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!
