posted by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laurainlimbo at 01:09pm on 11/12/2005
laurainlimbo at 01:09pm on 11/12/2005It must be the holidays, because my email box is tragically empty for quite a few days. Not only do I not hear from most people abroad (which is not unusual), but I've lost touch with so many of my Japanese friends (paraphrased, they don't contact me anymore), mostly my former students and teachers I worked with - its sad because I don't have too many people to do things with anymore...
I did go out last night after work and met my friend Naomi for dinner. We ate at an Italian place and then she drove me to see the unbelievable Christmas display in the town of Yui. This house would put most American Christmas light shows to shame - it was dazzling and amazing! They not only had lights all over the house, mostly blue and white, but they had little twinkling lights on the lawn, a tree with little round lights that looked like "mikan" (Japanese tangerines), a tree with snowman-shaped lights, a giant Snoopy, reindeer-shaped lights, etc... plus they had little displays in all of their windows, both downstairs and upstairs. I didn't have my camera, but Naomi took some photos and said she will send them to me - so if I get them, I'll post them on photobucket.
Its always fun going out with Naomi because she is so positive. But sometimes she amazes me with her ignorance: case in point, last time I saw her, we had a discussion about how I was opposed to the idea of eating dolphin meat (which she said that she has eaten and is sold in grocery stores in Kambara). Well, yesterday evening after dinner, she was showing me pictures on her cellphone, and said she had a picture of a dolphin. I figured that since she had recently gone to Tokyo Disney Sea, she might show me a cute dolphin that was doing tricks or something. But no, she showed me this plate of black meat that her mother had prepared with miso-taste (Naomi has this strange habit of taking pictures of things that she eats, especially in restaurants.) That poor little dolphin won't be doing tricks anymore!
I was shocked, but didn't say anything. Masahiko told me that I should have told Naomi that eating dolphin is like eating dog (and Naomi loves dogs - has about 7 of them and works as a dog groomer). I just can't say things like that to Japanese people, so I'll just have to accept that she doesn't mean to offend me, she's just ignorant. Oh, well!
Its another cold, dreary Sunday - I've just gone out to get the final wrapping things for my few x-mas presents to send to the states and plan to get all of my gifts in the mail tomorrow. Since I'm not a practicing Christian, and I hate the whole commercialization of the holiday, Christmas itself doesn't usually mean much to me. I always buy small gifts for my closest family and friends, and I did buy myself a very cheap x-mas tree for my classroom (gotta stay in the spirit somehow). But otherwise, its really just another day for me. I realized that even if I were in the U.S. now, I would probably be feeling the usual frustration with too many shoppers, and too much Christmas music and fuss on TV. However, being in a foreign country somehow it all seems to be even more depressing than usual. I guess its because I miss my family and I miss being feeling positive about things.
But the New Year will be better, I am sure!! I'm going to do more advertising, and we're going to sell some stuff that we don't use, and I'm going to start studying Japanese and start writing again. I can't sit here and be gloomy forever . . .
but if its okay, I will continue to be gloomy until the end of December - its just the way things are now.
I did go out last night after work and met my friend Naomi for dinner. We ate at an Italian place and then she drove me to see the unbelievable Christmas display in the town of Yui. This house would put most American Christmas light shows to shame - it was dazzling and amazing! They not only had lights all over the house, mostly blue and white, but they had little twinkling lights on the lawn, a tree with little round lights that looked like "mikan" (Japanese tangerines), a tree with snowman-shaped lights, a giant Snoopy, reindeer-shaped lights, etc... plus they had little displays in all of their windows, both downstairs and upstairs. I didn't have my camera, but Naomi took some photos and said she will send them to me - so if I get them, I'll post them on photobucket.
Its always fun going out with Naomi because she is so positive. But sometimes she amazes me with her ignorance: case in point, last time I saw her, we had a discussion about how I was opposed to the idea of eating dolphin meat (which she said that she has eaten and is sold in grocery stores in Kambara). Well, yesterday evening after dinner, she was showing me pictures on her cellphone, and said she had a picture of a dolphin. I figured that since she had recently gone to Tokyo Disney Sea, she might show me a cute dolphin that was doing tricks or something. But no, she showed me this plate of black meat that her mother had prepared with miso-taste (Naomi has this strange habit of taking pictures of things that she eats, especially in restaurants.) That poor little dolphin won't be doing tricks anymore!
I was shocked, but didn't say anything. Masahiko told me that I should have told Naomi that eating dolphin is like eating dog (and Naomi loves dogs - has about 7 of them and works as a dog groomer). I just can't say things like that to Japanese people, so I'll just have to accept that she doesn't mean to offend me, she's just ignorant. Oh, well!
Its another cold, dreary Sunday - I've just gone out to get the final wrapping things for my few x-mas presents to send to the states and plan to get all of my gifts in the mail tomorrow. Since I'm not a practicing Christian, and I hate the whole commercialization of the holiday, Christmas itself doesn't usually mean much to me. I always buy small gifts for my closest family and friends, and I did buy myself a very cheap x-mas tree for my classroom (gotta stay in the spirit somehow). But otherwise, its really just another day for me. I realized that even if I were in the U.S. now, I would probably be feeling the usual frustration with too many shoppers, and too much Christmas music and fuss on TV. However, being in a foreign country somehow it all seems to be even more depressing than usual. I guess its because I miss my family and I miss being feeling positive about things.
But the New Year will be better, I am sure!! I'm going to do more advertising, and we're going to sell some stuff that we don't use, and I'm going to start studying Japanese and start writing again. I can't sit here and be gloomy forever . . .
but if its okay, I will continue to be gloomy until the end of December - its just the way things are now.
gloomy
There are no comments on this entry. (Reply.)
I almost forgot to say farewell to Mr. Richard Pryor who has died at the age of 65. I grew up watching his movies, especially the ones with Gene Wilder, and will always remember him as a brilliant comedian, as well as the inspiration for a whole new generation of black comedians and actors.