Accent-uated
Hey.
Its been a rough week, so I will try and keep it positive.
The title relates to the fact that apparently the Kiwi accent is hard to understand. Before I came to Japan I didn't think we had accents... LOL, Nah I knew we did. But anyway, my students struggle a little to understand me, which has resulted in some "complaints" (that they can't understand me) which probably get blown out of proportion. The result being in my review this week I was told that I may not come off probation this month because of "not being popular with the students" among other things. Its kind of frustrating, because there is only so much I can do to help them understand my accent, and of course compared to a US or Canadian accent (which is loud and clear - grrrr envy!) a reserved boy with a kiwi accent looks bad. Anyway thats my whinging for the day. I just need to make sure I don't take it too personally, otherwise I will lose confidence, and then I will talk quieter, and the students will pick up on my self-doubt, and complain... Oh well. I guess coming off probation isn't that big an issue - I will only get paid the equivalent of $100 more a month.
Something else that amuses me here is the disregard to things that we take for granted - such as ethics and rights. One example is I noticed on a flyer for a cuban bar that "teachers and Latinos 500yen" and "everyone else 1500yen". I thought that would have been illegal, being race-based discrimination (ie. non-latinos have to pay more). But then I guess the Outback in Hamilton has "ladies night" where they give girls a free drink (gender based discrimination).
Wow I'm on fire today.
This weekend has been kinda fun. Yesterday I had my Japanese lesson, and then went to the park near here and attended a tea ceremony. The tea was not bad (before coming to Japan tea used to almost make me barf). After having tea, we could try playing these traditional Japanese instruments (like a guitar on a hollow log). They had been playing them while we had been having the tea ceremony, and they reminded me of how Suzanne and I used to randomly strum our out of tune ukelele (we didn't know a ukelele was a real instrument until high school - I just thought it was a toy guitar). Anyway they showed us a traditional Japanese tune. Then my instrument instructor basically tuned it and showed me that you could play Doh Ray Me on it. So I strummed it hard and went "Wayne's world, Wayne's world, party time, excellent!" needless to say, they weren't impressed. No, I'm kidding. I played Yankee doodle, and then we collabarated and played twinkle twinkle little star. Honestly though, after that I showed her how to play the tune from "Once were warriors". I thought that was kind of funny. From there I went home, quickly had a couple of sandwiches, and headed into Nagoya for an audition for the play The Crucible. That was kind of cool. Afterwards I went out for drinks and food (I just had water -Mizu - if you say water they think you said vodka) with the other potential cast members. That was kind of interesting, they are the stereotypical actor/arty types - loud boisterious people, (and predominantly North American,) and being the accountant-type reserved kiwi guy that I am, there is a bit of a contrast. I attempted a phone call home, it worked, but it was a shortened conversation because my phone ran out of battery. From there I caught the train to Sakae, where I had been previously (where there is a TV tower, and interesting underground mall and bus station, but it was closed. So I walked back to the Nagoya station (2 stations/suburbs away) and caught the train home. When I got back to Yokkaichi, it had started snowing.
Today I am attempting to get the little jobs done fast, and then go to Nagoya and see the castle, and try to go to Sakae again and get some photos of that. So we will see.
Oh by the way, you gossip hounds out there, that girl didn't text me back. And the student that I thought may fancy me (the high school teacher) gave someone else a chocolate too. So I am not special. Oh and according to my Japanese teacher, when looking at some of my photos reckons I have lost weight. So that might be a good thing. I don't know how true that is of my time since I have been here as scales are few and far between. I don't know about others but I am always a little offended by compliments like that - its like saying "You used to be fat". LOL
Its been a rough week, so I will try and keep it positive.
The title relates to the fact that apparently the Kiwi accent is hard to understand. Before I came to Japan I didn't think we had accents... LOL, Nah I knew we did. But anyway, my students struggle a little to understand me, which has resulted in some "complaints" (that they can't understand me) which probably get blown out of proportion. The result being in my review this week I was told that I may not come off probation this month because of "not being popular with the students" among other things. Its kind of frustrating, because there is only so much I can do to help them understand my accent, and of course compared to a US or Canadian accent (which is loud and clear - grrrr envy!) a reserved boy with a kiwi accent looks bad. Anyway thats my whinging for the day. I just need to make sure I don't take it too personally, otherwise I will lose confidence, and then I will talk quieter, and the students will pick up on my self-doubt, and complain... Oh well. I guess coming off probation isn't that big an issue - I will only get paid the equivalent of $100 more a month.
Something else that amuses me here is the disregard to things that we take for granted - such as ethics and rights. One example is I noticed on a flyer for a cuban bar that "teachers and Latinos 500yen" and "everyone else 1500yen". I thought that would have been illegal, being race-based discrimination (ie. non-latinos have to pay more). But then I guess the Outback in Hamilton has "ladies night" where they give girls a free drink (gender based discrimination).
Wow I'm on fire today.
This weekend has been kinda fun. Yesterday I had my Japanese lesson, and then went to the park near here and attended a tea ceremony. The tea was not bad (before coming to Japan tea used to almost make me barf). After having tea, we could try playing these traditional Japanese instruments (like a guitar on a hollow log). They had been playing them while we had been having the tea ceremony, and they reminded me of how Suzanne and I used to randomly strum our out of tune ukelele (we didn't know a ukelele was a real instrument until high school - I just thought it was a toy guitar). Anyway they showed us a traditional Japanese tune. Then my instrument instructor basically tuned it and showed me that you could play Doh Ray Me on it. So I strummed it hard and went "Wayne's world, Wayne's world, party time, excellent!" needless to say, they weren't impressed. No, I'm kidding. I played Yankee doodle, and then we collabarated and played twinkle twinkle little star. Honestly though, after that I showed her how to play the tune from "Once were warriors". I thought that was kind of funny. From there I went home, quickly had a couple of sandwiches, and headed into Nagoya for an audition for the play The Crucible. That was kind of cool. Afterwards I went out for drinks and food (I just had water -Mizu - if you say water they think you said vodka) with the other potential cast members. That was kind of interesting, they are the stereotypical actor/arty types - loud boisterious people, (and predominantly North American,) and being the accountant-type reserved kiwi guy that I am, there is a bit of a contrast. I attempted a phone call home, it worked, but it was a shortened conversation because my phone ran out of battery. From there I caught the train to Sakae, where I had been previously (where there is a TV tower, and interesting underground mall and bus station, but it was closed. So I walked back to the Nagoya station (2 stations/suburbs away) and caught the train home. When I got back to Yokkaichi, it had started snowing.
Today I am attempting to get the little jobs done fast, and then go to Nagoya and see the castle, and try to go to Sakae again and get some photos of that. So we will see.
Oh by the way, you gossip hounds out there, that girl didn't text me back. And the student that I thought may fancy me (the high school teacher) gave someone else a chocolate too. So I am not special. Oh and according to my Japanese teacher, when looking at some of my photos reckons I have lost weight. So that might be a good thing. I don't know how true that is of my time since I have been here as scales are few and far between. I don't know about others but I am always a little offended by compliments like that - its like saying "You used to be fat". LOL
posted by J T at
3:29 pm
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