i haven't posted since i turned 26. since that time, i've done the following:
(1) i've seen two separate friends get married.
(2) i've spent time in three different states.
(3) i flew somewhere because i was in love.
(4) i flew home. it wasn't mutual.
(5) i sexually harassed a stranger (to be fair, i thought she was my friend. turns out she was a stranger).
(6) grew a mustache. shaved the mustache. grew another mustache. i'll shave it tomorrow.
(7) purchased 4 sticks of deodorant. i forget them each and every time i travel. girls make me buy new ones (well, to be more specific, the fear of being stinky around girls who might care).
(8) mocked a friend who made homemade pickles. ate the pickles. felt foolish. they were great.
(9) gave a presentation on international trade theory. ask me about the diamond model sometime at the bar.
(10) finished a problem set with a girl from kabul (yes, that kabul).
(11) found a marching band festival while avoiding a fluff festival. we will march on the 9th of october.
(12) updated my resume. trashed my resume. updated it again. trashed it. why is such a simple document so difficult to write?
(13) joined some clubs. met some people.
(14) started to exercise again.
(15) quit exercising. too busy (it beings...).
(16) i now wake up at 6 am everyday.
(17) does being interesting require you to be lonely? i've thought about this for at least a month.
(18) babies? nah.
(19) it had been three years since i'd seen one of my best friends in the world. she still gives great hugs. maybe the best.
(20) i'd become excited all over again. things were new and different. a week later, nothing was new and everything familiar.
(21) i moved to boston. i have three roommates, and none of them have jobs.
(22) i quit my job. i wanted to fit in.
(23) i baked cupcakes for the first time in my life (first time i've ever baked anything, actually... one time i tried to make a cobbler. it didn't work out, so i'm not sure if that counts... ultimately, the cobbler had better results).
(24) i had a stop making sense dance party in a hotel room alongside a writer for a jewish newspaper.
(25) i woke up listening to the wu-tang clan, went for a swim, and had breakfast at a spinning restaurant... it took me a while to realize the restaurant was moving because i thought i was just still drunk.
(26) despite all that, i still can't figure out when to go to sleep. i still can't decide whether or not things are going well, going poorly, or not going at all. though it's completely NOT the case, i still can't help but feel like i'm coming up a little short. i feel like i've been rejected more often than accepted. i feel like i've had more breakups than dates. i feel like i've cooked 2 good meals for every bad 10. i used to exercise 3 days a week, but i'd focus on the 4 i didn't. i'm certainly not sad, but i'm certainly not psyched. it took me 20-30 minutes just to list 25 things.
so far, school is good. i like my classes, i like my professors, i like the facilities,... but i can't help but feel like something is missing. all of my classes are lecture based, and all of my tests are multiple choice. it's all input with minimal output.
sometimes i wish i could just take a year off. the grass is always greener.
is there even such thing as a year off? i mean,it's still a year, right? according to me, i took three years off while i was in japan. i come back here and people can't see that. suddenly it was my career. people can't see it as a means to an ends. after all, it's not what you accomplish; it's what you can put on your resume. totally lame. there's a box for "work experience," but there isn't a box for "accomplished life goals. made it happen while someone else was scared of sacrificing something and taking a chance."
honestly though, school is great. i wish i could write a more positive post. a few days ago i was super positive. i remember going to the airport with my father and blaa-blaa'ing about all the opportunities i had, my 2 year plan, my 5 year goals, etc.
the problem with a 2 year goal is that it takes 2 years. i need to realize this. i need to start breaking things down into simple, manageable goals. or stop having goals. or both?
i really need to go dancing.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Saturday, 10 April 2010
bingo
I’m going to be (or currently am) 26 years old. Beginning in the fall, I’m going to pursue a graduate degree in finance. Three years down the road, I’ll be working for a bank, consulting firm, or something else in the field. Just like that, another 3 year brick of time.
Unless another school calls me back and offers me a big ol’ scholarship, I’ll be attending Brandeis in the fall. It’s a two year program, with a focus on finance and economics. Additionally, I’ll have the chance to study a language and live abroad.
What makes me most excited about Brandeis is that I’ll be able to do the following: gain careers skills, along with re-educating myself. In other words, I’ll get to take the classes I wish I took while I was at Reed, while gaining the career-related knowledge I currently lack.
I’ve always kicked myself in the butt for not studying abroad, and I’ve always been disappointed in myself for not seriously studying a language while at Reed (sorry Jerome. I’ll learn French someday… otherwise I’ll never be able to ride bicycles and smoke cigars in the proper manner). Additionally, when I graduated from Reed, more than anything else, I wanted to turn back the clock a year or two and get a degree in economics. Those were the classes that excited me the most on my way out the door, and in the near future, those are the classes I’ll be jumping back into.
I can see myself heading in a few different directions over the next 2 years.
(1) studying Spanish; spending a semester in Barcelona or Mexico City
(2) studying Chinese; spending a semester in Beijing
(3) studying Portuguese on my own; spending a semester in Sao Paolo
(4) mastering Japanese; spending a semester in Tokyo
I like all four of those options. I think I’m in love with all of them. I think that 2 and 3 are best for my career in the long-term, 1 is probably the most fun, and 4 is probably the best for my career in the short-term. It wouldn’t take a lot of effort to bring my Japanese to a professional level… but I want to expand my circle of confidence, I want to see new places, and I want to get new ideas. If I went back to Japan, I’m sure I would learn how to do more, but I’m not sure I would actually learn anything new or test myself in new ways.
Aside from career stuff, I’ve also found a really rad part-time job for the summer. It’s a cruise-restaurant in Boston. The money is good, the people are good, and it’s a very fun atmosphere. Additionally, I can take up to 3 guests on weekend brunch for free! So if anyone is visiting the Boston area, keep your weekend clear and let me know ahead of time. Mimosa, chocolate fountains, and a quick tour of Boston harbor are waiting for you.
I’ve had a plan for a while now: Before the age of 35, I want:
(1) to speak 3 foreign language fluently. The languages have never mattered, but that number has always floated around. I’ve always been amazed by polyglots, so I’ve always wanted to become one. Realistically, I believed that I could master a new language every 5 years on a part-time basis. I only spent 3 years on Japanese, but I spent all of that time in the country. I think that 5 years is still a good timeframe… maybe a European language would take less.
(2) to live and work abroad. I guess I’ve already done this, but I’d like to do it somewhere new, and in a new capacity. Being abroad is exciting and fun. If I’ve got a career-related job, all the better.
(3) to get an MBA, along with an MA in a specialized field. So far, it looks like I’ll be doing this in the opposite order. And that’s fine. Additionally, I could get an MBA in Europe, and that would certainly help me with my language goals, etc. There are so many amazing programs in Europe. Then again, maybe America will catch up to the European models by the time I’m interested.
(4) to travel the world. This is going to be the toughest one. I know that I can make 1 week trips here and there, but I want a long trip (at least 3 months, if not 12). The 12 month trip might have to come later in life, so I’ll just squeeze in a 3 month trip at some point. If I time it right, I can get accepted to an MBA program and take the trip before classes start. This would give me anywhere from 1-8 months, depending on how early I take a leave of absence from work.
(5) to leave my job at the age of 55 and travel the world for as long as I feel like. We’re talking years and years. I’ll do this by saving a ton of money and investing that money in lots of companies that pay dividends. The goal will be to live off of those dividends for as long as I feel like. Eventually I’ll return home… but I really like the idea of wandering the world for over 2 years... like that dude from Kung-Fu.
I guess that’s it. I don’t have a lot of goals… I suppose I’ve got benchmarks. And I’m ok with that. After all, I’m headed in a direction, and I’ve had the same benchmarks for a while. Most of the specifics will work themselves out organically (job, where I live, hobbies, etc).
So after a depressing post in Feb, I’ve got a more positive post in April...
…and boom goes the dynamite.
Unless another school calls me back and offers me a big ol’ scholarship, I’ll be attending Brandeis in the fall. It’s a two year program, with a focus on finance and economics. Additionally, I’ll have the chance to study a language and live abroad.
What makes me most excited about Brandeis is that I’ll be able to do the following: gain careers skills, along with re-educating myself. In other words, I’ll get to take the classes I wish I took while I was at Reed, while gaining the career-related knowledge I currently lack.
I’ve always kicked myself in the butt for not studying abroad, and I’ve always been disappointed in myself for not seriously studying a language while at Reed (sorry Jerome. I’ll learn French someday… otherwise I’ll never be able to ride bicycles and smoke cigars in the proper manner). Additionally, when I graduated from Reed, more than anything else, I wanted to turn back the clock a year or two and get a degree in economics. Those were the classes that excited me the most on my way out the door, and in the near future, those are the classes I’ll be jumping back into.
I can see myself heading in a few different directions over the next 2 years.
(1) studying Spanish; spending a semester in Barcelona or Mexico City
(2) studying Chinese; spending a semester in Beijing
(3) studying Portuguese on my own; spending a semester in Sao Paolo
(4) mastering Japanese; spending a semester in Tokyo
I like all four of those options. I think I’m in love with all of them. I think that 2 and 3 are best for my career in the long-term, 1 is probably the most fun, and 4 is probably the best for my career in the short-term. It wouldn’t take a lot of effort to bring my Japanese to a professional level… but I want to expand my circle of confidence, I want to see new places, and I want to get new ideas. If I went back to Japan, I’m sure I would learn how to do more, but I’m not sure I would actually learn anything new or test myself in new ways.
Aside from career stuff, I’ve also found a really rad part-time job for the summer. It’s a cruise-restaurant in Boston. The money is good, the people are good, and it’s a very fun atmosphere. Additionally, I can take up to 3 guests on weekend brunch for free! So if anyone is visiting the Boston area, keep your weekend clear and let me know ahead of time. Mimosa, chocolate fountains, and a quick tour of Boston harbor are waiting for you.
I’ve had a plan for a while now: Before the age of 35, I want:
(1) to speak 3 foreign language fluently. The languages have never mattered, but that number has always floated around. I’ve always been amazed by polyglots, so I’ve always wanted to become one. Realistically, I believed that I could master a new language every 5 years on a part-time basis. I only spent 3 years on Japanese, but I spent all of that time in the country. I think that 5 years is still a good timeframe… maybe a European language would take less.
(2) to live and work abroad. I guess I’ve already done this, but I’d like to do it somewhere new, and in a new capacity. Being abroad is exciting and fun. If I’ve got a career-related job, all the better.
(3) to get an MBA, along with an MA in a specialized field. So far, it looks like I’ll be doing this in the opposite order. And that’s fine. Additionally, I could get an MBA in Europe, and that would certainly help me with my language goals, etc. There are so many amazing programs in Europe. Then again, maybe America will catch up to the European models by the time I’m interested.
(4) to travel the world. This is going to be the toughest one. I know that I can make 1 week trips here and there, but I want a long trip (at least 3 months, if not 12). The 12 month trip might have to come later in life, so I’ll just squeeze in a 3 month trip at some point. If I time it right, I can get accepted to an MBA program and take the trip before classes start. This would give me anywhere from 1-8 months, depending on how early I take a leave of absence from work.
(5) to leave my job at the age of 55 and travel the world for as long as I feel like. We’re talking years and years. I’ll do this by saving a ton of money and investing that money in lots of companies that pay dividends. The goal will be to live off of those dividends for as long as I feel like. Eventually I’ll return home… but I really like the idea of wandering the world for over 2 years... like that dude from Kung-Fu.
I guess that’s it. I don’t have a lot of goals… I suppose I’ve got benchmarks. And I’m ok with that. After all, I’m headed in a direction, and I’ve had the same benchmarks for a while. Most of the specifics will work themselves out organically (job, where I live, hobbies, etc).
So after a depressing post in Feb, I’ve got a more positive post in April...
…and boom goes the dynamite.
Friday, 19 February 2010
The internet has become my juicer.
I told myself I'd update this blog when I got some news regarding schools, and that day has come.
Yesterday I opened my rejection letter for the Japanese Summer Language School at Middlebury. I was disappointed and shocked. Shock was the first to come, but that passed. Now I'm just left with disappointment.
They asked me if I'd like to be put on their waiting list, and today I'll give them a call and let them know I'd like to be added. I'm also going to try and speak with an admissions person... not because I'm angry or upset; instead, I want to know whether or not there was something about my application that was off putting. I thought that I would be one of the better candidates for the program, and they thought otherwise, so I really need to understand their perspective. I'm hoping it will help me with my future business school applications, in addition to giving me some closure.
**WARNING: QUICK RANT AHEAD**
I just don't get it. I spent three years in the country, lived in two wildly different areas, went from zero Japanese to basic fluency on my own, spent 9 months at a language school and graduated at their second to highest level. I was thrilled about taking the language pledge for the summer, and I was excited to share my experiences and the things I've learned along the way with the beginners. In my mind, I was a fantastic candidate, and I honestly can't figure out why they wouldn't give me a chance to be at their school.
**RANT OVER**
So far, being in Boston has been good. I've seen some shows, been dancing a few times, started classes, began my GMAT studies, etc. I've been a busy person. I also had a wonderful weekend in Arizona playing frisbee with old friends.
I've been busy. But I've also been bored. Playing the application game is a long, stressful process. And after getting the news from Middlebury, I've grown even more concerned.
Bored isn't the right word. Maybe tired?
The GMAT, for example, gets more important by the day. I'm starting to feel like I'll need a 700 (out of 800) to be competitive. And although my practice scores have been climbing steadily since I started studying, I'm worried that I'll reach a plateau. Worse yet, I'm worried that the stress on test day will tank my scores.
In addition, I need to start thinking about backup plans. It's a very real possibility that I'll be rejected from business school.
Business school was plan A1.
Middlebury was A2.
Just Middlebury, no business school was plan B.
Plan C? Yikes. I honestly haven't seriously considered it. My guess is that I'd start applying for business school again... they'll start accepting applications in November for 2011 admissions... but that's not really a plan. It's just another year of what I'm currently doing. And I simply can't afford to waste a year.
Yuck. I was hoping to avoid these sorts of posts, but when life hands you lemons, you gotta smear them all over the internet. Only then can you worry about finding the sugar and making something palatable out of it.
The internet is my juicer.
We'll see how it all tastes in May.
Yesterday I opened my rejection letter for the Japanese Summer Language School at Middlebury. I was disappointed and shocked. Shock was the first to come, but that passed. Now I'm just left with disappointment.
They asked me if I'd like to be put on their waiting list, and today I'll give them a call and let them know I'd like to be added. I'm also going to try and speak with an admissions person... not because I'm angry or upset; instead, I want to know whether or not there was something about my application that was off putting. I thought that I would be one of the better candidates for the program, and they thought otherwise, so I really need to understand their perspective. I'm hoping it will help me with my future business school applications, in addition to giving me some closure.
**WARNING: QUICK RANT AHEAD**
I just don't get it. I spent three years in the country, lived in two wildly different areas, went from zero Japanese to basic fluency on my own, spent 9 months at a language school and graduated at their second to highest level. I was thrilled about taking the language pledge for the summer, and I was excited to share my experiences and the things I've learned along the way with the beginners. In my mind, I was a fantastic candidate, and I honestly can't figure out why they wouldn't give me a chance to be at their school.
**RANT OVER**
So far, being in Boston has been good. I've seen some shows, been dancing a few times, started classes, began my GMAT studies, etc. I've been a busy person. I also had a wonderful weekend in Arizona playing frisbee with old friends.
I've been busy. But I've also been bored. Playing the application game is a long, stressful process. And after getting the news from Middlebury, I've grown even more concerned.
Bored isn't the right word. Maybe tired?
The GMAT, for example, gets more important by the day. I'm starting to feel like I'll need a 700 (out of 800) to be competitive. And although my practice scores have been climbing steadily since I started studying, I'm worried that I'll reach a plateau. Worse yet, I'm worried that the stress on test day will tank my scores.
In addition, I need to start thinking about backup plans. It's a very real possibility that I'll be rejected from business school.
Business school was plan A1.
Middlebury was A2.
Just Middlebury, no business school was plan B.
Plan C? Yikes. I honestly haven't seriously considered it. My guess is that I'd start applying for business school again... they'll start accepting applications in November for 2011 admissions... but that's not really a plan. It's just another year of what I'm currently doing. And I simply can't afford to waste a year.
Yuck. I was hoping to avoid these sorts of posts, but when life hands you lemons, you gotta smear them all over the internet. Only then can you worry about finding the sugar and making something palatable out of it.
The internet is my juicer.
We'll see how it all tastes in May.
Monday, 9 November 2009
one for the road.
3 months have gone by pretty quickly. And I've made a few quick decisions.
I'm going to leave Japan on December 15th. I'm going to board a jet in Osaka, fly to San Francisco, and then make my way to Boston. It's a 1 way ticket. It's the first one way ticket I've bought in my entire life. I feel like that's significant, even it it's a 1 way ticket back to Swampscott.
Swampscott is going to be a 5 month layover. Well, not exactly. I plan on taking calculus, statistics, and an accounting class at the local college. I'll also spend a few months applying to schools and hoping that they accept me. I may volunteer somewhere. I really have no idea. I'll keep busy, but it won't be long before the suburbs starts to break me down.
I'm going to apply to 5-6 different finance programs. 3 of them are in the Boston area, one of them is in Denver, one of them is in SF, and another is in Portland, OR. I may also apply to KU (they accept people up until June, all the other schools have admission cuts in March and April). We'll see how that goes. I would be happy at any one of them. Each city is filled with old friends and new experiences.
I'm worried about standardized tests. I'm worried about essays. It's going to be hard to convince the admissions people that an English teacher could // should do their program. Hopefully I'll get some good marks early on in the classes... I might be able to submit that information to the schools. I'm confident that my letters of recommendation will be good... but the GMAT... that's the monster lurking around the corner.
I guess my main argument is going to be that given my past, there was no indicator that I'd be successful in Japan. I'd never been abroad, I knew nothing about Japan, and I couldn't speak a word of the language in a useful, communicative fashion. Three years later, I'm leaving the country because I didn't want to take the plunge and become an immigrant. My classmates are off to college or trade school in Japan (something I could have done, but didn't want to). And even though I can't pass those stupid JLPT tests, I'm reading books and watching movies, understanding things, and nothing using an English dictionary.
If I don't get accepted, I'm not really sure what I'll do. I may just start the CFA correspondence course. If I pass level one, I may be able to start looking for jobs in December. And it would certainly help me with admissions the second time around.
If I get rejected, I'll call everyone that rejected me, ask why, and hope they give me some constructive criticism. Nobody will say “you don't have what it takes.” They'll all say things like “this is what you lack. If you go out and get it, you'll have a better chance the second time around.”
Enough of that.
The reason I'm leaving Japan? I'm not willing to commit my life to it. I'm no longer happy with being an English teacher (though teaching was a blast). I mean, for a while I was thinking about it. I was thinking about going to school in Japan (in Japanese) for a year and then doing a proper job search... but I just don't see a good model of success. The most successful foreign people in Japan, as far as I can tell, are people that leverage their foreignness for fame. “Hey, look at me, I'm the wacky foreign guy!”
I don't mind being an entertainer, but I don't want to be a clown. They're the saddest part of the circus.
The happiest guys seem to be the ones working in the bar or working in the restaurants. I could do that, but I don't think I'd be happy there, and I don't think I'd leave with much more than I started. I left Portland and moved to Japan to avoid that lifestyle. Doing it in a foreign country is no better than doing it in the city of roses.
I'm going to keep studying Japanese. I still want to get better, and I still want to have a relationship with the country and it's people, but I'll never be able to live in Japan unless I can find another job.
Then again, maybe everything changes when I'm back in America. People change all the time.
Because I have a ton of time, I'm going to experiment with a new style of learning languages. Basically, the idea is that if you don't listen and experience a language before you start to study it, you'll never get to a high level. The number a few schools have thrown around is 2,000 hours.
For the first 800 hours, you just listen, watch and guess. If it's at a school, you interact with the teachers. If it's at home, you watch something accessible to children. Sesame street, for example, is a great resource. It's visual, it's simple, and it's intended for people with a weak command of the language. Anyway, for the first 800 hours you just listen, listen, listen. No notes. No books. No dictionaries. Just absorbing the language. The key is that you have to guess what things mean. You can't just stare blankly, you need to try and watch the show as if it were your native language. Subtitles are fine, but only if they're in the native language. Basically, you're a baby. And you need to act like a baby.
Once you've done this, you can start worrying about production. Reading and speaking first, with writing happening around 1400 hours of study. At no point do you use a dictionary, unless it' a target language dictionary (French to French, English to English, Thai to Thai, etc).
I'm going to give it a shot. I'm planning on watching movies, TV shows, etc., for around 800 hours. Since I'm unemployed, this shouldn't be too hard. Right now, the only difficult part is trying to decide which language to do it in. Probably Spanish because I'll have the greatest access to free resources at the library (though Chinese is very, very tempting). The only thing I'll need to buy is a stop watch.
Oh, today I ran for the first time in years. The frisbee team is having a reunion late January, and I'm not going to be the slow, fat one. I'd never hear the end of it from Shane. It may have only been a 15 minute jog, but if history is any indicator, i'll be running around 45-60 a day by the end of January. Little by little.
So I guess I've got plans and things. Just nothing set in stone. No path laid out before me.
And that's not so bad. There are worse places to be.
Next weekend I'm going to see Boyz Noise at a small club in Osaka. Then I'll spend the next 2-3 weeks studying for the JLPT. Following that, I'll spend 3-4 days in Tokyo, return to Osaka, have one last weekend with my friends, and then hit the road. All that time is going to fly by, and then I'll fly away.
I'm going to leave Japan on December 15th. I'm going to board a jet in Osaka, fly to San Francisco, and then make my way to Boston. It's a 1 way ticket. It's the first one way ticket I've bought in my entire life. I feel like that's significant, even it it's a 1 way ticket back to Swampscott.
Swampscott is going to be a 5 month layover. Well, not exactly. I plan on taking calculus, statistics, and an accounting class at the local college. I'll also spend a few months applying to schools and hoping that they accept me. I may volunteer somewhere. I really have no idea. I'll keep busy, but it won't be long before the suburbs starts to break me down.
I'm going to apply to 5-6 different finance programs. 3 of them are in the Boston area, one of them is in Denver, one of them is in SF, and another is in Portland, OR. I may also apply to KU (they accept people up until June, all the other schools have admission cuts in March and April). We'll see how that goes. I would be happy at any one of them. Each city is filled with old friends and new experiences.
I'm worried about standardized tests. I'm worried about essays. It's going to be hard to convince the admissions people that an English teacher could // should do their program. Hopefully I'll get some good marks early on in the classes... I might be able to submit that information to the schools. I'm confident that my letters of recommendation will be good... but the GMAT... that's the monster lurking around the corner.
I guess my main argument is going to be that given my past, there was no indicator that I'd be successful in Japan. I'd never been abroad, I knew nothing about Japan, and I couldn't speak a word of the language in a useful, communicative fashion. Three years later, I'm leaving the country because I didn't want to take the plunge and become an immigrant. My classmates are off to college or trade school in Japan (something I could have done, but didn't want to). And even though I can't pass those stupid JLPT tests, I'm reading books and watching movies, understanding things, and nothing using an English dictionary.
If I don't get accepted, I'm not really sure what I'll do. I may just start the CFA correspondence course. If I pass level one, I may be able to start looking for jobs in December. And it would certainly help me with admissions the second time around.
If I get rejected, I'll call everyone that rejected me, ask why, and hope they give me some constructive criticism. Nobody will say “you don't have what it takes.” They'll all say things like “this is what you lack. If you go out and get it, you'll have a better chance the second time around.”
Enough of that.
The reason I'm leaving Japan? I'm not willing to commit my life to it. I'm no longer happy with being an English teacher (though teaching was a blast). I mean, for a while I was thinking about it. I was thinking about going to school in Japan (in Japanese) for a year and then doing a proper job search... but I just don't see a good model of success. The most successful foreign people in Japan, as far as I can tell, are people that leverage their foreignness for fame. “Hey, look at me, I'm the wacky foreign guy!”
I don't mind being an entertainer, but I don't want to be a clown. They're the saddest part of the circus.
The happiest guys seem to be the ones working in the bar or working in the restaurants. I could do that, but I don't think I'd be happy there, and I don't think I'd leave with much more than I started. I left Portland and moved to Japan to avoid that lifestyle. Doing it in a foreign country is no better than doing it in the city of roses.
I'm going to keep studying Japanese. I still want to get better, and I still want to have a relationship with the country and it's people, but I'll never be able to live in Japan unless I can find another job.
Then again, maybe everything changes when I'm back in America. People change all the time.
Because I have a ton of time, I'm going to experiment with a new style of learning languages. Basically, the idea is that if you don't listen and experience a language before you start to study it, you'll never get to a high level. The number a few schools have thrown around is 2,000 hours.
For the first 800 hours, you just listen, watch and guess. If it's at a school, you interact with the teachers. If it's at home, you watch something accessible to children. Sesame street, for example, is a great resource. It's visual, it's simple, and it's intended for people with a weak command of the language. Anyway, for the first 800 hours you just listen, listen, listen. No notes. No books. No dictionaries. Just absorbing the language. The key is that you have to guess what things mean. You can't just stare blankly, you need to try and watch the show as if it were your native language. Subtitles are fine, but only if they're in the native language. Basically, you're a baby. And you need to act like a baby.
Once you've done this, you can start worrying about production. Reading and speaking first, with writing happening around 1400 hours of study. At no point do you use a dictionary, unless it' a target language dictionary (French to French, English to English, Thai to Thai, etc).
I'm going to give it a shot. I'm planning on watching movies, TV shows, etc., for around 800 hours. Since I'm unemployed, this shouldn't be too hard. Right now, the only difficult part is trying to decide which language to do it in. Probably Spanish because I'll have the greatest access to free resources at the library (though Chinese is very, very tempting). The only thing I'll need to buy is a stop watch.
Oh, today I ran for the first time in years. The frisbee team is having a reunion late January, and I'm not going to be the slow, fat one. I'd never hear the end of it from Shane. It may have only been a 15 minute jog, but if history is any indicator, i'll be running around 45-60 a day by the end of January. Little by little.
So I guess I've got plans and things. Just nothing set in stone. No path laid out before me.
And that's not so bad. There are worse places to be.
Next weekend I'm going to see Boyz Noise at a small club in Osaka. Then I'll spend the next 2-3 weeks studying for the JLPT. Following that, I'll spend 3-4 days in Tokyo, return to Osaka, have one last weekend with my friends, and then hit the road. All that time is going to fly by, and then I'll fly away.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
久しぶり
it's been a really, really long time since i've written anything in here. sorry about that.
things are good in the eastern hemisphere. the summer is hot, the job is going well, and i'm happy with my japanese studies (despite being far, far less formal than a few months ago).
i'll try and hit on some major points.
1. japanese summer.
when i think of the summer in japan, i think of the following:
(a) beer gardens. summer is the only time of the year when i say to myself "damn, japanese beer is good." you know the effect a hot summer day has on PBR? it's just like that.
(b) cicada. loud, annoying, and when you hear them it's basically the national "bring 3 shirts to work" alarm. you'll need one for the commute, one for the first half of the day, and one for the final push. returning home in a sweat soaked shirt is fine. it's like nature has pat you on the back for a job well done.
(c) fireworks. they are everywhere, all the time. there are mammoth firework shows every weekend. you can even buy them in the convenience stores. most of the time these are just sparklers, roman candles, and other not-so-dangerous products... but most of them still blow up.
2. job. i still have the same job. i still teach kids. i'm getting better and better at teaching adults, and i'm enjoying my students. in fact, one of the students' parents thought i was so effective, she made him quit class to focus on other weak points. she basically said "his speaking is great. he'll be able to pass speaking sections for the next 2 years... so now we need him to study math and science." though i've lost a student and around $100 of monthly income, it was the first compliment i've received since coming to osaka. and it felt pretty good.
teaching english really isn't the worst thing in the world, especially when other areas of your life are going well... which brings me to....
3. japanese.
thought aspects of the language are still a mystery to me, i've come to learn the following things:
(a) most people, no matter how good they are, can't watch a t.v. show and translate it. this works both ways (japanese people trying to translate english, and vice-versa). translators mostly use scripts. so if i find myself enjoying a program but unable to "translate it," i feel pretty comfortable. i'd say that i can understand 40-70% of what i hear on the t.v. if it's a program with a topic i'm familiar with, that number goes up. then again, i think people would be surprised how much we learn from visual aids.
(b) kanji really isn't such a big deal. it takes a long, long time to feel familiar with them, but as long as i'm reading the "right stuff," it's not so bad. allow me to explain.
reading a foreign language is all about finding L+1 material. the L stands for level, and the +1 stands for something a little past it. enough that it keeps you thinking and paying attention, but not so difficult that you give up after a few sentences. for beginning, the best L+1 manuscript is probably a textbook followed by children's stories.
right now i'm reading a book called "Shining Service: The Story of Starbucks and my Success." (人が輝くサービズ：スターバックスと僕の成長物語）。it's fun. it's about a japanese guy that was living in america until he was 28, came back to japan and started working part-time at the first starbucks ever opened in japan. over the course of 20-30 years (not sure yet... only just started the book), he went from part-time to managing the starbucks operation in japan.
anyway, the book is pretty easy to read. i think i read around 15-20 pages an hour. each page has around 5-10 words i don't know, but i can usually guess what's going on from context. sometimes i simply don't know how to read a work, but i know it's meaning.
what's important is that i've finally found an ideal L+1 book. when i finish this, i'm hoping i can move onto another book that's slightly hard, and one that uses similar vocabulary. perhaps something about customer service in the fashion world? i've also seen a few books about nintendo and disney that seem to be written in similar styles with similar themes. if things go according to plan, i'll be done with the book by the end of next week and ready for the next step.
i've spent the last 2.5 years trying to get to this stage. and now i'm here... and though i can't pick up "just any old book" and start reading it, i'll be there with time. and i'm happy knowing that.
(c) learning japanese hasn't just been about learning japanese, it's also been a big lesson in learning, in and of itself. and i think i'm getting better at it. i imagine that the next time around (a new language... hopefully sometime in 2010) will be much easier, no matter what language i choose. i've been thinking bout some of the more common routes lately (spanish and the other romance languages), but i've also been considering korean and thai.
the biggest lesson? continue to search for L+1. don't sit around reviewing L. and don't push for L+2. let things take their course.
4. life in japan.
one of the biggest reasons i moved to osaka was so that i could have a city life. during my 9 months of japanese school, i really didn't ever feel like i was in osaka. though i had nice weekends and what not, i was often too exhausted to do anything. now that i'm out of school, i've made more friends, found more interesting places, and have started getting closer to people. i'll write more on this when i get back to america next month... i think being removed from japan will help me write about it.
5. i'll be in san francisco from 9/5-9/12. if you're in area, we should hang out. if your not, send me your phone number and i'll give you a call. easy as that: tg.weaver@gmail.com
6. i'm still completely unsure about what's coming next. graduate school? a new language? a new country? no idea.
7. right now i'm fasting. i've never fasted before, i really don't know why i'm fasting, and i'm not sure what to expect. it's only going to be for 2 days and i'm already half way through the first. i guess the decision to fast happened for the following reasons:
(a) i've wanted to do it for a while. it's always interested me. so what the heck, right?
(b) i don't have work for the next 4 days and i have no desire to travel. so if i have less energy than usual, no problem.
(c) i don't have any money. well, i do, but i've rather use the rest of my cash over the weekend, so spending two days at home reading and not buying anything is a good way to make this happen.
that's it for now. i'll try and write more when i get the chance. and i should have more of them in the coming months.
hope everyone's doing well!
things are good in the eastern hemisphere. the summer is hot, the job is going well, and i'm happy with my japanese studies (despite being far, far less formal than a few months ago).
i'll try and hit on some major points.
1. japanese summer.
when i think of the summer in japan, i think of the following:
(a) beer gardens. summer is the only time of the year when i say to myself "damn, japanese beer is good." you know the effect a hot summer day has on PBR? it's just like that.
(b) cicada. loud, annoying, and when you hear them it's basically the national "bring 3 shirts to work" alarm. you'll need one for the commute, one for the first half of the day, and one for the final push. returning home in a sweat soaked shirt is fine. it's like nature has pat you on the back for a job well done.
(c) fireworks. they are everywhere, all the time. there are mammoth firework shows every weekend. you can even buy them in the convenience stores. most of the time these are just sparklers, roman candles, and other not-so-dangerous products... but most of them still blow up.
2. job. i still have the same job. i still teach kids. i'm getting better and better at teaching adults, and i'm enjoying my students. in fact, one of the students' parents thought i was so effective, she made him quit class to focus on other weak points. she basically said "his speaking is great. he'll be able to pass speaking sections for the next 2 years... so now we need him to study math and science." though i've lost a student and around $100 of monthly income, it was the first compliment i've received since coming to osaka. and it felt pretty good.
teaching english really isn't the worst thing in the world, especially when other areas of your life are going well... which brings me to....
3. japanese.
thought aspects of the language are still a mystery to me, i've come to learn the following things:
(a) most people, no matter how good they are, can't watch a t.v. show and translate it. this works both ways (japanese people trying to translate english, and vice-versa). translators mostly use scripts. so if i find myself enjoying a program but unable to "translate it," i feel pretty comfortable. i'd say that i can understand 40-70% of what i hear on the t.v. if it's a program with a topic i'm familiar with, that number goes up. then again, i think people would be surprised how much we learn from visual aids.
(b) kanji really isn't such a big deal. it takes a long, long time to feel familiar with them, but as long as i'm reading the "right stuff," it's not so bad. allow me to explain.
reading a foreign language is all about finding L+1 material. the L stands for level, and the +1 stands for something a little past it. enough that it keeps you thinking and paying attention, but not so difficult that you give up after a few sentences. for beginning, the best L+1 manuscript is probably a textbook followed by children's stories.
right now i'm reading a book called "Shining Service: The Story of Starbucks and my Success." (人が輝くサービズ：スターバックスと僕の成長物語）。it's fun. it's about a japanese guy that was living in america until he was 28, came back to japan and started working part-time at the first starbucks ever opened in japan. over the course of 20-30 years (not sure yet... only just started the book), he went from part-time to managing the starbucks operation in japan.
anyway, the book is pretty easy to read. i think i read around 15-20 pages an hour. each page has around 5-10 words i don't know, but i can usually guess what's going on from context. sometimes i simply don't know how to read a work, but i know it's meaning.
what's important is that i've finally found an ideal L+1 book. when i finish this, i'm hoping i can move onto another book that's slightly hard, and one that uses similar vocabulary. perhaps something about customer service in the fashion world? i've also seen a few books about nintendo and disney that seem to be written in similar styles with similar themes. if things go according to plan, i'll be done with the book by the end of next week and ready for the next step.
i've spent the last 2.5 years trying to get to this stage. and now i'm here... and though i can't pick up "just any old book" and start reading it, i'll be there with time. and i'm happy knowing that.
(c) learning japanese hasn't just been about learning japanese, it's also been a big lesson in learning, in and of itself. and i think i'm getting better at it. i imagine that the next time around (a new language... hopefully sometime in 2010) will be much easier, no matter what language i choose. i've been thinking bout some of the more common routes lately (spanish and the other romance languages), but i've also been considering korean and thai.
the biggest lesson? continue to search for L+1. don't sit around reviewing L. and don't push for L+2. let things take their course.
4. life in japan.
one of the biggest reasons i moved to osaka was so that i could have a city life. during my 9 months of japanese school, i really didn't ever feel like i was in osaka. though i had nice weekends and what not, i was often too exhausted to do anything. now that i'm out of school, i've made more friends, found more interesting places, and have started getting closer to people. i'll write more on this when i get back to america next month... i think being removed from japan will help me write about it.
5. i'll be in san francisco from 9/5-9/12. if you're in area, we should hang out. if your not, send me your phone number and i'll give you a call. easy as that: tg.weaver@gmail.com
6. i'm still completely unsure about what's coming next. graduate school? a new language? a new country? no idea.
7. right now i'm fasting. i've never fasted before, i really don't know why i'm fasting, and i'm not sure what to expect. it's only going to be for 2 days and i'm already half way through the first. i guess the decision to fast happened for the following reasons:
(a) i've wanted to do it for a while. it's always interested me. so what the heck, right?
(b) i don't have work for the next 4 days and i have no desire to travel. so if i have less energy than usual, no problem.
(c) i don't have any money. well, i do, but i've rather use the rest of my cash over the weekend, so spending two days at home reading and not buying anything is a good way to make this happen.
that's it for now. i'll try and write more when i get the chance. and i should have more of them in the coming months.
hope everyone's doing well!
Thursday, 30 April 2009
happy may
i can't believe it's may.
1 year ago, today, i was in portland OR celebrating RF. i pretended to be daft punk with my friend allie and the help of the go-gorila crew. the idea was conceived 1 year and 5 months earlier while walking through a buddhist temple. the idea became a plan over drinks in cambodia while playing checkers with a street kid. a day before RF began, matt king, josh brown, myself and a few others were having our own private party in the S.U. kids in a candy store. two nights later, everything came together. we only fooled one person. but i guess it only takes one. and since the rest were dancing like fools, i think it worked out.
7 months ago i was in denver CO with some of my closest friends in the world. i think we got even closer. i find it the least bit surprising that seeing the happiest day of two people's lives quickly becomes one of the happiest days of your own. on a personal note, i also had the best beer i've ever tasted in my entire life. vanilla stout made in a bourbon barrel. once at the wedding and once with jeff wermer, minutes after the shuttle bus had dropped me off at the brewery. the businessman i was traveling with were quite envious.
4 months ago i had my second new years in Japan. 1 month ago i started my 3rd semester of japanese language school. 10 minutes ago i finished smoking the same pipe i've had since my college years.
9 months ago i was sitting on a pier in beverly MA with my parents. we had lobster, muscles, and a few pints of PBR. i can't believe that it was the special of the day. $1.50 pints. lutz prices and a great view (not that the lutz didn't have a great view... it was just... well, different).
this is fun. i'm going to take it a bit further.
3 years ago (more or less) i graduated from college. it was the second time i shook hands with colin diver. the first was well over seven years ago when i interviewed him as a freshman. i scheduled an appointment, walked in and we chatted about the red sox. i thought it was really neat, but he thought it was a waste of his time. and it probably was.
on graduation day, i got to introduce my parents to les, a 70 or 80 or 90 year old man that inspired me to live. it wasn't just his stories, his language skills, and his travel experiences that got me wanted to leave america, it was also the egg salad sandwich he gave me one day in class. random acts of kindness. lesson learned.
a little over 7 years ago i graduated from high school. i thought i was old. i didn't know what i wanted to do, but i knew i wanted to live in portland oregon. two weeks prior to graduation i spent the afternoon in the parking lot smoking a pipe. i shared a cigar with bill britton. 4 years later we would met at the flether school of law and diplomacy for a summer session. i studied finance. he studied international relations. he was basically the same, and i'd changed a lot.
7 and a half years ago i was inducted into the national honors society. 7 and a half years ago and one day later, i didn't care. what i did care about, however, was that i'd worn nail polish and an ugly pair of pants. and it wasn't necessarily what i'd worn that made it memorable; instead, it was some of the teachers reactions. though some teachers thought i was mocking the establishment (which i certainly was), others thought it was kinda neat. and since i had most of the brothers on my side (brother tim paul, head of discipline at the time), i didn't have much to worry about. i wonder if they still remember.
i was also introduced into the french national honors society. i didn't speak french.
around 11 years ago i attended my first day of high school. i remember being scared of the football players in their black leather jackets and menacing beards. 4 years later, i laughed at the football players and their douchy chin straps.
over the past 11 years, at some point i've wanted to be the following:
1. a professional snowboarder.
2. a teacher.
3. a professor.
4. a professional video game something-or-other.
5. a sniper (this was before i realized i'd actually have to kill people... i just thought the training was rad).
6. a bartender.
7. a DJ.
8. a poet.
9. homeless (professionally).
10. a full-time gambler.
11. a stock trader.
12. a lawyer.
13. a trail guide.
14. an agent.
15. a member or an organized crime family (granted they were gentle and not savage).
16. a philosopher.
17. a musician (specifically hardcore // metal).
4 years ago, prior to graduating from reed college (and thanks to three years of wonderful successes and failures with friends), i realized that i didn't want to be any of those things. i just wanted to be me, and me wanted to go to japan. for whatever reason. it also had to do with an army ad that said something like "if your life was a book, would you want to read it? go army." i didn't join the army, but i got thinking about the first chapter and how i wanted it set up.
1 year and 4 months ago i was in cambodia with allie and a cambodian kids that tried to sell us some soda. we listened to stop making sense and stared into a 2 thousand year old lake (ok... i don't know how old it was, but i'm willing to be it was at least three times as old as america). 2 hours prior to this, allie was searching for a toilet and i was sitting on a rock. a 55 year old man walked up to me while i was listening to life after wartime on the speakers. he started dancing and said something along the lines of "yeah man, i'm really feeling it." i'll never forget that moment.
so why all this? why now? i guess it's because for the first time in a long time, i feel like i'm on a new path. for the first time in 6 years i won't be in portland for renn fayre. logistically, this is a good thing. flights are expensive and my current job doesn't have the grand ol' JET salary. symbolically speaking, i've made a break. there's a six year tradition that carried out for nearly 25% of my life (and considering i can only remember 75% of my life, it feels like considerably more).
new traditions. new experiences. i suppose i'm on that second chapter. or halfway through the first?
i have some goals and ideas for the next few months. most of them involve passing standardized tests and gaining some recognized credentials. i plan on moving back to america before my 26th birthday. aside from that, things are very, very up in the air. without the annual RF, the year just got a whole lot less cyclical. and maybe 2 hours ago that was scary. right about now, i'm ok with it.
happy may!
1 year ago, today, i was in portland OR celebrating RF. i pretended to be daft punk with my friend allie and the help of the go-gorila crew. the idea was conceived 1 year and 5 months earlier while walking through a buddhist temple. the idea became a plan over drinks in cambodia while playing checkers with a street kid. a day before RF began, matt king, josh brown, myself and a few others were having our own private party in the S.U. kids in a candy store. two nights later, everything came together. we only fooled one person. but i guess it only takes one. and since the rest were dancing like fools, i think it worked out.
7 months ago i was in denver CO with some of my closest friends in the world. i think we got even closer. i find it the least bit surprising that seeing the happiest day of two people's lives quickly becomes one of the happiest days of your own. on a personal note, i also had the best beer i've ever tasted in my entire life. vanilla stout made in a bourbon barrel. once at the wedding and once with jeff wermer, minutes after the shuttle bus had dropped me off at the brewery. the businessman i was traveling with were quite envious.
4 months ago i had my second new years in Japan. 1 month ago i started my 3rd semester of japanese language school. 10 minutes ago i finished smoking the same pipe i've had since my college years.
9 months ago i was sitting on a pier in beverly MA with my parents. we had lobster, muscles, and a few pints of PBR. i can't believe that it was the special of the day. $1.50 pints. lutz prices and a great view (not that the lutz didn't have a great view... it was just... well, different).
this is fun. i'm going to take it a bit further.
3 years ago (more or less) i graduated from college. it was the second time i shook hands with colin diver. the first was well over seven years ago when i interviewed him as a freshman. i scheduled an appointment, walked in and we chatted about the red sox. i thought it was really neat, but he thought it was a waste of his time. and it probably was.
on graduation day, i got to introduce my parents to les, a 70 or 80 or 90 year old man that inspired me to live. it wasn't just his stories, his language skills, and his travel experiences that got me wanted to leave america, it was also the egg salad sandwich he gave me one day in class. random acts of kindness. lesson learned.
a little over 7 years ago i graduated from high school. i thought i was old. i didn't know what i wanted to do, but i knew i wanted to live in portland oregon. two weeks prior to graduation i spent the afternoon in the parking lot smoking a pipe. i shared a cigar with bill britton. 4 years later we would met at the flether school of law and diplomacy for a summer session. i studied finance. he studied international relations. he was basically the same, and i'd changed a lot.
7 and a half years ago i was inducted into the national honors society. 7 and a half years ago and one day later, i didn't care. what i did care about, however, was that i'd worn nail polish and an ugly pair of pants. and it wasn't necessarily what i'd worn that made it memorable; instead, it was some of the teachers reactions. though some teachers thought i was mocking the establishment (which i certainly was), others thought it was kinda neat. and since i had most of the brothers on my side (brother tim paul, head of discipline at the time), i didn't have much to worry about. i wonder if they still remember.
i was also introduced into the french national honors society. i didn't speak french.
around 11 years ago i attended my first day of high school. i remember being scared of the football players in their black leather jackets and menacing beards. 4 years later, i laughed at the football players and their douchy chin straps.
over the past 11 years, at some point i've wanted to be the following:
1. a professional snowboarder.
2. a teacher.
3. a professor.
4. a professional video game something-or-other.
5. a sniper (this was before i realized i'd actually have to kill people... i just thought the training was rad).
6. a bartender.
7. a DJ.
8. a poet.
9. homeless (professionally).
10. a full-time gambler.
11. a stock trader.
12. a lawyer.
13. a trail guide.
14. an agent.
15. a member or an organized crime family (granted they were gentle and not savage).
16. a philosopher.
17. a musician (specifically hardcore // metal).
4 years ago, prior to graduating from reed college (and thanks to three years of wonderful successes and failures with friends), i realized that i didn't want to be any of those things. i just wanted to be me, and me wanted to go to japan. for whatever reason. it also had to do with an army ad that said something like "if your life was a book, would you want to read it? go army." i didn't join the army, but i got thinking about the first chapter and how i wanted it set up.
1 year and 4 months ago i was in cambodia with allie and a cambodian kids that tried to sell us some soda. we listened to stop making sense and stared into a 2 thousand year old lake (ok... i don't know how old it was, but i'm willing to be it was at least three times as old as america). 2 hours prior to this, allie was searching for a toilet and i was sitting on a rock. a 55 year old man walked up to me while i was listening to life after wartime on the speakers. he started dancing and said something along the lines of "yeah man, i'm really feeling it." i'll never forget that moment.
so why all this? why now? i guess it's because for the first time in a long time, i feel like i'm on a new path. for the first time in 6 years i won't be in portland for renn fayre. logistically, this is a good thing. flights are expensive and my current job doesn't have the grand ol' JET salary. symbolically speaking, i've made a break. there's a six year tradition that carried out for nearly 25% of my life (and considering i can only remember 75% of my life, it feels like considerably more).
new traditions. new experiences. i suppose i'm on that second chapter. or halfway through the first?
i have some goals and ideas for the next few months. most of them involve passing standardized tests and gaining some recognized credentials. i plan on moving back to america before my 26th birthday. aside from that, things are very, very up in the air. without the annual RF, the year just got a whole lot less cyclical. and maybe 2 hours ago that was scary. right about now, i'm ok with it.
happy may!
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Open Letter
It's general New Years letter time! I've done a pretty poor job communicating for the past few years, so I wanted to make sure I got this out before the new year. You know... clean slate? I sent this letter out to lots of people in email form, but I don't have everyone's email. Basically, if you've taken the time to visit this blog and read this letter, you're somebody I wanted to send it too... but I'm afraid I don't have your email address.
The letter is a bit long and maybe too detailed, but it may be of interest. Even if you don't read the whole thing (or stop reading right now), I'd love to hear from you and learn what you're up to. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, here are the cliff notes:
(1) I still live in Japan, but I'm now living in Osaka. It's second or third largest city.
(2) I work at a kindergarten, an afterschool program, and a bar.
(3) I'm a full-time Japanese student. I'll be full-time for at least another 3-9 months. I'll take private business lessons after
that.
(4) I'll return to America in 2010 as a graduate student of something or other.
Now on the longer version:
I moved to Osaka around 3 months ago. It really doesn't fee like that long ago. Osaka has been good to me. It's a wonderful city (despite the fact that the city planners used Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" as their blueprint). The people are lively. The restaurants are decently priced. And most importantly, there are people my own age!
Around 10 weeks ago I enrolled in a language school. I finished my first 10-week term around a week ago. The term was rather intensive. 5 days a week for around 3.5 hours a day. Overall, I think that it was worth it. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why it was worth it, but I signed up for another term, so it must have been good. The next term starts in around 2 weeks and I'm getting excited. In anticipation, I've been spending my winter break reviewing material and trying to polish off some weak points of mine.
The school itself is a nice place. The teachers are kind and dedicated. And my classmates are interesting. Most of them are Chinese, and I'd say 90% of the school comes from an Asian background. Since I don't speak Chinese and they generally don't speak English, we communicate in Japanese. Notice I said "communicate" and not "speak." None of us are fluent, so the conversation can sometimes get a bit murky (especially with accents… if you think the Chinese accent is difficult with English, you should hear it in Japanese!).
Regarding the job front, I've had around 4 or 5 different jobs since coming to Osaka. After bouncing around and trying to find the best fit for me, I finally settled on the following 3 organizations.
(1) Kinderkids: This is a kindergarten I work at on Saturday mornings (which, thank goodness, forces me to keep my Friday nights both cheap and tame). It's a 4 hour gig and I get paid around $150 for the entire shift. Since it's an immersion program, the kids are more or less fluent in English. Though they have trouble speaking, they're quite good at listening. It's a pleasure to teach here.
(2) Sunshine Kids: I teach here on the weekdays for a total of 22 hours. The pay isn't as good as Kinderkids, but the classes are easy, well-planned, and there is a very low level of stress. I really enjoy their program. And they're one of the few schools that actually dedicate time to phonics, which is something I'm proud of. Phonics is completely left out of the Japanese public school English program, so it's nice to be part of a school that actually believes in proper pronunciation.
(3) Mahi-Mahi: This is a bar down the road from my apartment. I work here around 3 nights a week. The shifts are all at night, so there is no conflict with my teaching jobs. The owner is friendly, the staff is quite easy to work with, and our regular customers treat me with respect. For the most part, I get paid for hanging out and practicing Japanese. Here and there I have to speak English with a customer that "enjoys speaking English," but that's just part of the gig. It's a regular job for regular people, and it makes me feel like more of an insider than an outsider. At most of my teaching jobs I'm unable to use Japanese because of various rules, so having a job where I can use what I've learned is quite comforting. After all, why learn a language if no one wants to speak it with you?
The social side of things has been a bit less exciting. Because I had so many job changes, various bills and uncertain income for around 2 months, I haven't really had the chance to go out and have a good time in the city. I've had fun for sure, but I haven't made quite as many Japanese friends as I'd hoped. Luckily, this has started to change. The bar job gives me a chance to build my confidence in casual chit-chat, and I then use what I learn at the bar to start conversations with strangers. I see things getting better and better with the coming of the new year.
That all being said, I'll focus the remainder of this letter on what I plan to do in the future. Besides, with new years coming up, I figured a few semi-public new years resolutions wouldn't be such a bad thing. So here we go.
(1) First, I'm going to take and pass the JLPT in June of this year. I'll take the level 2 exam. The JLPT is a Japanese proficiency test that's given twice a year. There are 4 levels. Level 4 is a basic proficiency, level 3 is a low-intermediate level, level 2 is "business level," and level 1 is the highest. A person at level 1 can attend Japanese university and go about all aspects of Japanese daily life and work as if they were a native. I'm quite far from this, but I'm getting closer and closer to the 2nd level with each passing day. If I fail in June, I'll take it again in December… which means I've got two shots at it this year.
(2) I'll also take the JETRO test in June and December. This test purely tests one's business aptitude and one's awareness of Japanese business customs. To prepare for this, I'll start taking private business classes during the week.
(3) I'm going to start applying for graduate school. My target entry date is August of 2010. I realize that's quite far away, but it means that I'll really need to do my best and figure out where I want to go, what I want to study, etc. It's currently looking like a 1-2 year business program. Perhaps an MBA or a MA. It's really hard to decide. I thought about trying to go in August of 2009, but I simply feel like that's too soon. There is still more I want to do before I head off to graduate school.
It's weird being aboard. Though I've gained a lot of transferable skills (cross cultural awareness; language skills, etc.), my resume hasn't changed too much since college. I still don't have a set of "hard skills." Without that, I simply don't feel like I could find a job in America that I'd be excited about.
Then again, I haven't tried, so know knows?
Then again, I don't think anyone is having an easy time finding a job in America, so maybe I'll just stay here a wee bit longer.
So I guess those three goals of mine are all really tied together. If I return to America with high scores on those standardized tests, I feel like I'd have a much easier time hunting for a job. In addition, they'd boost my resume for graduate school. It's all one nice little package.
All that being said, I find that I'm no longer tied to Japan. In other words, I've been thinking about making a move and seeing a different country and perhaps a different culture. Lately I've been thinking about China and India. If I went to either of those countries, I wouldn't be there nearly as long as I've been in Japan (I'm bouncing around the idea of being in one of those places for around 3-6 months). If I were accepted to graduate school, I would likely head to one of these countries for the period of time between getting the acceptance letter and the first day of school.
So I guess that's it for now. I'll try and be better about sending letters and stories. I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and looking forward to the coming year.
I hope this letter finds you happy, healthy, and looking forward to the year new.
Best wishes,
tom
The letter is a bit long and maybe too detailed, but it may be of interest. Even if you don't read the whole thing (or stop reading right now), I'd love to hear from you and learn what you're up to. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, here are the cliff notes:
(1) I still live in Japan, but I'm now living in Osaka. It's second or third largest city.
(2) I work at a kindergarten, an afterschool program, and a bar.
(3) I'm a full-time Japanese student. I'll be full-time for at least another 3-9 months. I'll take private business lessons after
that.
(4) I'll return to America in 2010 as a graduate student of something or other.
Now on the longer version:
I moved to Osaka around 3 months ago. It really doesn't fee like that long ago. Osaka has been good to me. It's a wonderful city (despite the fact that the city planners used Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" as their blueprint). The people are lively. The restaurants are decently priced. And most importantly, there are people my own age!
Around 10 weeks ago I enrolled in a language school. I finished my first 10-week term around a week ago. The term was rather intensive. 5 days a week for around 3.5 hours a day. Overall, I think that it was worth it. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why it was worth it, but I signed up for another term, so it must have been good. The next term starts in around 2 weeks and I'm getting excited. In anticipation, I've been spending my winter break reviewing material and trying to polish off some weak points of mine.
The school itself is a nice place. The teachers are kind and dedicated. And my classmates are interesting. Most of them are Chinese, and I'd say 90% of the school comes from an Asian background. Since I don't speak Chinese and they generally don't speak English, we communicate in Japanese. Notice I said "communicate" and not "speak." None of us are fluent, so the conversation can sometimes get a bit murky (especially with accents… if you think the Chinese accent is difficult with English, you should hear it in Japanese!).
Regarding the job front, I've had around 4 or 5 different jobs since coming to Osaka. After bouncing around and trying to find the best fit for me, I finally settled on the following 3 organizations.
(1) Kinderkids: This is a kindergarten I work at on Saturday mornings (which, thank goodness, forces me to keep my Friday nights both cheap and tame). It's a 4 hour gig and I get paid around $150 for the entire shift. Since it's an immersion program, the kids are more or less fluent in English. Though they have trouble speaking, they're quite good at listening. It's a pleasure to teach here.
(2) Sunshine Kids: I teach here on the weekdays for a total of 22 hours. The pay isn't as good as Kinderkids, but the classes are easy, well-planned, and there is a very low level of stress. I really enjoy their program. And they're one of the few schools that actually dedicate time to phonics, which is something I'm proud of. Phonics is completely left out of the Japanese public school English program, so it's nice to be part of a school that actually believes in proper pronunciation.
(3) Mahi-Mahi: This is a bar down the road from my apartment. I work here around 3 nights a week. The shifts are all at night, so there is no conflict with my teaching jobs. The owner is friendly, the staff is quite easy to work with, and our regular customers treat me with respect. For the most part, I get paid for hanging out and practicing Japanese. Here and there I have to speak English with a customer that "enjoys speaking English," but that's just part of the gig. It's a regular job for regular people, and it makes me feel like more of an insider than an outsider. At most of my teaching jobs I'm unable to use Japanese because of various rules, so having a job where I can use what I've learned is quite comforting. After all, why learn a language if no one wants to speak it with you?
The social side of things has been a bit less exciting. Because I had so many job changes, various bills and uncertain income for around 2 months, I haven't really had the chance to go out and have a good time in the city. I've had fun for sure, but I haven't made quite as many Japanese friends as I'd hoped. Luckily, this has started to change. The bar job gives me a chance to build my confidence in casual chit-chat, and I then use what I learn at the bar to start conversations with strangers. I see things getting better and better with the coming of the new year.
That all being said, I'll focus the remainder of this letter on what I plan to do in the future. Besides, with new years coming up, I figured a few semi-public new years resolutions wouldn't be such a bad thing. So here we go.
(1) First, I'm going to take and pass the JLPT in June of this year. I'll take the level 2 exam. The JLPT is a Japanese proficiency test that's given twice a year. There are 4 levels. Level 4 is a basic proficiency, level 3 is a low-intermediate level, level 2 is "business level," and level 1 is the highest. A person at level 1 can attend Japanese university and go about all aspects of Japanese daily life and work as if they were a native. I'm quite far from this, but I'm getting closer and closer to the 2nd level with each passing day. If I fail in June, I'll take it again in December… which means I've got two shots at it this year.
(2) I'll also take the JETRO test in June and December. This test purely tests one's business aptitude and one's awareness of Japanese business customs. To prepare for this, I'll start taking private business classes during the week.
(3) I'm going to start applying for graduate school. My target entry date is August of 2010. I realize that's quite far away, but it means that I'll really need to do my best and figure out where I want to go, what I want to study, etc. It's currently looking like a 1-2 year business program. Perhaps an MBA or a MA. It's really hard to decide. I thought about trying to go in August of 2009, but I simply feel like that's too soon. There is still more I want to do before I head off to graduate school.
It's weird being aboard. Though I've gained a lot of transferable skills (cross cultural awareness; language skills, etc.), my resume hasn't changed too much since college. I still don't have a set of "hard skills." Without that, I simply don't feel like I could find a job in America that I'd be excited about.
Then again, I haven't tried, so know knows?
Then again, I don't think anyone is having an easy time finding a job in America, so maybe I'll just stay here a wee bit longer.
So I guess those three goals of mine are all really tied together. If I return to America with high scores on those standardized tests, I feel like I'd have a much easier time hunting for a job. In addition, they'd boost my resume for graduate school. It's all one nice little package.
All that being said, I find that I'm no longer tied to Japan. In other words, I've been thinking about making a move and seeing a different country and perhaps a different culture. Lately I've been thinking about China and India. If I went to either of those countries, I wouldn't be there nearly as long as I've been in Japan (I'm bouncing around the idea of being in one of those places for around 3-6 months). If I were accepted to graduate school, I would likely head to one of these countries for the period of time between getting the acceptance letter and the first day of school.
So I guess that's it for now. I'll try and be better about sending letters and stories. I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and looking forward to the coming year.
I hope this letter finds you happy, healthy, and looking forward to the year new.
Best wishes,
tom
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