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Days passing by: 8-20-99 Oh boy… and the journal slacking sets in! It’s been almost a month since I’ve written. I kept meaning to write, but I never set aside the time. There has been a lot to write about, but I am falling into a regular pattern of daily living, so even when something memorable happens, I neglect to record it, because the days just keep passing by. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for a month! At first, I was feeling pretty low because I didn’t have any friends other than the two JETs in Ube. And when I went to the prefectural orientation in Yamaguchi City in the beginning of this month, I heard JETs from other towns talking about how busy they were because people were constantly inviting them to dinner and such. Everyone else seemed to have made Japanese friends and were being very pampered. I felt left out, because the people in my office barely talked to me, let alone invite me out. But it’s gotten better in the last couple of weeks- a lot better. My coworkers often stop at my desk to ask what I’m reading, what I ate for dinner the night before, or what my weekend plans are. They helped me figure out the bus and train schedules last week when I was planning a trip to Hagi, a historic castle town a couple hours north of here. I think I understand now why my coworkers were hesitant to talk to me earlier. It’s awkward to converse with someone who speaks a bit of your language, and understands more than they can actually say. The conversation becomes one-sided, and the person talking is never sure if their words are actually understood, or if the foreigner is just nodding and agreeing to avoid asking the person to repeat themselves. And the talker might be concerned about using phrases above the foreigner’s level, thus making that person uncomfortable. It might seem like the foreigner is more at ease not conversing. I understand much of what is said to me, but more often than not, my response is a lame, “Sou desu ne…” (“Ah, yes…”) I want to tell these people that I really do understand what they’ve said, that I’m not just agreeing because I don’t know what they’re saying. But there is no point in that- all I can do is study harder and try to practice speaking more. Everyone in my office is really so nice. I try my best to have real conversations with them. And I am getting better. It really is a good thing I have the opportunity to use this language before I forget it! If I hadn’t come to Japan, everything I had worked so hard to learn would slip right out of my mind. I wonder how I can keep it up when I move back home. Maybe I can find some Japanese people who want conversation partners. I really don’t want to forget this language, I enjoy it so much! Another thing I want to keep up when I return home is ikebana. Yes, I have taken up the Japanese art of flower arranging! It’s funny, I mentioned it in my JET interview as something I’d like to do in my spare time… but I really had no intention of taking ikebana. Don't get me wrong, I knew I definitely wanted to learn one traditional art of Japan, but I didn’t have an interest in ikebana, necessarily- I figured it was a possibility, but expected that I'd get to Japan and decide at that point what I really wanted to do. Well, I thought about it once I got here… I am not athletic enough for martial arts, too wimpy for taiko, too clumsy for tea ceremony (although I’m still intrigued… maybe if I find a teacher, hmm…). Anyway, I think I make myself clear- it seemed like none of the traditional arts were quite right for me. Then I thought how useful it would be to know how to make a beautiful flower arrangement- for now, in my plain apartment, and for later, when I was to be domestic, beautify my home, and impress friends and family. ;) And when you think about it, ikebana is good because it’s pretty hard to mess up flowers. I mean, that’s definitely not to say it’s easy. It’s not. There is a whole philosophy behind it and all. But even if an arrangement is wrong according to ikebana traditional standards, it would take a lot for it to look truly ugly. So, ikebana is an art which will definitely challenge me, but it’s not hopeless. I have a lot to learn and I’m sure I’ll never be an expert, but I’m not bad at it. I think I’ll really enjoy this new hobby! Plus, I get the lessons free because it’s “internationalization.” All I have to pay is 1,000 yen per week for the cost of the flowers. Not bad! And it makes me happy to have a flower arrangement in my apartment. I feel like I’m following in my Mom’s footsteps a bit. She’s always been good with flowers, having worked in a flower shop when she was younger. After my ikebana class today, I was invited to an eikaiwa, an English conversation class. It was a bunch of happy middle-aged ladies. I was surprised to be asked to be there, but it was fun. I was the special guest gaijin. :) Today, the funniest thing happened. I was riding home from work on my bike, wearing my helmet as always, because the Japanese are truly scary drivers, and I’m not so great on a bike. Basically, I don’t trust them or myself! Anyway, I must be the only person in Ube who wears a helmet. Everyone here has been raised on bicycles, they don’t feel the need to protect their heads, I guess. So I always feel conspicuously lame in my helmet. Which, furthermore, looks really sporty on me, ridiculous. It looks like a serious bike rider’s helmet. Anyway, so I was stopped, waiting for a train to pass, and I noticed these two little grandmas looking at me and murmuring. I smiled and said “Konnichiwa,” and they edged closer to tell me how cute my helmet was, what a good style. I could’ve died laughing, but I smiled and explained that I wear it because I’m not very good on a bike. Ahhh, how funny! I thought my helmet must be the laughingstock of Ube, but apparently the grannies think it’s cool! Hehhhh. I just hope my students don’t think I’m a big dork. Hmph. Oh well! I want to write more, catch up on my trips to Kumamoto and Hagi, but I’m tired now… it’s been a long day! So that will have to wait. For now I’ll just kick back on the tatami and smile at my flower arrangement. :) |