All the Small Things

I'm not doing this from a PSP for once (though I'm still using e-mail
rather than blogspot itself), so I can type all I want. I'm going to
use this one to get a lot of things that would be annoying to fit into
other posts for flow or space issues. Anyways...

I keep hearing about people asking about me, which I'm glad to hear,
and guessing by the lack of people actually contacting me (I'm active
on Skype, e-mail and Facebook, the latter two I use to contact people
in Japan as well) I seem to make better conversation as a topic than a
participant (I say that lightheartedly).

I've noticed a few of the exchange students getting homesick. I'm not
sure what I am, I have amy thoughts of home, but I'm going to finish
my stay in Japan. Our reasons are mostly the same, getting through to
the Japanese is difficult, they have a lifestyle so different from
what we're used to, we don't fit in, we miss our homes, the West &
freedom, and so on. At this point, I can't even say that I've made
friends I'll keep as such when back in Canada, though I hope to with
the band (Group of Poverty).

When I do get back, I'll be sure to act differently that I did before
to exchange students. It's a wierd life to live. Also, if they're
anything like what we are here, we mostly just want to get out, have
fun and experience. This is something the Japanese do not have the
time or money for, having club for so much of every day and having
wallets worth more than they'll ever carry (or some other overpriced
item).

I'm getting rather good with the ex-word electronic dictionary. I even
use the English dictionary (useful for someone like me who is often
more precise than accurate), though I don't always agree with its
definitions (humans are not seperate from animals).

My legs are getting worn out again from all my walks. I don't even
need a map anymore except for addresses. Five hours or more walking, I
could really use some company, or just something to do.

No, I'll (likely) not be getting a Japanese girlfriend. They seem to
find me attractive & scary, but I don't want to go out with someone
who cares most about status and looks and ...oh, I already made the
rest of this point in Japanese Character part three (I can't link in
an e-mail, there's a sidebar, it was written this month, it should be
easy to find).

Also, the only on of us to get a real relationship... well... let's
just say that with him as an example, I don't see how it helps.

Also, I hear the others talking about who cultural Japanese classes
they have like caligraphy. My school is a private school for jocks
specializing in soccer, baseball and batton twirling. I know of no
cultural Japanese classes aside from history and literature. I'm
going to try to catch up in history, ancient literature would take too
much effort to get into (even the Japanese don't understand it) and
modern literature was great, when I did have it, but as past tense
suggests, I no longer do.

Trying to find classes I could do, and hence learn from (both Japanese
and curiculum) I tried out maths and sciences, but for some reason,
when I switched classes at the end of the year, they put me back into
a regular class with not subjects of interest, so forty percent of my
time is spent outside my homeroom class. I'm even doing better
socially with the science class.

As for English class, it's mostly direct translation, interpertation
and studying the technicalities of English grammar. They can't read
Dr. Seuss without a dictionary and yet the teachers have them figuring
out the stranger uses of grammar or translating texts they'll never
have use for. It's even boring for me, I don't blame them for hating
English seeing this (though French may be disliked regardless of how
bad your class is, or if you've had any)(kidding, real French
treachers are actually good at teaching the language).

That should be enough for now.