Between Studying

I've been studying for 4 hours and still have a chapter to go. They weren't lying about the "intense" part in Intensive Course. To this point I was cruising, having already studied the material in class. But now it's all new and I'm drowning like everyone else. I feel kind of bad because I have no time to chat with my host family. I'm usually in my room reviewing and previewing grammar points and vocabulary. When I'm not studying, I wander Kyoto from bar to bar. I met a few nice people, but not nearly as many as I expected. The other night I joined a group of Japanese people talking at a table in an izakaya. Most of them were drunk and we got along famously. Last night I went out with Chris to A Bar and conversed with more interesting people. The upcoming weekend should be fun. Friday night I'm in Kyoto; Saturday night in Osaka; and Sunday night in Kobe. I might be a wreck on Monday morning.

As always, there's more to share, but I need to study. I'll leave you with an email I received from a young Japanese guy I met at the college who wants to hang out:

"i got it. but we are now in test period. so, i have to study hard. please wait a weekor a little more. but i promise to touch you later."

He's a nice fellow.

Kyoto Institute of Culture and Learning

I finished my first day at KICL. The entire three and a half hour lesson was taught in Japanese. My head throbbed by the end, but I couldn't complain; I had a great time. I am one of the stronger students in the class, which is strange considering the last time I studied Japanese back in college, I was one of the weakest. I could probably move up to the next level if I asked. I'm still considering. Right now I'm ahead of the class by four chapters. My group is comprised of three Americans, two Chinese, one Korean, a Canadian, and a Dane. It's too early to pass judgement on them. I'll save that for next week.

My host family is awesome. My mother and father are around 50. They own an apartment in the middle of the city, near Kawaramachi and Sanjo (a very, very fun place). My mother cooks breakfast and dinner for me and we chat at the table. Neither mother nor father speak English. They have a 25-year-old daughter and 26-year-old son, both living elsewhere. In fact, their daughter married an Italian this year and now lives abroad. I'm pretty sure mother and father don't worry about me because they understand I've lived in Japan for a year and I've proven resourceful in getting around. I have my own room and no curfew. In short, my home stay is everything I wanted and nothing I didn't.

Kyoto is hot. Yesterday I met Tomomi and together we hiked Mount Kurama. When we returned to the train station - about two hours of arduous climbing later - we were drenched in sweat. In the evening we saw the new Miyazaki film that was released in theaters last week. I understood 32.6%.

That's it for the time being. Everything is going splendidly at the moment. I'll keep up my studies and meet some new people and enjoy every minute that I'm here.

Summer in Kyoto

In one week I will move to Kyoto and study Japanese for a month at a language school. I will live with a host family near the center of the city. Some of my friends particapted in this program last year and said it was incredible. I'm hoping my Japanese improves to a point where I can carry a conversation. I'm not sure how often I'll update the blog between July and August; it depends on my schedule.

Wish me luck.

Backlash

A fellow Hyogo JET commented on a blog entry I wrote last month. He was unhappy with what I said about Hyogo Times. Please read the post, his comment, and my response, and feel FREE to add a response yourself if you like. I think it makes for an interesting debate.

The post is entitled "Re-Contracting and Hissy Fits" and you can find it in the Blog Archive section for June.

Pictures from the Last Three Months

ENJOY!

July

It's like someone flipped on the furnace. No joke, the moment July arrived, the summer heat and humidity arrived with it. Gasp. I'm exhausted. This'll take a day or two of adjusting. By the time I reach school in the morning, I'm drenched in sweat. After that I sit at my desk, stew in my own secretion, and wonder what the San Diego beaches must be like right now. I bet they're nice. Teachers say, "Atsuii," throughout the day. One teacher in particular, who I've nicknamed Mr. Bellows, shouts, "Atsuii," so loud people in the hallway can hear him. Last night I received an email from a very nice Japanese girl; she described the evening as "sultry." What a fine word. Before that I played basketball and played one of my better games, but probably lost about 10 pounds in water weight. Despite it all, I have yet to turn on my AC. I'm a soldier, I know. A cheap soldier. We're still in the midst of rainy season, and when the rain falls this weekend, humidity will skyrocket and I'll dissolve on the streets and weep and weep. Koji and the Upper Crust crew back home are headed to AnimeExpo today. Although I'm not much of an anime fan anymore, I wish I could join them. I'm beginning to regret not planning a trip home this summer. I think it would help. It would recharge me. I spoke to a foreigner who's lived in Japan since he was a teenager. He's been here nearly two decades and says he didn't mature correctly because Japanese people treated him like a child. He speaks fluently and functions in the society, but no matter what he does, Japanese people will always see him as different and treat him accordingly. This terrifies me. I matured before my time (having a sense of humor and being immature are two different things, just so you know) and the idea of living the rest of my life in such a manner, allowing people to view my as inferior to them because I'm different, is more than I can bear. However, this is just one example and I'm sure there are cases where a foreigner assimilated seamlessly into Japanese society. The concept, though, makes perfect sense to me. Outsiders are outsiders here. I think living in Japan for a year and not speaking Japanese has shown me that this fate is a possibility. I was driving with Phil and Ryan two weekends ago when a car passed us and the old lady behind the wheel mouthed, "Gaijin." I kissed a girl and she said, "Gaijin's kiss." A student at Seiun tries to grab my crotch. His friend throws pebbles at my head. I've heard of a JET who attacked a student with a baseball bat and as punishment was forced to apologize. Rumors? Maybe. This story is too incredible to be true. Then again, our world is more horrifying than the darkest corners of imagination. The elementary kids marvel at my arms because of the hair. They pet me. Strange. And laugh. I consider waxing my arms clean so the kids will quit. A futile, dangerous idea. The kids will always find something to focus their wonder on. After my JET interview I was sure I didn't land the position and told me mentor the bad news. He offered to help me find a graduate writing program. He is an outstanding person, one of the best I know. I didn't anticipate such kindness. A few months later I was accepted into JET and stopped searching for graduate programs. Now I wonder if JET hadn't been an option, what life at graduate school would be like. I'd be surrounded by young, eager writers all trying to make their mark on the literary world. I'd research and write everyday. I'd share ideas with accomplished writers and learn and develop my style. Also, I'd still be with my ex-girlfriend. The cause of our split, in my mind, was not the distance but her religious fanaticism, which worsened after I left, and which I could have tempered then possibly expelled if we were in close proximity. Now I worry about the influences that surround her and all the ways they are making her change. I have to let go; it's not my life, even though our fates were inextricable for 3 years. I still can't speak Japanese. Perhaps I'm just a terrible linguist and that's where it ends. We launched fireworks on the beach at midnight. Happy Fourth of July.