The Return

Soon, is comming the moment i return back to my country but I also am conceiving a return in Japan in the futur. The time of goodbyes is one that everyone do but it seems to differ from culture to culture with one thing in common, it seems sad. Some people prefer to try and see it as a new begining and a chance to meet in the futur. To be able to return one must leave in the first place or in the last ....

Hard working

Today, i was speaking with my Uncle thanks to the marvel of techonlogy and we came on the discution about Japanese working "harder" and i was very happy to explain to him the concept that hard in Japan means more spending alot of time to work compared to his own working hard would be putting up with the occasional overtime were as here it would be expected. It is nice to see that over time i finaly can see that i undertsand and i can explain to him but the key work of the day was ... "different", because actually thats what it is different.

How far ahead is far?

Since i came to Japan i have seen alot of people with schedule planner and a small book to put all that in. I was always wondering how usefull it is since im more a day to day person even though i plan thing ahead of time by a far marging usually. Yesterday, i have been confronted with the mesurement of time with cultural distortion. One of my Japanese friend came to ask me when i was leaving because i might not be able to seen him again. This was not a big surprise but when he went to ask another person of my circle, I was. He had half the next year meetings all planned out in this small book with everything else he already has plan for that half a year. I was greatly impressed as sometimes i ask people or I am asked what i do in the weekend and I dont know sometimes until the friday night. Seems that it is the same for everyone here as Japanese have a long term view on things and this reflect to the "everyday day" planning that seems to expend to half years. I wonder how many people know what tey will do on the 15 of Septembre already which is part of the "daily" life schedule...

The oninion

I really enjoy my life here in Japan more and more. Day after day, i feel i make progress, both with the language but also in my cultural integration. Seems strange for me to say so but even after over 7 month here, i still feel like i arrived yesterday.

I play volleyball still and it has become very interesting recently as new student entered the circle. I am an odd end in many ways. I am of course to begin with the only foreign student in the club but also ... i am older then everyone there. I arrived before the new student so i am closer to the senpai but in a way i am almost as new to the circle.

There is an order of thing and its interesting as my skill in Japanese are getting better i can get a feel from the usage of different level of language between the different member of the group. Its feels like day after day , meeting after meeting, I am peeling a peel from the onion and I am getting to the inner part while others are peeling at the outer part closing in but still on the other side of an invisible wall.

Circle

Today, i joined a circle, the volley-ball circle. I was very surprised by how well it went in apearance. People were very cheerfull and also very nice to me. I had expecation of the contrary in way but I know that even if I seem accepted. It very interesting to say that there is no named leader and no one pointed him to e but it was easy to find out. The hierarchy in the circle seems very interesting and also the way people play is very interesting as well. This is going to be one of my most interesting experience in Japan and also a very pleasant one.

Old made new again

Yesterday i had a very interesting show of culture shock.

My roomate is a new student from Autralia. A very nice person and very enthusiastic about is experience in Japan. He already came here before a long time ago. he got pretty good skills and Japanese and he is very willing to go around and explore the surrounding areas. Everything he tells me sounds like its so exciting.

As for me, i been there done that. But i can't resist and still ask him about all of it. I suggest places he should go and we discuss on interesting places we both have been now. I have been throught a hard time during our winter break because of culture shock. Life now seem to renew a little bit as my interest comes back as my roomate tell tales of his new found adventures. Now, i that i view old things as new again i want to go out more and make entirely new stories for myself. Seems like, culture shock curve from my roomate brought me back from the deepest of mine.

And there was the begining

There is a begining to most things.

This is the begining of my tales.

There are before and there will be more but this is the begining of my telling them by writting them.

As there are things that begin things end as well...

but this one is to be continued.