Otousan and Kamakura
Date: Dec 21st, 2007 1:50:05 am - Subscribe
Mood: Informative
Sorry for the delay in this, my fifth update. So much happens that it’s virtually impossible to get it all down in a timely or comprehensive fashion. Although, things have calmed into a more predictable routine now that classes have started.
OH. BTW. Ben. Lauren. WTF!? Why are you getting married while Im away?! I don’t want to miss your wedding!! GAH! We’ll have to have a party when I come back…
Back to the program…
I’ve decided not to contend my Japanese class placement because, while I know all the grammar we will be introduced to in this class, I am as of yet not comfortable with using it. After this class I should be able to hold up basic conversation without sounding like special ed. I’ve also been translating manga in my free time since I can buy them here for a buck a piece (stupid America, $10 a book?!), and the one I’m working on now is basically a novel with some pictures…I have to look up every other word.
However, my vocab is improving and my understanding of the grammar and word choice is growing, although I’m not sure when Ill get to use the words “shitai” (corpse) or “gunjikomondan” (military affairs advisory group)…I’ll just have to come up with the proper segue.
I’ve also discovered that there’s a rather large disparity between reading/writing a language and speaking it. I may know the grammar in my head, but when it reaches my mouth all preconceived order takes a holiday. Subject, verb, object…no…object then verb?….hmmm…Ill just throw the words at them.
My War and Peace class is so amazing. The professor is a middle aged English man with an incredible wit, and the class will cover a section of history (post-WW2 conflicts) that I haven’t focused on yet. We’ll even be covering 911 and the reasons for and explanation behind the events surrounding it. Im so excited!
The other day I was on the train on my way to class when I heard a commotion at the end of my car. It was pretty packed, as usual, but I could make out to men arguing, one standing in front of the other who was seated. The language that came out of the standing man was so much like a yakuza (gangster) T.V. drama that I smiled the whole time he cussed the seated man out. Rolling the R’s, ending in harsh consonant vowel combinations, it was amazing. They even got into a macho kicking fight as the standing one left. Who says everyone in Japan is overly polite?
The relationship with my host parents changes a little everyday. In the beginning, I thought I would get along with my okaasan the best with my otousan as a peripheral entity. Now, I feel slightly annoyed with my okaasan, cause she uses different slurs in her speech than the waseda students I talk to and henceforth I have trouble understanding her, and more comfortable with my otousan since he basically leaves me alone but is prone to asking the odd question here and there. He’s so cute. He’s a haiku professor like I said, so he’s a pretty devout scholar and stays up most of the night immersed in his books. He’ll shuffle over to me while I’m doing homework or translating in the living room and explain the history behind some kanji on my page or kindly ask me what I did that day. It’s wonderfully unobtrusive, and most of the time his explanations of history and kanji are really interesting.
The waseda students took us to Kamakura the other day for a little temple and shrine sightseeing. I got a bunch more names in my cell phone that I don’t really know…and two of the really cute ones kept asking us girls if we remembered their names (Kazu and Shuske btw). Im keeping in touch with two the students, Tsuyuno and Toshiki, and somehow got roped into playing tennis with Toshiki and a bunch of his friends on Tuesday. I don’t even know how to play tennis! I usually just hit the ball as hard as I can with the racket. It’s fun to see how far you can hit it…but I don’t think that will make me any friends this time. Why cant I just eat glue like I did in elementary school; the tried and true friend-making-strategy.
Hmmm. I think Ill end it here for today. Ill try to post more pictures in the mean time.
My address here is:
167-0022 c/o Isohata 5-19-19 Shimo igusa, suginami-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Im not really sure how you would mail something here…
Oh, and my cell number is:
080-6738-8728
(yes that’s the right amount of numbers)
But its easier to email my phone (yes I said email my PHONE, technology here rocks):
lost_sheep6332@ezweb.ne.jp
okay that’s it for now!
Ja ne!
-Spork
Comments: (1)
anonymous - January 10th, 2008 |
