January 17

Today is お母さんの誕生日! I got woken up at 7:00, but I went back to bed until about 10:30. After, I took a frigid shower and ate the delicious roast beef and egg sandwich お母さん had made for me. She asked me to turn the TV off when I had finished breakfast, but to leave it on while I ate because, she said, “It’s [listening to Japanese] good for me.” She even made a lunch for me of... おにぎり and リンゴ!!!! お母さん spoils me even on her own birthday.

After she had gone to work, I had my mundane (but fun) day of laundry, skype, piano, and homework. お母さんの washer acts like American お母さんの washer; it shakes violently when it hits high spin. Unfortunately, Japanese お母さん wasn’t home when I noticed it, so, not having a command of how to resume the wash cycle if I stopped it, I did my best to stabilize the machine during its last five minutes. I was very fortunate to find some of my friends online at 1am d: and to find my homework not as hard as it appeared. I must, however, study to be ready for the quiz on Monday and reading class (in which following the sensei is harder to do than the actual work).

Dinner was very special today. We had sushi!!!! お母さん said it was because it was her birthday and she didn’t want to cook. I’m still wondering if she made it herself or bought it. お母さん always tells me to eat (before everyone else) and I feel rude to do so, so I wait anyway. Today, she told me to just relax (all the time), that she and お父さん could be nervous, but that I didn’t need to. (: The sushi was delicious; we had rolled sushi of tuna, たまご, cucumber, and something undetermined as well as sashimi of salmon, tuna, shrimp, and something untranslated. There were two other kinds of sashimi, one a marinated fish and the other mackerel. We also had miso with udon and お母さん told me not to eat more than I could, but I tried to finish my bowl because I hate to waste something she worked over (but in the end she took my bowl with soup in it). We had pudding again for dessert (: and I spoke with お父さん about linguistics of English (American and British) and Japanese.

お母さん offered to take me with her to her job (teaching foreigners basic Japanese) and to the department store afterward. I wanted to go, but I guess I wasn’t showing it, so お父さん told me that I should get all the experiences I can in Japan. I’ll be going with お母さん tomorrow, and hopefully I will find her present in the process... though making it a covert operation will be tough...

I think my host family is getting the idea that I do not go out with my friends enough because I planned to spend the weekend here. I hope they will not worry though, and realize that it’s only the first weekend and I’m trying to get a feel for my class work (homework) before I start spending weekend days with my friends.

I think I am catching on to お母さん. She definitely speaks with some kind of dialect or slur as compared to textbook Japanese and I think she has a few tricks up her sleeve. I’m getting better at catching what she says and during dinner she’s been relaying to お父さん what I’ve said to her, which isn’t bad, just funny when I recognize it. She also knows how to whine as well as the young Japanese girls, which I find both interesting and a bit funny. I think she can turn on the bitterness (perhaps only in the same way that I get bitter to brush things off) based on the tone of some of the things she has said to お父さん. I really admire her though for having such an interesting personality (not to mention her cooking ability and kindness to me).

I have found a few more differences between our countries to share. The hard part isn’t encountering them, but recognizing them once you experience them.

The first is; Japanese people don’t use napkins at meals. I’m constantly fascinated with the types of food and ways of eating them (like slurping!) that Japanese people have and yet, remain neat eaters. お父さん and お母さん told me I could use their paper napkins (“serviettes,” as they had lived in Belgium) since they never used them. They also said not to worry when I excused myself for burping. お母さん said “ガブリエル is very polite but we are not polite.” Gross overstatement on both sides!!!

They don’t use towels (or driers) in public bathrooms either; the solution is to bring your own handkerchief. I guess this is pretty logical and not a bad idea, as the air driers in the US never seem quick enough and paper towels are a waste of trees (though Japan makes up for this with the volume of paper handed out in educational institutions). It’s most probably more sanitary to bring your own towel too.

Another major difference is; mandatory sorting of trash. In Japan, there are many different trash receptacles, but no “trash can.” There will always be at least two bins; burnable and non-burnable. If they are further divided, there will also be bins for steel, aluminum, glass, PET plastic, and paper, if not more. お父さん was surprised to hear that recycling is a choice in the United States.

Additionally, Japanese people are required to take an annual medical check-up. お父さん said part of the exam was to have your waist measured.

There are two phrases that are sticking very well as a result of my experiences with speaking. The first is まもなく (presently, or very soon). I hear it on the 地下鉄 every day as we approach each 駅. The second is もいい, (I’m fine, thank you) which I need to start using instead of 大丈夫 (I’m alright) when お母さん continues to offer me food when I’m full. Also, 服を洗濯する, でも, お皿を洗う. (There is a different verb for washing clothes and for washing dishes) I think I’m figuring out the best way for me to learn Japanese; that is to do my best to learn and remember what is taught in class, then to reinforce it by listening and talking in Japanese. I am finding that I know a lot of things from when I studied and memorized them in class, but that I have to hear them in practical situations to really be able to access them. After I’ve heard them in practice, I have an experience to link them with rather than an isolated attempt to memorize the language. I’m not a fast learner, but I think I can do this...

P.S. I finally found a Miata yesterday. It lives on the street behind our house and I’m determined to get a picture before I leave. The only thing that kept me from taking the picture last time was the darkness at 6-something PM when I got home from the 地下鉄.