going too far down this path of recounting every detail...let's just say, that I had a pleasant experience that cost me about $17 and a memory that is priceless...I just hope they were able to get the sweat mark off the chair when I left...well, what would you do if some dude pulled out a razor blade the size of a machete and started to "clean up" around the ears and the back of my neck...my "samurai barber" will surely get my repeat business!
Below is a link to pics from a variety of new experiences...enjoy!
2 comments:
Thanks for the update, Steve! Great to be caught up, and glad you are enjoying Nippon.
What's the haps buddy? Hope you are well friend!!!
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