Well lets just say communicating with people or doing things in Japan isn't always roses and sunshine. It can be very frustrating to spend 45 minutes trying to play enough charades to figure out what each side wants. My interactions seem to happen more often than other teachers because I'm so clueless.
On the Bus:
When you get on the bus you need to take a ticket and then pay when you get off the bus. There is a change machine right there that looks like you are supposed to drop your money into it. Wrongo! You are supposed to drop exact change with your ticket into this big bucket looking thing. Lets just say, I screwed up the timing for the stops for the rest of the route trying to figure it all out as people were waiting behind me.
At the ATM:
Generally taking money out of the ATM is kind of like playing the lottery the first couple times. Its all in Japanese. Basically you press buttons till you magically get to the amount that you want. If you do it wrong your card shoots back at you and you dont get your money. Its like a fun game especially when Japanese people are breathing down your neck waiting to take money out.
Also, today I found out one of the buttons lowers the amount you can take out at the ATM. It basically looks to me like I'm taking money out but really the amount I put sets the limit; not what I want to withdraw. In my trip to the ATM last week I set my limit for $100 (I'm roughly converting for the ignorant here;)). I wanted to take out $900 yesterday but it kept shooting my card back at me with some receipt I couldn't read. Went to the bank today and found out the button I pressed is not the withdraw button.
With food:
This is my most frequent mistake. I will generally buy something thinking its one thing and it turns out to be something completely unexpected. Yesterday, I opened up this package of dinner rolls I bought only to find out it was some sort of hamsteak. With further taste and smell investigation, it definitely wasn't ham. All I know is that it definitely wasnt a dinner roll and it smelled like the Boardwalk in Grand Haven after they get done cleaning their catch for the day.
At restaurants I will order something and they ask a question and its like 5 minute stand-off. I'm thinkin can't she just give me this thing exactly like it is in the picture and shes thinking why does this guy have no clue what he's ordering? I spent 40 minutes Sunday trying to order a dessert Sunday. By the time I got it I didnt even want it.
Teaching high school:
High School has been an interesting challenge for me because generally, my third grade students have a higher level of english comprehension than the older kids. At first, it feels like I am just performing on stage to them and they give me blank stares. Conversations can also turn awkward when you have to explain things you assume they understand. In explaining a story to students, I started talking about why farms smell so bad. I said there is lots of cow manure. Of course, they dont understand what manure is. After beating around the bush, I finally explain with actions a cow is pooping and grass grows from it. They all gave me the weirdest looks haha.
Interactions are not always so bad though. The first Sunday I came back a bunch of us walked through a part and were stormed by about 10 middle school girls that said "hello." We told them we were from America and they started to clap and cheer. It was great. During a picnic a nice old Japanese woman shared this big piece of cheese they grilled and asked where we were from. We ended up having a conversation about Jack Bauer and Michael Scott.
There's definitely a lot of give and take with life in country you don't quite understand but I'll take the experience any time.
On the Bus:
When you get on the bus you need to take a ticket and then pay when you get off the bus. There is a change machine right there that looks like you are supposed to drop your money into it. Wrongo! You are supposed to drop exact change with your ticket into this big bucket looking thing. Lets just say, I screwed up the timing for the stops for the rest of the route trying to figure it all out as people were waiting behind me.
At the ATM:
Generally taking money out of the ATM is kind of like playing the lottery the first couple times. Its all in Japanese. Basically you press buttons till you magically get to the amount that you want. If you do it wrong your card shoots back at you and you dont get your money. Its like a fun game especially when Japanese people are breathing down your neck waiting to take money out.
Also, today I found out one of the buttons lowers the amount you can take out at the ATM. It basically looks to me like I'm taking money out but really the amount I put sets the limit; not what I want to withdraw. In my trip to the ATM last week I set my limit for $100 (I'm roughly converting for the ignorant here;)). I wanted to take out $900 yesterday but it kept shooting my card back at me with some receipt I couldn't read. Went to the bank today and found out the button I pressed is not the withdraw button.
With food:
This is my most frequent mistake. I will generally buy something thinking its one thing and it turns out to be something completely unexpected. Yesterday, I opened up this package of dinner rolls I bought only to find out it was some sort of hamsteak. With further taste and smell investigation, it definitely wasn't ham. All I know is that it definitely wasnt a dinner roll and it smelled like the Boardwalk in Grand Haven after they get done cleaning their catch for the day.
At restaurants I will order something and they ask a question and its like 5 minute stand-off. I'm thinkin can't she just give me this thing exactly like it is in the picture and shes thinking why does this guy have no clue what he's ordering? I spent 40 minutes Sunday trying to order a dessert Sunday. By the time I got it I didnt even want it.
Teaching high school:
High School has been an interesting challenge for me because generally, my third grade students have a higher level of english comprehension than the older kids. At first, it feels like I am just performing on stage to them and they give me blank stares. Conversations can also turn awkward when you have to explain things you assume they understand. In explaining a story to students, I started talking about why farms smell so bad. I said there is lots of cow manure. Of course, they dont understand what manure is. After beating around the bush, I finally explain with actions a cow is pooping and grass grows from it. They all gave me the weirdest looks haha.
Interactions are not always so bad though. The first Sunday I came back a bunch of us walked through a part and were stormed by about 10 middle school girls that said "hello." We told them we were from America and they started to clap and cheer. It was great. During a picnic a nice old Japanese woman shared this big piece of cheese they grilled and asked where we were from. We ended up having a conversation about Jack Bauer and Michael Scott.
There's definitely a lot of give and take with life in country you don't quite understand but I'll take the experience any time.
Hilarious Greg, but just an FYI--manure isn't used for grass ;]
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are clueless but rather self assured and therefore take chances that many would not even consider for fear of embrassment.
ReplyDelete