A week of lows and highs - Friday 7/17

So Japan has been really excellent so far, and I’ve really enjoyed everything up to this point. This last week, however, I really started to miss home a lot. I don’t exactly know what brought it about, but for some reason, I got very very homesick at the beginning of the week. I think it came from a combination of not having internet access over the semester break (and, consequently, being unable to talk to friends), not having spoken to my family in close to a month, and a kind of full realization that I’ll only have 12 days after I get back to hang out with my friends. I don’t know, something about it just made me really want to go back. I think it definitely reflected in my schoolwork, which I am pretty disappointed about. I like to think I’m good at separating emotion from my work, and usually am, but this time was a real slump. Didn’t do any real pre-reading for class, so I was lost most of the first few days (and sensei definitely caught on, after he called on me for approximately three different grammar points and I had no idea how to use any of them). Plus, the fact that the HIF kids are becoming vultures for internet isn’t helping. Towards the beginning of the program, I would almost assuredly get internet if I went straight to the computer lounge after class and ate my lunch there. Now, however, because our class gets out 5 minutes later than the others every day (our teacher is… blah), I get to the lounge and all the cords are taken. Which also is why I haven’t been able to update the blog in a very long time. Sorry, by the way. To all… 5 people reading this. But yeah, in any case, the first half of the week was a very trying time.
Luckily, I got over this phase pretty quickly, which helped out a lot. I don’t exactly know what did it, but it’s good that it happened. Because it definitely allowed me to focus on the positives of this week, which were pretty important (and definitely milestones of my progress): for instance, this week, another foreign student came to stay with us for the week. He’s from Holland, doing a program called “Lion’s Club” or something to learn about cultures around the world.
Unfortunately for him, he does not speak any Japanese. And my host mother does not speak any English. Problem? Solution: I “translate” for the two. This is actually something of a comically pathetic sight: see, not only is Holland child unable to speak Japanese, he is deaf. However, he was placed into normal school and never learned sign language, so he relies on reading lips. Maaaajor problem, especially at night or in the car. It’s a completely pathetic sight, due to a combination of factors: his deafness, my suckiness at Japanese, the fact that my attention span is shorter than Thanh, and especially thefact that neither Ryuko-san nor Peter (exchange kid) understand how to be polite in the other culture.
Exhibit A for our failure to communicate: in the car on the way back from picking him up-
Ryuko-san: “すしを食べますか” (Do you eat sushi?)
Me: “She wants to know if you eat sushi”
Peter: “What? Sorry, you’re going to have to speak up..”
Me: “Do you eat sushi?”
Peter (thinking I asked what he wanted to see): “What do I want to see? Oh, lots of things – the mountain, the morning market—“
Ryuko-san (hearing “morning market”): “あ！朝市で食べたいの？” (Oh! You want to eat at the morning market?)
Me: “Wait.. no.. she wants to know if you eat SUSHI”
Peter: “What? But what about the mountain? Are we going to Hakodate yama?”
Ryuko-san (hearing “Hakodate yama”): “あ！函館山へいきたい” (Ohh, you want to eat on the mountain!)
Me: “でも、どこで食べ物を買って行きましょうか？” (But where should we buy food from?)
Ryuko-san: “すしに決めなかった？もう聞いたね？” (Didn’t we decide on sushi? I thought you already asked him”
Peter: “I’m so excited to see the mountain, I’ve heard a lot about it! I’m liking Japan so much so far!”
Me: “But wait, do you—“
Ryuko-san: “Peter… Japan. You... like?”
Peter: “What?”
Me: “She wants to know if you like Japan”
Peter: “Japan?”
Me: “Yeah”
***We arrive at the sushi place**
Peter: “Oh, sushi? I didn’t know we were getting sushi – are there vegetarian options?”

Yes, after all that, he turned out being a vegetarian. Anyway, despite the failures on all our parts, this venture has shown me that I have come a long way in terms of my Japanese ability – I definitely don’t think I could have translated for another student at all at the beginning of this program. Granted, we have many failures, but it’s better than nothing, right? At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
So also, major high of this week. Yesterday (Friday), Ryuko-san took us to the 神社(zinzya – Shinto shrine) again. Now, when we last left off, Ashok had horribly offended the high priest of the神社because of his failure at Japanese: not only had he entered the priest’s consultation room walking (you must open the door while on your knees, enter), he had unintentionally used the snippy ”分かりました” as the priest explained Japanese history, and he had forgotten all polite ways to say goodbye as the priest left, using the offensively casual “また会いましょう.” In short, he had done nearly everything wrong while meeting one of the most important figures of the town.
But this time was the chance for redemption. And yes, that redemption came in the form on Michael Jackson music. But we’ll get to that later. First, Ashok entered the priest’s office the proper way, understood most (or at least the keywords) of the priest’s questions, answered (and even used some pretty good honorific/humble speech), and, when called out in front of the entire shrine membership, even managed to talk a little bit. Yes, in short, he seemed like slightly less of a retard this time. This was major progress. But the best part was yet to come.
The ceremony was followed by dinner, at which Ashok had his first alcoholic beverage (no, this is not the best part). The high priest handed him a bowl of sake, referring to it as “sake from God.” There was really no way out of that one. Moving on. At the end of dinner, a karaoke started up. Ashok enjoyed himself, watching the people he had just befriended sing Japanese pop, rock, and ballads (some well, others… spiritedly). However, as the hour grew late and the dinner neared its close, the high priest called on Ashok for one last performance. “An English song will do,” said the priest. Although he tried to graciously refuse, the shrine’s membership had been too tempted by the thought of a foreigner singing American music to let Ashok slide. And, as he walked up to the karaoke machine, a cry came out for Michael Jackson songs. So of course, Ashok had to oblige, performing a rendition of “Beat It” that made angels cry. Or maybe it was cats. One or the other. Either way, he performer a full rendition of the song (replete with dance moves) for the high priest.

I was very happy, if you can’t tell. Come on, performing a Michael Jackson hit, knowing the dance moves, to a high priest of Shintoism. He will never ever forget me. Victory is mine. Anyone could have talked to him in decent, functional Japanese. No, I may not know how to use every humble expression perfectly, but I can bust a mean moonwalk.
Hem. Anyway, other highs of the shrine – I talked to a really cool old guy named Nakano-san (中野さん) and actually understood most of the conversation. We talked about America/the differences between American culture and Japanese culture (specifically focusing on introductions – one of our class vocab words came up and I was ecstatic that I remembered it). Then, after I mentioned India, we moved on to Indian culture/specifically Hinduism. Granted, I may not have been contributing much to the conversation, but I was very proud that I could understand him and give a little bit of input here and there. Yessss. But clearly, the Michael Jackson was more important.

Yeeah, to be honest, this entire post was really just to build up to the Michael Jackson story, I don’t have much else to say. Good night!