Now that I finally have Internet (hooray!) I've gotten around to posting photos from cherry blossom season on Flickr, as well as some exterior shots of my apartment. I'll try to post interior shots later this week, but first I need to clean. :(
To see them, use the link at right, or find me on flickr -- username brechtgirldc.
Showing posts with label tokyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tokyo. Show all posts
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Friday, January 04, 2008
Something like the opposite
It's not every day that you take a job in another country. Or a job that was vacated by one of your best friends. Or both. But if you do, you should know -- you'll end up living a slightly surreal, Trekkian Mirror Universe of that person's life.
This is how the word "coincidence" gets misused -- it's not a coincidence that Stacy moved from Japan to the States as I was moving from the States to Japan. It's exactly by design, because I moved to Japan to replace Stacy. (Except I can never replace Stacy. She's irreplaceable. to the left, to the left ...)
But it is a little odd.
Stacy recently wrote a great post about feeling her life in Japan slipping away. It almost blew my mind to read, because I'm going through the same thing in reverse. Even though I miss my friends in the States, and my TiVo, it's astonishing how quickly I've gotten sucked into my new life in Japan. I feel strangely disconnected from things that mattered so much two months ago. I'm no longer part of our D.C. office; I'm part of the Tokyo office now, and the people in D.C., who I worked with for six years, are "them." My house, my car -- those seem like memories of things that belonged to someone else. And in a way they did.
I started to write that I'm a different person now, but that's a bit much with the hyperbole. I'm ... not sure how to explain it. I can't find the word. I'm living outside my comfort zone, and loving it. I eat different food now. I live without a car, and don't miss it at all. I spend my spare time learning kana instead of watching TV, and it's exactly what I want to be doing. (So I'm totally dismayed that Stacy says she's already forgetting kana -- am I putting all this effort into something I'm going to forget two months after going back to the States? Yes, probably.)
I mass e-mailed my family the other day about my adventures in apartment hunting, and someone wrote back "you must feel so far from home." But I don't, at all -- this IS my home now. Of course there are things about the States I miss (chicken biscuits), but there's more than enough awesome things here (lack of open-container laws) to make up for those things.
To my Mirror twin: enjoy life on the flip side, and thanks for leaving those Q-tips in our desk. Gotta love that they're individually wrapped! God bless Japanese overpackaging.
Things I can say in Japanese now:
Whose cell phone is this?
Things I can't say, but need to:
Do you have any boots ...
... in black?
... in my size?
... for less than $600?
This is how the word "coincidence" gets misused -- it's not a coincidence that Stacy moved from Japan to the States as I was moving from the States to Japan. It's exactly by design, because I moved to Japan to replace Stacy. (Except I can never replace Stacy. She's irreplaceable. to the left, to the left ...)
But it is a little odd.
Stacy recently wrote a great post about feeling her life in Japan slipping away. It almost blew my mind to read, because I'm going through the same thing in reverse. Even though I miss my friends in the States, and my TiVo, it's astonishing how quickly I've gotten sucked into my new life in Japan. I feel strangely disconnected from things that mattered so much two months ago. I'm no longer part of our D.C. office; I'm part of the Tokyo office now, and the people in D.C., who I worked with for six years, are "them." My house, my car -- those seem like memories of things that belonged to someone else. And in a way they did.
I started to write that I'm a different person now, but that's a bit much with the hyperbole. I'm ... not sure how to explain it. I can't find the word. I'm living outside my comfort zone, and loving it. I eat different food now. I live without a car, and don't miss it at all. I spend my spare time learning kana instead of watching TV, and it's exactly what I want to be doing. (So I'm totally dismayed that Stacy says she's already forgetting kana -- am I putting all this effort into something I'm going to forget two months after going back to the States? Yes, probably.)
I mass e-mailed my family the other day about my adventures in apartment hunting, and someone wrote back "you must feel so far from home." But I don't, at all -- this IS my home now. Of course there are things about the States I miss (chicken biscuits), but there's more than enough awesome things here (lack of open-container laws) to make up for those things.
To my Mirror twin: enjoy life on the flip side, and thanks for leaving those Q-tips in our desk. Gotta love that they're individually wrapped! God bless Japanese overpackaging.
Things I can say in Japanese now:
Whose cell phone is this?
Things I can't say, but need to:
Do you have any boots ...
... in black?
... in my size?
... for less than $600?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
An open letter to the authors of 'Easy Hiragana'
Dear authors of “Easy Hiragana”:
First, let me congratulate you for coming up with an appealing title for your book; I doubt “Ridiculously Difficult Hiragana” would have sold as well. I look forward to upcoming titles in your series, including “Easy Gourmet Cooking” and “Easy Space Shuttle Launches.”
I applaud your strategy for teaching the Japanese phonetic alphabet to English-speakers. The exercises, which involve writing everyday words, are designed to teach the kana characters while building vocabulary – an excellent two-pronged approach.
I do, however, have a minor quibble with your choice of “everyday words.” On an average day in Japan, I’m far more likely to need to say “Tuesday” or “eggs” – neither of which is taught in your book – than “chrysanthemum” or “prime minister.” In the final lesson, we were taught to write “atomic energy” and “electric car,” objects that WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I EVER NEED TO DISCUSS IN JAPANESE and that would be better classified as “futuristic” rather than “everyday.” Perhaps at some point in my expat life I will want to say “George Clooney drives an electric car,” but I can’t really think why. Also I don’t know the word for drive.
I eagerly moved on to the section on sample conversations, hoping to learn sentences that I can use every day in Tokyo, such as “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Japanese,” “It costs how much?” and “I don’t like food that has eyes.”
You got off to a good start. The very first conversation opened with “Where are you going?” – always useful – but you quickly went off the rails. Of all the potential logical answers – “I’m going to work,” “to Shibuya,” “to buy a Gucci sweater for my dog” – you chose “I’m going to the police station.”
Out of concern for your well-being, I have to ask: what kind of crime-plagued municipality do you live in that an everyday answer to the question “where are you going?” is “to the police station”? Is your bicycle stolen on a daily basis? Do you reside in pre-Batman Gotham City? Does that maybe explain the whole electric car thing? Are you actually George Clooney, writing under a Japanese pseudonym?
I can think of only two scenarios where “I’m going to the police station” would be useful:
1) You are a police officer, so this sentence is the equivalent of “I’m going to the office.”
2) The person asking “Where are you going?” has just mugged you.
Neither scenario requires the ability to say “atomic energy.”
Just something to keep in mind as you write the next edition of “Easy Hiragana.”
Arigato gozaimasu!
First, let me congratulate you for coming up with an appealing title for your book; I doubt “Ridiculously Difficult Hiragana” would have sold as well. I look forward to upcoming titles in your series, including “Easy Gourmet Cooking” and “Easy Space Shuttle Launches.”
I applaud your strategy for teaching the Japanese phonetic alphabet to English-speakers. The exercises, which involve writing everyday words, are designed to teach the kana characters while building vocabulary – an excellent two-pronged approach.
I do, however, have a minor quibble with your choice of “everyday words.” On an average day in Japan, I’m far more likely to need to say “Tuesday” or “eggs” – neither of which is taught in your book – than “chrysanthemum” or “prime minister.” In the final lesson, we were taught to write “atomic energy” and “electric car,” objects that WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I EVER NEED TO DISCUSS IN JAPANESE and that would be better classified as “futuristic” rather than “everyday.” Perhaps at some point in my expat life I will want to say “George Clooney drives an electric car,” but I can’t really think why. Also I don’t know the word for drive.
I eagerly moved on to the section on sample conversations, hoping to learn sentences that I can use every day in Tokyo, such as “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Japanese,” “It costs how much?” and “I don’t like food that has eyes.”
You got off to a good start. The very first conversation opened with “Where are you going?” – always useful – but you quickly went off the rails. Of all the potential logical answers – “I’m going to work,” “to Shibuya,” “to buy a Gucci sweater for my dog” – you chose “I’m going to the police station.”
Out of concern for your well-being, I have to ask: what kind of crime-plagued municipality do you live in that an everyday answer to the question “where are you going?” is “to the police station”? Is your bicycle stolen on a daily basis? Do you reside in pre-Batman Gotham City? Does that maybe explain the whole electric car thing? Are you actually George Clooney, writing under a Japanese pseudonym?
I can think of only two scenarios where “I’m going to the police station” would be useful:
1) You are a police officer, so this sentence is the equivalent of “I’m going to the office.”
2) The person asking “Where are you going?” has just mugged you.
Neither scenario requires the ability to say “atomic energy.”
Just something to keep in mind as you write the next edition of “Easy Hiragana.”
Arigato gozaimasu!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Packing for Tokyo 101: Pop quiz, hotshot
No. 2 pencils only. You will have three hours to complete this section.
Step 1: Gather every item of clothing you own.
Step 2: Assign each item to one of the following categories:
1) Goodwill: I don't want this anymore. Why do I even own this?
2) Take on the plane: I'll need this within 30 days of arriving.
3) First shipment: I don't need this right away, but I'll need it within three months, I think.
4) Second shipment: I'll need this at some point in the next three years.
5) Storage: I want to keep this, but I don't need it in Japan.
Categories 1 and 2 are fairly easy. (You'll have access to laundry, if that helps -- you can pack for a week and then wash everything four times.)
Category 3 is pretty much everything else you wear day-to-day, so again, not too hard.
4 and 5 are the toughies. Putting the Patrick Roy jersey in category 5 was a no-brainer, but asking yourself what clothes you need for three years is asking what your foreseeable future will be, and who knows? Will I need an evening gown? A suit? The white go-go boots that make such a great Halloween costume when paired with this mod dress? If I take the boots, do I need to take the white lipstick too?
And then there are the more existential questions: What kind of person do I want to be for the next three years? Do I want to keep dressing like a quasi-professional, or should I just live in jeans and CafePress T-shirts? Do I need 8 pairs of black slacks? (In D.C., the answer is no -- you should have at least 10 pairs.) Do these pants look exactly like ones that Stacy has, and is it creepy to take over Stacy's job AND dress just like her? (Moot point, it turns out, because the pants don't fit, but it's still a good question.)
Finished? Good. Now repeat this process for EVERYTHING YOU OWN.
Step 1: Gather every item of clothing you own.
Step 2: Assign each item to one of the following categories:
1) Goodwill: I don't want this anymore. Why do I even own this?
2) Take on the plane: I'll need this within 30 days of arriving.
3) First shipment: I don't need this right away, but I'll need it within three months, I think.
4) Second shipment: I'll need this at some point in the next three years.
5) Storage: I want to keep this, but I don't need it in Japan.
Categories 1 and 2 are fairly easy. (You'll have access to laundry, if that helps -- you can pack for a week and then wash everything four times.)
Category 3 is pretty much everything else you wear day-to-day, so again, not too hard.
4 and 5 are the toughies. Putting the Patrick Roy jersey in category 5 was a no-brainer, but asking yourself what clothes you need for three years is asking what your foreseeable future will be, and who knows? Will I need an evening gown? A suit? The white go-go boots that make such a great Halloween costume when paired with this mod dress? If I take the boots, do I need to take the white lipstick too?
And then there are the more existential questions: What kind of person do I want to be for the next three years? Do I want to keep dressing like a quasi-professional, or should I just live in jeans and CafePress T-shirts? Do I need 8 pairs of black slacks? (In D.C., the answer is no -- you should have at least 10 pairs.) Do these pants look exactly like ones that Stacy has, and is it creepy to take over Stacy's job AND dress just like her? (Moot point, it turns out, because the pants don't fit, but it's still a good question.)
Finished? Good. Now repeat this process for EVERYTHING YOU OWN.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Sayonara D.C., konichiwa Tokyo!
FAQ questions about my impending move to Tokyo ...
I heard you're moving to Japan, is that true?
Um, yes, see above.
WHY??
Because it's freakin' TOKYO, that's why. Not good enough? OK, here goes: I love Tokyo. I've always wanted to be an expat. And the perks are great. In short -- this is a dream come true.
When?
Not sure of the exact dates yet, but most likely Nov. 9 is my get-on-the-plane date.
Why so fast?
I'm filling a vacant job in Tokyo; like any job, they'd like the new person to start as soon as possible. When you look at it that way, five weeks isn't unreasonable. But it IS a short amount of time to get everything together.
So you're still working for Stars & Stripes?
Yes
But didn't you have some fancy-schmancy job in D.C.?
Yep, I was the assistant managing editor. Still am, for a few more weeks. And it made me really unhappy. I enjoy editing; I don't enjoy writing evals and making schedules and sitting in meetings. I'm not suited to management -- I dread confrontation, I have no interest in being a mentor or a coach. I just want people to do the damn work, and do it well, and not have to play mind games to coax them to do that. At first I was excited about the AME job: "my name is on the masthead!" But I've come to realize that being on the masthead means exactly one thing: I get a lot of spam.
Did you get, like, demoted or something?
On an org chart, yes -- I took a job two pay levels below mine But they key difference is -- I asked for the new job, interviewed for it, sweated it out just like any other candidate. I wasn't pushed out. I pulled the rip cord and bailed out.
Are you selling your house?
Yes. Unless Brian says no. Let's say, 90 percent yes.
Why do you all care so much about my house? You want to buy it?
Are you taking your car?
Nope -- it would be useless in Japan, because they drive on the left. I'll sell it to Carfax before I go.
You must have a lot to pack, huh?
I have NOTHING to pack.
The good news is, the Army is handling that for me. They just show up, pack up everything, and take it away to be shipped.
The bad news is, the Army is handling that for me -- so there are sure to be a few snafus.
How long will you be there?
My contract is for three years. The general opinion is that's horibly unfair, but here's how it works: the military spends a lot of money to ship me overseas;in return, I have to agree to work off the debt. This is exactly how military academies work -- we give you four years of college free, you give us four years in uniform. It's also exactly how human traffickings rings work, except I was led to believe our way involves less prostiution.
So, within the first year, if I leave I have to reimburse the cost of my move, plus move myself back to the States. Between one and three years, the move costs are forgiven, but I have to pay for the return move. After three years, I can come home on their dime, or extend my stay.
Are you living on a base?
Thank GOD no -- what's the point of moving to Tokyo and then living exactly like you do at Minot AFB? I'll be in base housing for a while, but I should be able to move onto the economy soon.
I'll have access to the base commissaries and exchanges, and I can attend festivals there, shop, hang out with people who speak English.
Aren't you scared to live in Tokyo?
A little bit. I worry about not being able to communicate, and about getting lost. But I have lots of people there to help me, so no, not freaked. Mildly freaked.
Can I come visit you?
Of course! I'd love that. But give me a while -- I'll be living in an MWR hotel until I find an apartment, so that's not condiucive to guests. And I need to figure out the city myself first before I start playing tour guide. But then -- by all means, come see me!
I'll update this list as more come up.
I heard you're moving to Japan, is that true?
Um, yes, see above.
WHY??
Because it's freakin' TOKYO, that's why. Not good enough? OK, here goes: I love Tokyo. I've always wanted to be an expat. And the perks are great. In short -- this is a dream come true.
When?
Not sure of the exact dates yet, but most likely Nov. 9 is my get-on-the-plane date.
Why so fast?
I'm filling a vacant job in Tokyo; like any job, they'd like the new person to start as soon as possible. When you look at it that way, five weeks isn't unreasonable. But it IS a short amount of time to get everything together.
So you're still working for Stars & Stripes?
Yes
But didn't you have some fancy-schmancy job in D.C.?
Yep, I was the assistant managing editor. Still am, for a few more weeks. And it made me really unhappy. I enjoy editing; I don't enjoy writing evals and making schedules and sitting in meetings. I'm not suited to management -- I dread confrontation, I have no interest in being a mentor or a coach. I just want people to do the damn work, and do it well, and not have to play mind games to coax them to do that. At first I was excited about the AME job: "my name is on the masthead!" But I've come to realize that being on the masthead means exactly one thing: I get a lot of spam.
Did you get, like, demoted or something?
On an org chart, yes -- I took a job two pay levels below mine But they key difference is -- I asked for the new job, interviewed for it, sweated it out just like any other candidate. I wasn't pushed out. I pulled the rip cord and bailed out.
Are you selling your house?
Yes. Unless Brian says no. Let's say, 90 percent yes.
Why do you all care so much about my house? You want to buy it?
Are you taking your car?
Nope -- it would be useless in Japan, because they drive on the left. I'll sell it to Carfax before I go.
You must have a lot to pack, huh?
I have NOTHING to pack.
The good news is, the Army is handling that for me. They just show up, pack up everything, and take it away to be shipped.
The bad news is, the Army is handling that for me -- so there are sure to be a few snafus.
How long will you be there?
My contract is for three years. The general opinion is that's horibly unfair, but here's how it works: the military spends a lot of money to ship me overseas;in return, I have to agree to work off the debt. This is exactly how military academies work -- we give you four years of college free, you give us four years in uniform. It's also exactly how human traffickings rings work, except I was led to believe our way involves less prostiution.
So, within the first year, if I leave I have to reimburse the cost of my move, plus move myself back to the States. Between one and three years, the move costs are forgiven, but I have to pay for the return move. After three years, I can come home on their dime, or extend my stay.
Are you living on a base?
Thank GOD no -- what's the point of moving to Tokyo and then living exactly like you do at Minot AFB? I'll be in base housing for a while, but I should be able to move onto the economy soon.
I'll have access to the base commissaries and exchanges, and I can attend festivals there, shop, hang out with people who speak English.
Aren't you scared to live in Tokyo?
A little bit. I worry about not being able to communicate, and about getting lost. But I have lots of people there to help me, so no, not freaked. Mildly freaked.
Can I come visit you?
Of course! I'd love that. But give me a while -- I'll be living in an MWR hotel until I find an apartment, so that's not condiucive to guests. And I need to figure out the city myself first before I start playing tour guide. But then -- by all means, come see me!
I'll update this list as more come up.
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