Sure, I've technically been studying Japanese for like 12 years now (though high school doesn't really count, so shave off 5 years), but even still, I tend to underestimate how much I know. So even though I can take a shot and try to guess the actual meaning of what people said, I usually ask people to explain what they meant so I can make sure I understand it.
So today, when my young English teacher explained to me that another fellow male teacher had a problem, I asked the guy teacher if he was okay. Under his breath, he replied with a single word : "musei".
In my mind, I was trying to fit the pieces together.
mu 無=no,
sei, 性= sex, gender
Was he saying he was asexual? Or a lack of sex? Or should I assume that they were talking about something else that was workplace friendly? After all, sei could be written in a variety of different ways in Japanese - 姓, 正, 制 - which could mean surname, correct, system, or maybe dozens of others that I hadn't even thought of. I thought I'd ask to make sure.
"Well," uttered my young English teacher, clearing his throat as he thought of what words he could put together to make himself understood. "He doesn't have a girlfriend, and so he hasn't made love for a time. And he is very erotic. So today he got up and he was wet. Do you have ever wet?"
I took this as a lesson and reminder as to why I should just trust my instincts and guess the meaning rather than wait for the potentially awkward explanation that inevitably comes right after.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Thursday, January 07, 2010
i think i'm going japanese...
I guess it was bound to happen. After two and a half years in Japan, the mystique that surrounding all things Japan has kinda worn off. While at first I was blogging about new flavours of Fanta, now everytime a new flavour comes out it really surprise or entertain me enough to warrant blogging about it (Though, it may also be because the current Apple flavour doesn't sound as exciting as Cassis or mystery-flavoured Fanta).
But my trip back to Melbourne was exactly what I needed, I think. Time to catch up with friends, and finally notice all the cool things in Melbourne that I took for granted when I was living there. Everyone talks about the interesting alleyway culture in Melbourne, with the hidden bars and cool graffiti, but only now have I ever thought about checking it out a bit more.
What was a little disconcerting though was the realisation I couldn't shake all these habits I formed while in Japan, which, while seem normal in Japan, are probably just plain weird back home. I kept making agreement noises as I nodded and listened to other people talk, which would've pissed me off even more if I was the one listening to it. Even on the train to the city, I immediately went to my phone to switch it to silent, and couldn't believe that people were actually answering their phones and having full-blown, long-winded conversations in the presence of other people. Not that I did anything about it though. I just did the Japanese thing and gave them glancing negatively-approving looks hoping that my passive-agressive irritation was enough to make them stop and feel ashamed at what they had done.
And the worst part? I think Japan has made me all self-conscious going to the toilet. After heading straight to the bathroom after my flight into Sydney, I opened the door to a urinal that I realised I hadn't seen for over two years. It was a group urinal - one that spans the length of a wall, the ones that any number of people can use at the same time as long as they can fit. In Japan I had only seen the urinals which have a set number of urinals to accomodate a certain number of people, which, while not the most private thing in the world, kinda gave the person using it the feeling of privacy. But here, it felt more out in the open, like being on display. Granted, standard peeing etiquette still applies (i.e. choose the urinal/place to go furthest away from those using it, and no talking while peeing), but it just felt strange.
Also, I don't remember the last time I saw toilet cubicles in Japan that had doors that didn't go right to the ground. It must be weird for Japanese people coming to Australia knowing people can see them (or at least, their feet) while they go, especially when they come from a country that has a niche for products like this.
I'm worried what it's going to be like after I come back after three years in Japan if I'm so used to only going to the toilet when no one else can see or hear me go. It must be karma. I really should've showed more empathy to my friends who got stage fright, rather than knocking loudly on the toilet door and commentating on whether they had gone or not.
But my trip back to Melbourne was exactly what I needed, I think. Time to catch up with friends, and finally notice all the cool things in Melbourne that I took for granted when I was living there. Everyone talks about the interesting alleyway culture in Melbourne, with the hidden bars and cool graffiti, but only now have I ever thought about checking it out a bit more.
What was a little disconcerting though was the realisation I couldn't shake all these habits I formed while in Japan, which, while seem normal in Japan, are probably just plain weird back home. I kept making agreement noises as I nodded and listened to other people talk, which would've pissed me off even more if I was the one listening to it. Even on the train to the city, I immediately went to my phone to switch it to silent, and couldn't believe that people were actually answering their phones and having full-blown, long-winded conversations in the presence of other people. Not that I did anything about it though. I just did the Japanese thing and gave them glancing negatively-approving looks hoping that my passive-agressive irritation was enough to make them stop and feel ashamed at what they had done.
And the worst part? I think Japan has made me all self-conscious going to the toilet. After heading straight to the bathroom after my flight into Sydney, I opened the door to a urinal that I realised I hadn't seen for over two years. It was a group urinal - one that spans the length of a wall, the ones that any number of people can use at the same time as long as they can fit. In Japan I had only seen the urinals which have a set number of urinals to accomodate a certain number of people, which, while not the most private thing in the world, kinda gave the person using it the feeling of privacy. But here, it felt more out in the open, like being on display. Granted, standard peeing etiquette still applies (i.e. choose the urinal/place to go furthest away from those using it, and no talking while peeing), but it just felt strange.
Also, I don't remember the last time I saw toilet cubicles in Japan that had doors that didn't go right to the ground. It must be weird for Japanese people coming to Australia knowing people can see them (or at least, their feet) while they go, especially when they come from a country that has a niche for products like this.
I'm worried what it's going to be like after I come back after three years in Japan if I'm so used to only going to the toilet when no one else can see or hear me go. It must be karma. I really should've showed more empathy to my friends who got stage fright, rather than knocking loudly on the toilet door and commentating on whether they had gone or not.
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