Fast Times At Noba High, or What I Have Learned In My First Six Months in Japan
Well the oddly much anticipated 6 month milestone has come and gone without fanfare or even finishing my utterly profound milestone comments. I spend my days thinking big thoughts, a constant buzz of relating my 7 years of cross cultural study into the reel of comments in my head about my surroundings. The surface differences have never occurred to me, I am still waiting for the culture shock to arrive or the novelty to wear off. But novelty isn't even the right word, from the first minute in this country there has been no buzz of newness just happy to be in my new home, savouring the slower pace, relieved to be out of australia, soothed by the grey skies and mountains that surround me at every turn.
..Ultimately the only difference between Japan and Australia is the stirring and maintaining of dignity. The sweet and profound dignity I see in every element of this country...the cleaners aware of their important position in cleaning the pavement for the hallowed english teachers, the train guards running to help the blind or wheelchaired....the parental hand holding of adult mentally challenged children despite the sheer social pain they are feeling for being part of such a disruption in public...the humility of my sweet and tortured salarymen students...
..You can't beat living life without any language skills. My low level of shame and embarrasment is suprising, I never expected to not be the slightly ethnocentric westerner in my day to day life. There are restaurants and shops and activities I subconciously avoid which is a strange habit and gives me even more compassion for immigrants everywhere who lack both their own social network and can't understand bus timetables.
The job is still a riot of hilarity and truly insane and surreal moments, days and hours which can't be put into words even to co-workers. The language breakdown is of course always chance for amusement but the absurd stories and sentances that are shared with us under the guise of pseudo priests...venting about wayward teens, workaholic husbands, who they would have married if they hadn't been pregnant...
So here's to my soothing mountains and dickensien outlook from my room in the clouds, my insanely polite behaviour, incurable cuteness and more men with giant hair...
After 7 months...3 students a lesson...40 lessons a week...(you do the math) Here is an incredible accurate dossier
Job: Engineer, English Teacher, Housewife
Hobbies: go to shopping, driving, sleeping, read a book
Reason for learning english: watch movies without subtitles, watch 24 without subtitles, speak to foreigners (about what no one will elaborate)
Quotable Quotes...
'I want to get with Clark Gable'
'I learn english to meet some Hawaiian ladyees'
'I was a juvenille delinquent and could not have opportunity to speak english in junior high'
'When I was in Brussels I could not tell them to not put so much mayonaise on my burger'
'One time there were some foreigners in my hotel and they were using the soap in the wrong way' Ps they were French
'My son is lazy and has no respect for human sympathy'
'I am a lazy housewife so everyday is holiday!'
'I went to Sydney...Homo road, you know it?'
Boring Recap
September...humid beyond all reason...getting used to the shrillness of our fire station neighbours...warm breezes filling our top floor apartment by night...hysterically nervous at work, nearly fainting during first lessons, the (un) comforting conversations with new buddies about how we couldn't get fired because of our extreme debts, accidentally eating things with eyes, first taste of karoke hangover, getting used to teaching and getting slightly better
October...houseparties and subsequent police visits...wednesday night partying gang...little mermaid karaoke with the boys...waiting waiting for the leaves to change..goth club fun and madness
November...finally autumn joy...hysterical laughter in a row boat with my Italian...basking in the golden colors...feeding deer, being tricked into buying a potato...dinner parties
December...misplaced elation over getting off probation...the beautiful lumiere lights display with 10000 of us herded perfectly in a surreal fashion..Christmas at the hilton..salmon and mince pies...teenage punk dating under the glow of neon...the buzz of the 25th and the let down of the 26th...disbelief at getting on a plane again...monsoon rain and joyus american tv in Singapore, lovely Clara...broken suitcase and covered in sticky sprite lost in the cruise terminal...arriving to KL paradise of cheapness and Hsiny angel.
January...seeing the new year crack open over the twin towers...crazy hot markets and cool nights under stars and lights..spending time with my old friend singapore airport...home to gloomy skies and work work work...
February...overtime...hope for the future fun
posted by japanesetakeout @ 1:01 AM
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