I wake up in the middle of the night because my bed is moving, my house trembles, and I hear the glass windows shaking. I think, “ha, an earthquake” and realize how tired I am, “I will go back to sleep, and if it’s a serious earthquake, it will wake me up again”, are the only thoughts I have as I tumble back to sleep.
Sitting in that bathtub, though, I realize that there was little I could do. I quickly eliminated my options at hand down to two. One, I can get out of the bathtub, dry myself, stick my head under my desk in the living room (which I am taught to do), get dressed (or in another, more logical order) and optionally scream so now and then “help”, “earthquake” or “kaji” (fire, which hasn’t started yet, but still, it indicates disaster, right?). Option two is, remain sitting in the bathtub, scream nothing and keep on reading about the fifteen-year-old “Kafka on the shore”, who just got lost in a deep, dark mori, (woods) on the mountain, to see if he can find his way back to where he belongs. I opt for the latter and in a few days finish the book.
A bomb is not all that special if it can rain down on you any other day, I know that the Israelis themselves are the best to make jokes about self suicides attacks; little is enough, and no reason not to smile, sufficient I have seen across
However, sleeping quietly through an earthquake; reading a mail without pop jisho (dictionary that pops up words for you when moving with you mouse over words, while the original (Japanese) text remains the same); keep on repeating to your mom she has to come to Tokyo Eki, not realizing the poor thing obviously doesn’t understand you, as you say eki instead of “station”; searching for my hashi (chopsticks) when eating in an Italian restaurant; finding it hard to type messages in alphabet, as really the hiragana writing style is way easier to do on your keitai (mobile phone); and consistently bowing, even while I shake hands when meeting another foreigner, are moments that make me realize I have somehow adapted to my new environment.
And next to the fact that I love to see my friends and family, this is exactly what you realize when they are visiting. They come with their unspoiled Dutch (or foreign) view and make you realize the things that surprise and shock them, have become normal to you. You not only receive the chance to experience everything that is normal now, all over again from a wow-how-fantastic-is-this perspective, you get the chance to be a tourist in your own city again, but above all realize that you do speak Japanese and read more kanji (Chinese character) than the average Dutch person (this being an humble, polite understatement). You realize that you might not understand everything, but in any particular situation do know how to behave, do know what is right and have learned to say sorry in many different appropriate ways instead and next to saying elaborated thank you’ s.
You know when you enter a restaurant that next to the counter nin for persons, there is a more polite counter mei (to understand this, you have to realize that in the Japanese language there are many counters for different objects, in other words, one book, two books, three books, are complete different words from 1,2,3, persons, trees, pens, cups, papers, dishes, days, computers, etc, and yes if you understand it correctly you could say that you can count in many different ways in Japanese), and that after the question with how many people you are, the question if you smoke comes. It doesn’t matter anymore that you are not able to repeat this question literally, you settled down with the fact that you know how to answer properly and politely.
The past two weeks have been crazy, and today it has really started to bother me that my wallet is really really empty and my email inbox is really really full. Next to the rain pouring down on me, this could be the reason why I am a bit moody today. Jitsu wa (the reality is), I have been playing around too much (literally translated from Japanese to English, as in the former the verb playing can be used to go drinking, visit a museum, have a good time, etc. Please refer to the listing below and you will grasp its meaning); I have been out too much and had an awful lot of fun!
I have been in the Ghibli Museum (from the famous anime movies), out in Shibuya, picked up visitors from Narita, showed them around Meiji shrine, Yoyogi park, again Shibuya, been to the Mori Museum, to the Oedo onsen (hot springs) in Odaiba (South Tokyo), been to Akihabara (electronic town), Nakameguro (West Tokyo), to my favorite Izakaya (drinking place where you eat, or restaurant where you drink, whichever you like best) to celebrate my birthday, to Mauro’s Winebar in Shimbashi (my new Italian friend) to celebrate my birthday (with my JPP friends), to Jack Johnson in Yokohama (to celebrate my Birthday, again), eat in Chinatown, go to the movies in Roppongi, to a Manzai (comedian) show in Shinjuku, play soccer in Shinagawa, tonight go on a welcome and goodbye party with my work (this needs explanation as each year many people change bu (department), get a new seki (place or desk in the office lay out), and this all because by the words of one of my colleagues “Japanese like change”), tomorrow go to Kamakura (city outside Tokyo, to visit lots of temples and a big Buddha) and Sunday go drink tea (in a ceremony, note that this is more than just drinking a cup of tea alone, and lasts a couple of hours) in Sankeien in Yokohama (city next to Tokyo).
This in a time span of two weeks (not to forget twice four days of working and two days of Japanese classes); it is crazy, and a lot of fun!!!! Thus, my excuses and thanks once again for all your postcards, emails, calls and sweet messages on my birthday last week, you guys are great!!!! I had more than three times a total blast celebrating it and looking forward to do it all over again, when coming back to Holland (and for sure find many other good reason to party with you). I will reply and call soon…. I think of you all! In the mean while, please enjoy the stories on the blog, and with another promise to upload some picture soon, I send you a lot of Love, Kirsten.
On the way back in the metro, I make new friends and go out to have dinner. The next Wednesday after class, when I am sitting in the Hibiya park under a sakura tree (cherry tree) to eat a hambaagaa (hamburger), I meet a couple; the boy tells me he is a manzai performer (comedian). He invites me to his show and I gladly accept. I talk with him and his girlfriend for more than an hour and promise him to go to his show. At work, I ask my female colleagues if they know the comedian’s group, and they tell me they are quite famous. The fourteen I will go watch their show and laugh, even if I do not understand the jokes (I think I will manage just fine).
The other day I sit at the Starbucks and talk with a girl, who is trying to find a job, she wears the usual white blouse, black suit, and a black bag. She laughs about it herself and her outfit. I love to talk to different people. Also at my work, I try to make friends with both the consultants (usually male) and the girls (often supporting staff, sometimes even part-time with temporary contract). I like to view the society from different angles through other people’s eyes.
Since I start my internship, I make more easy contact with the Japanese and positive surprisingly discovered that the Japanese are quite open, sometimes even direct. They may come across closed at first, but the contrary is true. They easy start a conversation, and once talking, ask you questions you would most probably not ask someone at first in your own language. What is your favorite food? Where were you born? How old are you? Moreover, they tell you things without asking, I have traveled to Slovenia or I hold the Japanese record in swimming under water. My hobby is baking bread. I love Macchu Picchu. I have been to Groningen. They know how to make a conversation, and put the effort. Of course, you also experience the opposite, people who do not want to help you, or are confused about how much you understand and thus remain silent, afraid of speaking English and Japanese. In general though, the experience is positive.
One night, after having slept very badly I sit in the bus to work. I-pod on, bag on my lap, hands on my knees, Japanese-like I do not want to bother anybody; my music is not to loud, there is space for somebody to sit next to me. Not that they easily do though. Sometimes I thought that was because I am foreigner. It is not. It is because they do not want to cause meewaku. If they sit next to me, and another chair is free, they move there, so I have the two seats for myself again. A lady enters the bus and I give her a smile. She sits next to me. I take my I-pod off. Once another spot is free, see moves there. She searches in her bag and hands me a postcard with a animal that to me looks like an Aries, on it. She explains that this scenery comes from Nara and is very important for the Japanese history. I am aware of this, because this animal with horns was regarded a messenger back in the days, and I have seen it walking around the temples in Nara. She tells me, it is just a small present, but she really wanted to give me something. “Welcome to Japan”, she tell me. My eyes water when I tell her she made my day, if not the whole week, I am thinking. People like this are little angels send to you at times you have it most difficult.
At my internship I work hard to get things done before Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I am not able to do anything, as Michiel and I join the shinnyuushain (new, just graduated employees) in a training in Yokohama (near Tokyo, famous for its the biggest Chinese neigborhood in the world). We listen to a lot of presentations and understand half of it. Reading kanji (Chinese character), trying to get the meaning of words, it is a busy and tiring task. I notice that I sometimes know the meaning of a word, sometimes the yomikata (reading), and sometimes I just recognize the kanji, but neither know how to pronounce it, nor what it means. Guessing and filling in the blanks is a job on its own, and we have become experts in it. Of course, sometimes you get away with it, and occasionally you are caught. There is nothing we can do about it.
Monday afternoon we join the meeting where the whole consulting division is present. More than 300 people listen to the sachoo (boss, CEO) and even the one above him. I fight against falling asleep. I got pretty good at it. This, too, require practice. And there is certainly no shortage of meetings. For the first time however, I do actually fall asleep. I am ashamed of myself. But I know, my colleagues are sleeping too. The difference being, they don’t fight against it, but give in immediately, wake up at the end of the presentation clapping their hands like nothing happened.
Dear all,
