Back in January, I started following Japanese lessons. I think, if I am destined to lazy about for a couple of years in Japan, at least I should have something to show for it. In addition, it would be so nice to actually be able to understand the labels of products in the supermarket, or at least manage to order a tall latte at Starbucks without the barista looking at you with pitying eyes while he/she shows you the menu with pictures.
So I started at a language centre not far from our place, just a few minutes' walk in fact. I signed for five hours a week, two hours and a half per lesson, mondays and wednesdays. I even had two classmates: Frenchy Girl and seasoned American Mater Familias, which was quite nice. Our teacher, or 'sensei' was a 50-something Japanese lady, stick thin, well travelled and who spoke French with a lot of conviction. Let's call her Super Sensei.
Some time in February, they informed us that the centre was closing but that they were going to continue on one-to-one lessons at our homes, if we so wished. As I still had a good 90 hours of courses paid by Mr M's company, I signed in and requested to continue with Super Sensei.
I am now doing two hours a week, in theory to have time to study properly in between lesson. The reality is that I end up doing all my week's worth or homework half an hour before Super Sensei arrives, which leaves the practicing bit totally out of the picture. I still hesitate with a few of the hiragana characters (is this a 'ra' or a 'sa'?) which I am supposed to know by heart by now and have still not managed to impress the girls at the Starbucks inside the Tsutaya bookshop. Super Sensei every now and then says 'you need to study this', which in my mind translates as "you lazy ass gaijin wife, learn this hiragana stuff once and for all!"
Truth is, I know I am not putting the hours, the study, in. I have never really studied much in my life. I mean studing for hours on end, preparing for an exam. Wait, that's not true. I did study a lot for History of Art in university, but only because I really loved the subject and the professor was a bit scary but fair. I had lots of admiration for this woman and couldn't contemplate not knowing anything she asked. Other than that, I guess I have a sort of Attention Deficit Disorder in the sense that I cannot concentrate on the same thing for a long time. My mind starts to wander, I need to take a walk or watch some TV....etc. I did quite well at school and at university, so this is just how I am: l-a-z-y....
Anyway, I am resolved to devote at least an hour every week actually studying Japanese at home (and not the hour before Super Sensei arrives home for the lesson). In the meantime, in order to keep Super Sensei happy, I have institutionalised coffee breaks with Belgian cookies mid-lesson. Last week I bought LU 'Petit Ecoliers" with dark chocolate top. She said it was a nice flavour combination. I say it has earned me some points but I need to impress her with my Hiragana skills next Monday or there will be no butter gallette that will save my ass.
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Wednesday 14 April 2010
And, at last, Spring is here! (well, sort of)
Taking advantage of yet another rainy morning (really, is there any other kind?) here I am squeezing in a little post amidst my Tokyo Tour Guide duties (Mr M's cousin and her husband are visiting us this week).
So, anyway, what is it with all this rain? Isn't the rainy season supposed to be in June? Hello, this is April! For the last couple fo weeks it's been one day hot and warmy, one day rainy and horrid and very much Brusselesque weather.
And cold, quite cold for a month into Spring.
The cherry blossoms are almost all gone by now, courtesy of the chilling winds, so now the streets are paved with a layer of mouldy pale-pink petals that are definitely not that cute anymore. On the positive side, the cherry trees are all sprouting green, which is a very nice view and screams of "Spring! Spring!".
Tomorrow, Mr M is taking the day off and Bibu is skiping creche, so we will go somewhere as it's our guests' final day in the land of the rising sun. It's been really nice to have them here with us, albeit for a short time, only a week. My parents are next in the Detoured Casa. They'll arrive just after the Golden Week and they'll stay for a month. I am really looking forward to them being here with us, specially with Bibu, who will turn 2 while they are here. I think for my parents it will be such a big adventure, coming from the other side of the world, literally, after a 32plus hour trip. I don't think they ever dreamt of visiting Japan, but hey, did I ever imagine that one day I would be living in Tokyo, not working and living the lala expat life? Nope, either.
Right, I should go now and do some edifying house work. Ta-dah!
So, anyway, what is it with all this rain? Isn't the rainy season supposed to be in June? Hello, this is April! For the last couple fo weeks it's been one day hot and warmy, one day rainy and horrid and very much Brusselesque weather.
And cold, quite cold for a month into Spring.
The cherry blossoms are almost all gone by now, courtesy of the chilling winds, so now the streets are paved with a layer of mouldy pale-pink petals that are definitely not that cute anymore. On the positive side, the cherry trees are all sprouting green, which is a very nice view and screams of "Spring! Spring!".
Tomorrow, Mr M is taking the day off and Bibu is skiping creche, so we will go somewhere as it's our guests' final day in the land of the rising sun. It's been really nice to have them here with us, albeit for a short time, only a week. My parents are next in the Detoured Casa. They'll arrive just after the Golden Week and they'll stay for a month. I am really looking forward to them being here with us, specially with Bibu, who will turn 2 while they are here. I think for my parents it will be such a big adventure, coming from the other side of the world, literally, after a 32plus hour trip. I don't think they ever dreamt of visiting Japan, but hey, did I ever imagine that one day I would be living in Tokyo, not working and living the lala expat life? Nope, either.
Right, I should go now and do some edifying house work. Ta-dah!
Monday 5 April 2010
Something happened on the way to Spring
I had planned to post about sakura blossom season here in Tokyo and all things "hanami", but a couple of things happened recently that kind of detoured that line of thought.
Last week, as I was idling my way through the dark forest of Facebook (is there any other way?) a former colleague of mine who was online, told me that one guy at the office had died very unexpectedly during a business trip to Moscow. The guy in question (the dead guy) was a 60-something, rather odd character, perpetually in a hurry (this may have had to do with his demise, courtesy of a heart attack) and perpetually stealing from everybody's fruit basket when he thought nobody was watching (we knew it was him). He had grown up kids, about my age or older, and a properly much younger Russian girlfriend (as you do). Anyway, the news about his death really struck me as this guy was the last person from the company I met before returning to Tokyo this January. At that time he was en route to Moscow and we all shared the same plane to Frankfurt. We chatted a bit in the airport about work, I introduced Mr M and Bibu to him, we said our hurried goodbyes when people started to board the plane, and that was it.
Now this guy is dead.
On another unrelated piece of news, one of the teachers at Bibu's daycare said her goodbyes last week, as she was returning to the Netherlands, where she is from, in order to follow some treatment for an unspecified illness, which could most likelly be depression, althought the "d" word was never mentioned. This lady had moved to Tokyo 15 years ago, to help raise her sister's daughter and had worked non-stop since then, taking little holidays and generally putting other people's needs before her, I think. So her mum came to Tokyo to take her back and it's not very clear when or whether she will be back.
These two unrelated events have been humming in my mind for a few days already. About this dead guy, I keep thinking, did he know, back in January, that he had only three months to live? How did he live those last three months? Did he live them in the midst of petty, everyday stuff, driving his car and checking emails and going to the supermarket and cleaning under his nails and clipping the hairs in this nostrils? And the teacher, does she want to be back in Europe? How is it to leave behind a life of 15 years and go back to a country that has not been your "home" for an eternity?
I am thinking about this as spring in Tokyo finally makes its way forward, sashaying its delicate frame through the falling petals of the cherry trees.
Last week, as I was idling my way through the dark forest of Facebook (is there any other way?) a former colleague of mine who was online, told me that one guy at the office had died very unexpectedly during a business trip to Moscow. The guy in question (the dead guy) was a 60-something, rather odd character, perpetually in a hurry (this may have had to do with his demise, courtesy of a heart attack) and perpetually stealing from everybody's fruit basket when he thought nobody was watching (we knew it was him). He had grown up kids, about my age or older, and a properly much younger Russian girlfriend (as you do). Anyway, the news about his death really struck me as this guy was the last person from the company I met before returning to Tokyo this January. At that time he was en route to Moscow and we all shared the same plane to Frankfurt. We chatted a bit in the airport about work, I introduced Mr M and Bibu to him, we said our hurried goodbyes when people started to board the plane, and that was it.
Now this guy is dead.
On another unrelated piece of news, one of the teachers at Bibu's daycare said her goodbyes last week, as she was returning to the Netherlands, where she is from, in order to follow some treatment for an unspecified illness, which could most likelly be depression, althought the "d" word was never mentioned. This lady had moved to Tokyo 15 years ago, to help raise her sister's daughter and had worked non-stop since then, taking little holidays and generally putting other people's needs before her, I think. So her mum came to Tokyo to take her back and it's not very clear when or whether she will be back.
These two unrelated events have been humming in my mind for a few days already. About this dead guy, I keep thinking, did he know, back in January, that he had only three months to live? How did he live those last three months? Did he live them in the midst of petty, everyday stuff, driving his car and checking emails and going to the supermarket and cleaning under his nails and clipping the hairs in this nostrils? And the teacher, does she want to be back in Europe? How is it to leave behind a life of 15 years and go back to a country that has not been your "home" for an eternity?
I am thinking about this as spring in Tokyo finally makes its way forward, sashaying its delicate frame through the falling petals of the cherry trees.
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