What's up!
After returning back to the states I was on a train headed back home from NYC and just thinking to myself and I came up with a question. I wanted to ask other people, not only friends but strangers too. I also wanted to ask a variety of people from different places and different backgrounds.
I wanted to ask you:
As an American, what does it mean to be American to you?
およそ１ヶ月半前に日本からアメリカに帰国しました。日本に住んだ２年間で、僕の世界は広がっていきました。色々な世界の人々と会って、個人的な考えや感情と面白い話をして交流しました。 この経験から色々な考えを思い付きました。
先週末に大阪から友達がアメリカに来たので、ニューヨークに遊びに行きました。その日が終って、電車の中でよく考え、そしてこの質問を思い付きました。
As an American, what does it mean to be American to you?
アメリカ人として、そして自分にとって、アメリカ人の意味とは、なんだと思いますか？
日本に行く前は、そういう考え方がなかったんです。国際的な考え方に興味があるので、これを日本人にも聞きたいです。
日本人として、日本人の意味とは、なんだと思いますか？
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 04, 2010
Intermediate Japanese? 中級レベルかなぁ？
僕の日本語は中級レベルかなぁ？
日本語の勉強を始めてから、もうすぐ２年になります。僕はどれぐらい日本語を覚えたかな。中級ぐらいだと思いたいですが、毎日基本的な間違いもいっぱいあります。例えば助詞の使い方とか、動詞活用の規則などよく間違えます。
もうアメリカに帰りましたが、日本に２年間住んでいる間に日本の生活に慣れ、日本語も大分上達しました。日本に住んでいた時には会話はいつもチャレンジになっていました。限られた能力で自分の気持ちと思いを伝えればそれぞれの会話は小さな勝利になります。失敗もありました。すべての会話を１００％分からなくても、そのチャレンジを好きになりました。楽しかったけれども僕はもっと勉強しなきゃと思いました。特に外人の友達から見たら僕は日本語がとても上手だろうけど、自分としてはまだ十分じゃないんだと思う。
友達に「日本語では自分に厳し過ぎだよ」と言われましたが、僕はそうは思いません。日本人は英語圏の国に住むと早く上達することができて、一年ぐらいで大体ぺらぺらになります。少し大げさかもしれませんがそんなことよくあるでしょう。しかし、外人は何年も日本に住んでいても、なかなか日本語を覚えられません。何でだろう？確かにぺらぺらの外人もいますが、今までにそういう人に二人しか会ったことがありません。
日記を書くときは、ゆっくりできるし、辞書を使えるし、大体僕の気持ちと思いも伝えられます。しかし話す時に言葉が出てきません。ちょっと緊張して、つたない日本語ばっかりでちゃいます。対面相互作用として僕の気持ちと伝えたいことは、まだちゃんと伝えられません。
話が上達するためにどうしたらいいですか？ もっと頑張らなきゃ！
I wonder if I can consider myself to have Intermediate Japanese?
Soon it'll have been two years since I started studying Japanese. I wonder how much Japanese I've actually managed to learn. I would like to think that I'm at an intermediate level. However I feel like everyday I make very basic mistakes. For example things like verb conjugation or particle placement I seem to make many mistakes.
I've already returned to America but the two years that I did live in Japan I got used to living there, and I also improved my Japanese alot. After living there every conversation became a challenge. If I was able to get across my thoughts and feelings with with my limited vocabulary and ability I considered each conversation a small victory. Of course there were also failures, but I got used to that challenge and I came to like it. I also came to like the fact that I couldn't always understand %100 of everything I hear or see. I told myself I needed to study more. Most of my foreign friends thought my Japanese was very good, or good enough, but I didn't think so. My friends said I was too tough on myself but again, I didn't think so.
If Japanese people live in an English speaking country they learn English so quickly and within one year or so they become more or less fluent. Ok that may be somewhat of an exaggeration but I've met many people that are fluent after living only one year abroad. With foreigners living in Japan they can live there many years, but in very few cases are they fluent. I wonder why this is? Of course there are foreigners that are fluent in Japanese but in my experience I've only met two people to whom this applies to.
Because I can do it slowly at my own speed and with a dictionary I'm able to convey my feelings and thoughts in Japanese, however when it comes to speaking the words just don't seem to come out. I get nervous and I use crude or clumsy Japanese. Basically when I come face to face with someone I just can't say what I want to say at the right time.
What can I do to become better at speaking? I guess I just gotta keep trying.
日本語の勉強を始めてから、もうすぐ２年になります。僕はどれぐらい日本語を覚えたかな。中級ぐらいだと思いたいですが、毎日基本的な間違いもいっぱいあります。例えば助詞の使い方とか、動詞活用の規則などよく間違えます。
もうアメリカに帰りましたが、日本に２年間住んでいる間に日本の生活に慣れ、日本語も大分上達しました。日本に住んでいた時には会話はいつもチャレンジになっていました。限られた能力で自分の気持ちと思いを伝えればそれぞれの会話は小さな勝利になります。失敗もありました。すべての会話を１００％分からなくても、そのチャレンジを好きになりました。楽しかったけれども僕はもっと勉強しなきゃと思いました。特に外人の友達から見たら僕は日本語がとても上手だろうけど、自分としてはまだ十分じゃないんだと思う。
友達に「日本語では自分に厳し過ぎだよ」と言われましたが、僕はそうは思いません。日本人は英語圏の国に住むと早く上達することができて、一年ぐらいで大体ぺらぺらになります。少し大げさかもしれませんがそんなことよくあるでしょう。しかし、外人は何年も日本に住んでいても、なかなか日本語を覚えられません。何でだろう？確かにぺらぺらの外人もいますが、今までにそういう人に二人しか会ったことがありません。
日記を書くときは、ゆっくりできるし、辞書を使えるし、大体僕の気持ちと思いも伝えられます。しかし話す時に言葉が出てきません。ちょっと緊張して、つたない日本語ばっかりでちゃいます。対面相互作用として僕の気持ちと伝えたいことは、まだちゃんと伝えられません。
話が上達するためにどうしたらいいですか？ もっと頑張らなきゃ！
I wonder if I can consider myself to have Intermediate Japanese?
Soon it'll have been two years since I started studying Japanese. I wonder how much Japanese I've actually managed to learn. I would like to think that I'm at an intermediate level. However I feel like everyday I make very basic mistakes. For example things like verb conjugation or particle placement I seem to make many mistakes.
I've already returned to America but the two years that I did live in Japan I got used to living there, and I also improved my Japanese alot. After living there every conversation became a challenge. If I was able to get across my thoughts and feelings with with my limited vocabulary and ability I considered each conversation a small victory. Of course there were also failures, but I got used to that challenge and I came to like it. I also came to like the fact that I couldn't always understand %100 of everything I hear or see. I told myself I needed to study more. Most of my foreign friends thought my Japanese was very good, or good enough, but I didn't think so. My friends said I was too tough on myself but again, I didn't think so.
If Japanese people live in an English speaking country they learn English so quickly and within one year or so they become more or less fluent. Ok that may be somewhat of an exaggeration but I've met many people that are fluent after living only one year abroad. With foreigners living in Japan they can live there many years, but in very few cases are they fluent. I wonder why this is? Of course there are foreigners that are fluent in Japanese but in my experience I've only met two people to whom this applies to.
Because I can do it slowly at my own speed and with a dictionary I'm able to convey my feelings and thoughts in Japanese, however when it comes to speaking the words just don't seem to come out. I get nervous and I use crude or clumsy Japanese. Basically when I come face to face with someone I just can't say what I want to say at the right time.
What can I do to become better at speaking? I guess I just gotta keep trying.
Friday, May 28, 2010
経った一ヶ月
大阪からニューヨーク州に戻ってもうすぐ一ヶ月です。
アメリカに帰国してから用事がいっぱいあります。アメリカに住むと必要なものは携帯と自動車と仕事です。まず携帯を買いに行きました。 Verizonと言う会社でスマートフォンを買ってしまいました。ブラックベリーのツアーと言うスマートフォンを買いました。サラリーマンには iPhoneより便利な携帯だそうです。、サラリーマンにiPhoneより便利な携帯だそうです。僕はサラリーマンになるつもりはないですが、こんな不安 な景気では雇用確保が大切なので（サラリーマンに）なってしまうかも知れません。
２年前アメリカから日本に移住するまでに僕の自動車は問題がありました。 バッテリーがなくなってエンジンがかからなくなりました。そういうわけ で家族に頼み、自動車を２年間ずっとそのまま家の敷地内の道路に置いておきました。自動車整備士に見てもらうと、修理は２０万円以上かかりますって言われ ました。僕は驚いて、祖父の薦めてくれた自動車整備士にも見てもらうと修理は１万円以下でした。 安心しました。
２年間のALT生活は楽しかったです。この経験から先生になりたいと思いました。それか子供と関わる仕事に就きたいです。昨日就職の面接に行きま した。上手く行きましたがこの仕事はあまり好きじゃないと思います。生命保険会社には興味がないです。生命保険の営業マンにはなりたくないです。他の仕事 を探さなければなりません。
随分と忙しい１日でした。
Soon it'll be a month since I came back from Japan.
Since I came back there's so much I have to do. If you live in America theres three things you can't live without, a job, a cell phone, and a car. First I had to get a phone. I had to catch up my old cell phone bill and get a new phone. I finally got a smart phone. I went with the Blackberry tour. It's pretty good and its supposed to be really useful for business people. I don't consider myself a business person but I might become one depending on the job I get. With the bad economy it might be a good idea to become a "business person".
Two years ago before I moved to Japan my car was having some problems. My battery was shot and the car wasn't starting. So when I left I was hoping my family would just replace the battery and drive it around it keep it in good shape, but instead it just sat there for 2 years. If you know cars then you know this is really bad for it haha. Anyways took it to the mechanic and they said it'd cost over $2000 to fix. I was like Jesus Christ! I only paid 3000 for it in the first place. After that I took it to a trusted mechanic (suggested by my grandfather) and turns out it was only $96 to pass inspection. I felt relieved. Midas is a bunch of crooks! Don't go there.
It was really fun being an ALT for the 2 years I was in Japan. From that experience I feel like I want to be a teacher now, or at least work at a job that involves children. I had a job interview yesterday and although it went well I don't care if I get the job or not. I don't really want to become a Life Insurance agent. If I can work in a job that uses Japanese, involves kids, or video games then I'd be happy.
I've been pretty busy over the past month...
アメリカに帰国してから用事がいっぱいあります。アメリカに住むと必要なものは携帯と自動車と仕事です。まず携帯を買いに行きました。 Verizonと言う会社でスマートフォンを買ってしまいました。ブラックベリーのツアーと言うスマートフォンを買いました。サラリーマンには iPhoneより便利な携帯だそうです。、サラリーマンにiPhoneより便利な携帯だそうです。僕はサラリーマンになるつもりはないですが、こんな不安 な景気では雇用確保が大切なので（サラリーマンに）なってしまうかも知れません。
２年前アメリカから日本に移住するまでに僕の自動車は問題がありました。 バッテリーがなくなってエンジンがかからなくなりました。そういうわけ で家族に頼み、自動車を２年間ずっとそのまま家の敷地内の道路に置いておきました。自動車整備士に見てもらうと、修理は２０万円以上かかりますって言われ ました。僕は驚いて、祖父の薦めてくれた自動車整備士にも見てもらうと修理は１万円以下でした。 安心しました。
２年間のALT生活は楽しかったです。この経験から先生になりたいと思いました。それか子供と関わる仕事に就きたいです。昨日就職の面接に行きま した。上手く行きましたがこの仕事はあまり好きじゃないと思います。生命保険会社には興味がないです。生命保険の営業マンにはなりたくないです。他の仕事 を探さなければなりません。
随分と忙しい１日でした。
Soon it'll be a month since I came back from Japan.
Since I came back there's so much I have to do. If you live in America theres three things you can't live without, a job, a cell phone, and a car. First I had to get a phone. I had to catch up my old cell phone bill and get a new phone. I finally got a smart phone. I went with the Blackberry tour. It's pretty good and its supposed to be really useful for business people. I don't consider myself a business person but I might become one depending on the job I get. With the bad economy it might be a good idea to become a "business person".
Two years ago before I moved to Japan my car was having some problems. My battery was shot and the car wasn't starting. So when I left I was hoping my family would just replace the battery and drive it around it keep it in good shape, but instead it just sat there for 2 years. If you know cars then you know this is really bad for it haha. Anyways took it to the mechanic and they said it'd cost over $2000 to fix. I was like Jesus Christ! I only paid 3000 for it in the first place. After that I took it to a trusted mechanic (suggested by my grandfather) and turns out it was only $96 to pass inspection. I felt relieved. Midas is a bunch of crooks! Don't go there.
It was really fun being an ALT for the 2 years I was in Japan. From that experience I feel like I want to be a teacher now, or at least work at a job that involves children. I had a job interview yesterday and although it went well I don't care if I get the job or not. I don't really want to become a Life Insurance agent. If I can work in a job that uses Japanese, involves kids, or video games then I'd be happy.
I've been pretty busy over the past month...
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
America
I'm back in America! I finally came back. This completes my Journey in Japan. I'll still write in this blog so take a look, but it might change a bit.
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