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fencer_xMou, this was it, the last conversation with Takashi! If you missed the last update, he's off to Washington (state) next semester to continue his studies, and that means just when I finally get into the 489 class where I could actually get credit for these conversatons, I'll have to get to know someone new! *weeps* Maybe next time I'll get either a) another very available nice young man, or b) a girl to fangirl with XD
So, for the last Friday update (for a while, at least)...
We went to a different place to talk today! Not sure why, but it probably had something to do with the MSC being crawling with people today for some reason. We wound up in the same place where we first met for our first conversation (!!! memories~), sat down on some couches and started our chat.
It's finally gotten wintry in College Station (read: temperatures below 60), so of course that was the first conversation topic, yay! I love winter, and remarked on this, and he laughed and said that I'd be fine in Japan then (ZOMG real winter, YAY!), that there are really four contrasting seasons there, rather than the twoish that kinda blur into each other here. Seeing some images of fall/winter in Japan recently make me realize he really isn't kidding--it's so beautiful~
After that, he asked how my Thanksgiving was, and I told him I'd gathered with my family, reunion-like, to eat the meal, and had a lot of fun. He asked if I'd told my family about wanting to go to Japan, and how they took it--did they support me, or not want me to go? I explained that they were actually very happy, and wanted me to take the opportunity and have fun (though I left out the real reason I just recently learned :P My mom's worried I won't be able to afford graduate school, so she wants me to go into the JET program with the intention to save up money for grad school--we'll see how THAT works out >_>).
Now, seeing as it was our last conversation, I got him a little present~ I was actually going to give him some pocky (as our little joke), burn him a CD of the music that got me into Japanese (cause it was the music, really, that first captivated me, helped along by anime) since we'd talked about music a good bit, and write him a letter--in Japanese with horrible handwriting and all--but as I posted last night, WIEURIEHSLDFISF WORLD MARKET WAS OUT :((((((
SO. It became a CD and a letter, which was pretty good still--I burned some Ayu and Do As Infinity, a couple of Kimeru songs (:DDD), a couple of Myu songs I felt wouldn't scar him horribly, some Nagayan, some general TeniPuri songs, some Miyamoto Shunichi, among others, all in all a good mix, I think :P
I wrapped it all prettily, stuck the letter to it, and gave it to him and told him it was a thank-you present since he was leaving, and he was so excited XDD "何, 何?" (What is it, what is it?) and I told him to just open it and see, which he did--veeerrrrry slowly. Apparently it's a Japanese thing, he explained later, that when someone wraps a present, it's treated almost as a present itself (and lots of time they'll KEEP the wrapping paper too), and very carefully unwrapped, so this is what he did, explaining why as he did it. He couldn't wait to listen, and said he'd read the letter later (thank goodness O_O I'd probably have died from embarrassment otherwise XD I'm horrible at letter-writing).
After that we kinda chatted about what's next to come for me--I'd mentioned earlier that I was going to, rather than auditing like I did this semester, actually TAKE a Japanese class next semester, George-sensei's MODL 489 (the class Takashi was a class helper for, acting as a conversation partner). He thought about this for a moment, and then looked at me and kinda laughed and told me...I really shouldn't have high expectations for the class. I was all, "...Eh?"
He explained that if I was at an 'advanced level,' then George-sensei, the teacher of all the Japanese classes, is at a more 'intermediate level.' Apparently he's just not as 'in-tune' with the language, very often doesn't understand something like an idiom (I pride myself on knowing random idioms XD), and would ask Takashi to explain it (which btw, Takashi imitated him in Japanese with what I SO hope is not a typical American accent in Japanese--he sounded like Shachihoko, the America contestant, in Yakitate! Japan *shudder* please please please let me not talk that way...), and then STILL not understand it afterwards, which really frustrated him. Also, he's apparently not good at writing (though neither am I, kanji's my weakest point), very frequently forgets kanji and even grammar--things that are fine for me as a student, but shouldn't really be expected from a professor or someone in a teacher's position. I got the feeling that he didn't really get along with George-sensei, and I think it has to do with the vast difference between Japanese culture and American culture, a fact Takashi's still not completely accepting.
I feel embarrassed for America when a student just forgets to come to conversation with him, or arrives ten minutes late or something, because I know that this is a great opportunity for me, can't imagine not taking advantage of it, and want to identify with Takashi--but when I talked to George-sensei about all this, his explanation was that Takashi just hadn't accepted the cold reality of American life: that People Are Selfish Here. Even as an American, I don't really think people are selfish, or think of themselves first--others later, or maybe I just don't see it as such a big deal (a product of being an American myself). But when I look at us from a Japanese POV, I can see how weird our culture might seem, how things that are acceptable, even expected from people here would be unTHINKABLE in Japanese society. I wish it were different, that others could help Takashi see America's good side, but it really is a tall order, and it just didn't pull through. I hope I at least have shown him that all Americans aren't selfish idiots who care about #1. *le sigh*
I really hope we can stay in touch from here, we exchanged email addresses, and he said he'd email me frequently, and would be sure to bug me to check over essays he has to write for scholarships and such--it would be a lot easier conversing with someone who knows Japanese, he noted, because I could pick up on nuances and explain parts that aren't quite correct, and why, since I'd have the background of knowing how you'd say it in Japanese and why it's a different way in English. He'll also be able to help me if I need, say, a letter of reccommendation for something he can help with--who knows! And then I can ask him questions on grammar and whatnot when I need to--a native speaker, a click away, YAY!
With that, our conversation drew to an end ;___; We took pictures (or, he took my picture, rather), and then had the cheesiest farewell ever, sounded right out of some drama or anime:
Me: "これでおわりですか?" [Is this the end (of our time)?]
Takashi: "いや,はじまりです." [No, this is only the beginning!]
Yes, so totally cliche, but I loved it. As we walked back outside, he did the CUTEST THING, though. He rushed ahead of me to open the door, and said, "Nihon de konna koto wa--" *opens the door and ushers me through most gentlemanly, "Yaranai yo!"-- ("In Japan--they [guys] won't do this sort of thing for you~") It wasn't so much what he said that was cute, but his VOICE. He was so funny XDDDD
As we walked away, we talked about the guys of Japan some more, and HE ASKED ME IF I LIKED JAPANESE GUYS. WHAT THE HELL. OF COURSE I DO. I answered pretty much in the affirmative, and it took him a moment to realize that HE WAS THE FIRST JAPANESE GUY I'VE EVER TALKED TO XDDDDD
Of course that would come on our last conversation *sighs* Then he went on to say that most Japanese guys aren't like him--they won't frankly tell you their honest opinions, are very shy, and I realized that all the guys I'd been exposed to were completely different from that--Tuti's one of the most outgoing guys I've ever seen, all of the Myu guys seem that way. I guess I've just been kind of sheltered o_O
But maa, that was the end of our time together :( Hopefully we'll get to see each other again some day, but at least we'll have email to stay in touch! I'm totally looking forward to next semester now, and the chance to do this all over again~!
So, for the last Friday update (for a while, at least)...
We went to a different place to talk today! Not sure why, but it probably had something to do with the MSC being crawling with people today for some reason. We wound up in the same place where we first met for our first conversation (!!! memories~), sat down on some couches and started our chat.
It's finally gotten wintry in College Station (read: temperatures below 60), so of course that was the first conversation topic, yay! I love winter, and remarked on this, and he laughed and said that I'd be fine in Japan then (ZOMG real winter, YAY!), that there are really four contrasting seasons there, rather than the twoish that kinda blur into each other here. Seeing some images of fall/winter in Japan recently make me realize he really isn't kidding--it's so beautiful~
After that, he asked how my Thanksgiving was, and I told him I'd gathered with my family, reunion-like, to eat the meal, and had a lot of fun. He asked if I'd told my family about wanting to go to Japan, and how they took it--did they support me, or not want me to go? I explained that they were actually very happy, and wanted me to take the opportunity and have fun (though I left out the real reason I just recently learned :P My mom's worried I won't be able to afford graduate school, so she wants me to go into the JET program with the intention to save up money for grad school--we'll see how THAT works out >_>).
Now, seeing as it was our last conversation, I got him a little present~ I was actually going to give him some pocky (as our little joke), burn him a CD of the music that got me into Japanese (cause it was the music, really, that first captivated me, helped along by anime) since we'd talked about music a good bit, and write him a letter--in Japanese with horrible handwriting and all--but as I posted last night, WIEURIEHSLDFISF WORLD MARKET WAS OUT :((((((
SO. It became a CD and a letter, which was pretty good still--I burned some Ayu and Do As Infinity, a couple of Kimeru songs (:DDD), a couple of Myu songs I felt wouldn't scar him horribly, some Nagayan, some general TeniPuri songs, some Miyamoto Shunichi, among others, all in all a good mix, I think :P
I wrapped it all prettily, stuck the letter to it, and gave it to him and told him it was a thank-you present since he was leaving, and he was so excited XDD "何, 何?" (What is it, what is it?) and I told him to just open it and see, which he did--veeerrrrry slowly. Apparently it's a Japanese thing, he explained later, that when someone wraps a present, it's treated almost as a present itself (and lots of time they'll KEEP the wrapping paper too), and very carefully unwrapped, so this is what he did, explaining why as he did it. He couldn't wait to listen, and said he'd read the letter later (thank goodness O_O I'd probably have died from embarrassment otherwise XD I'm horrible at letter-writing).
After that we kinda chatted about what's next to come for me--I'd mentioned earlier that I was going to, rather than auditing like I did this semester, actually TAKE a Japanese class next semester, George-sensei's MODL 489 (the class Takashi was a class helper for, acting as a conversation partner). He thought about this for a moment, and then looked at me and kinda laughed and told me...I really shouldn't have high expectations for the class. I was all, "...Eh?"
He explained that if I was at an 'advanced level,' then George-sensei, the teacher of all the Japanese classes, is at a more 'intermediate level.' Apparently he's just not as 'in-tune' with the language, very often doesn't understand something like an idiom (I pride myself on knowing random idioms XD), and would ask Takashi to explain it (which btw, Takashi imitated him in Japanese with what I SO hope is not a typical American accent in Japanese--he sounded like Shachihoko, the America contestant, in Yakitate! Japan *shudder* please please please let me not talk that way...), and then STILL not understand it afterwards, which really frustrated him. Also, he's apparently not good at writing (though neither am I, kanji's my weakest point), very frequently forgets kanji and even grammar--things that are fine for me as a student, but shouldn't really be expected from a professor or someone in a teacher's position. I got the feeling that he didn't really get along with George-sensei, and I think it has to do with the vast difference between Japanese culture and American culture, a fact Takashi's still not completely accepting.
I feel embarrassed for America when a student just forgets to come to conversation with him, or arrives ten minutes late or something, because I know that this is a great opportunity for me, can't imagine not taking advantage of it, and want to identify with Takashi--but when I talked to George-sensei about all this, his explanation was that Takashi just hadn't accepted the cold reality of American life: that People Are Selfish Here. Even as an American, I don't really think people are selfish, or think of themselves first--others later, or maybe I just don't see it as such a big deal (a product of being an American myself). But when I look at us from a Japanese POV, I can see how weird our culture might seem, how things that are acceptable, even expected from people here would be unTHINKABLE in Japanese society. I wish it were different, that others could help Takashi see America's good side, but it really is a tall order, and it just didn't pull through. I hope I at least have shown him that all Americans aren't selfish idiots who care about #1. *le sigh*
I really hope we can stay in touch from here, we exchanged email addresses, and he said he'd email me frequently, and would be sure to bug me to check over essays he has to write for scholarships and such--it would be a lot easier conversing with someone who knows Japanese, he noted, because I could pick up on nuances and explain parts that aren't quite correct, and why, since I'd have the background of knowing how you'd say it in Japanese and why it's a different way in English. He'll also be able to help me if I need, say, a letter of reccommendation for something he can help with--who knows! And then I can ask him questions on grammar and whatnot when I need to--a native speaker, a click away, YAY!
With that, our conversation drew to an end ;___; We took pictures (or, he took my picture, rather), and then had the cheesiest farewell ever, sounded right out of some drama or anime:
Me: "これでおわりですか?" [Is this the end (of our time)?]
Takashi: "いや,はじまりです." [No, this is only the beginning!]
Yes, so totally cliche, but I loved it. As we walked back outside, he did the CUTEST THING, though. He rushed ahead of me to open the door, and said, "Nihon de konna koto wa--" *opens the door and ushers me through most gentlemanly, "Yaranai yo!"-- ("In Japan--they [guys] won't do this sort of thing for you~") It wasn't so much what he said that was cute, but his VOICE. He was so funny XDDDD
As we walked away, we talked about the guys of Japan some more, and HE ASKED ME IF I LIKED JAPANESE GUYS. WHAT THE HELL. OF COURSE I DO. I answered pretty much in the affirmative, and it took him a moment to realize that HE WAS THE FIRST JAPANESE GUY I'VE EVER TALKED TO XDDDDD
Of course that would come on our last conversation *sighs* Then he went on to say that most Japanese guys aren't like him--they won't frankly tell you their honest opinions, are very shy, and I realized that all the guys I'd been exposed to were completely different from that--Tuti's one of the most outgoing guys I've ever seen, all of the Myu guys seem that way. I guess I've just been kind of sheltered o_O
But maa, that was the end of our time together :( Hopefully we'll get to see each other again some day, but at least we'll have email to stay in touch! I'm totally looking forward to next semester now, and the chance to do this all over again~!
