this and that

I’m not sure why, but lately, i’ve been in super weird moods. For example, yesterday, i got super angry at the world. Well, more specifically, angry at my predecessor. Long story short, she sold me a car for $500 before i arrived in Tsushima. I get here, realize it’s a piece of crap, can’t drive it because it’s manual with no power steering, figure i’m a danger to myself and everyone on the road if i use it, so i went out and got myself a leased car (it’s a wonderful Honda Life. I call her Snow White o(^ ^)o ). After getting my leased car, i tried selling it, didn’t work out because the car’s shaken (government mandated car inspection once every two years) runs out in December, it’s an old car, and would probably cost more to keep up than to just scrap it. In other words, i bought i car i can’t use and can’t sell. Thus, i have to scrap it. Damn her.

This car issue is just about the only thing that has repeatedly stressed me out since getting here. I seriously believe that once i get rid of it, as in it’s no longer parked outside my home and reminds me each time i come in and out that i have to do something about it, that quality of life will go up a notch. I will be happier. More importantly, i won’t feel guilty and stressed out. Let this be a lesson to all of us: NEVER buy a car you’ve never seen or test driven before, no matter HOW CHEAP you think it is. There, i’ve said it.

Moving on.

As of last week, i’d honestly say that my japanese hadn’t improved much since getting to Tsushima, largely because i’ve been really lazy about studying or reading newspapers and the like. I have no idea why, but the last 2 or 3 days, i’ve been on a Japanese-geek-high, and have been studying day in and day out. More importantly, i’ve been stopping random teachers and office workers to teach me Tsushima-ben and Nagasaki-ben (ben = dialect). Maybe this is just me, but i feel like when i know what to listen for, i’m much more likely to hear it.

2 examples.

First, before going to Kyoto last year to study abroad, during one of our orientations, we were given a short list of Kansai-ben that we were likely to hear often. And indeed, after i studied that list, my comprehension of random conversations between my host family members or just people in general, went up significantly.

Second, i could totally be remembering this incorrectly, but when i took Developmental Psych freshman year, i think i heard this one experiment where they sat kids in front of the tv, and every now and then, they’d insert a voice randomly speaking German. What did the kid’s brain waves look like? You’d think that because they’re hearing something foreign, their brain activity would be all over the place, but actually, when the German came on, their brains didn’t react at all, and when their native language came on again, brain activity resumed.

In the same way, i honestly believe that once i know what to listen for, i’ll be able to understand what’s going on around me. Equipped with my short list of local dialect words, i actually have noticed, “Hey, that person just said ----!! That means ----!!” Exciting for me indeed. Maybe now my taxi drivers wont have to repeat themselves about 15 times before i register what they’re saying to me. Or maybe they can, i dont know, learn to ENUNCIATE. Wouldn’t that be splendid? =P

In other news, i have officially chosen a favorite [Japanese] comedian (second, of course, only to Dave Chapelle). His name is Jinnai Tomonori, and his skits are like crack. Once you start watching them, you can’t stop. He speaks a ton of Kansai-ben, but his timing is so on key that even if you dont really understand what’s being said (like me), you’ll still think it’s a riot (like me). Here are some of my favorite acts:

Alibis Through Sound: http://youtube.com/watch?v=F5fyU-8hNgs&mode=related&search=

Lost and Found: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-Z3HtVUGsYI

Quiz Show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=etgZ9uC75ls&mode=related&search=

Counting Sheep: http://youtube.com/watch?v=yqz6ePoWyoA

Tetris: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9bXyZTF2TH0&mode=related&search=


And speaking of the devil, i found out yesterday morning during my daily 10 minutes of tv-watching, that he just got engaged. Yay for him! Funny people deserve to be happy.

Finally, i think i’ve found a new pastime on this island. And no, it’s not more laminating. It’s putting puzzles together! Rob has a room and table perfect for puzzle assembly, so last weekend he, David North, and I started on a 1000 piece puzzle of Himeji Castle. I think i’m going to hate sky blue after this, but it’s all good.

And with that, i’m off to enjoy the rest of my birthday o(^ ^)o Darn, no more shocking people by saying, “I’m 21.” Oh well, i had my fun!..... Wow, i’m spending my year being 22 on an island off of South Korea... I wonder what this year has in store =)

--Evelyn