|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
|
 Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 12:07 am Post subject: |
 |
|
-
Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Lyrajean wrote: |
This is from observation of exchange/EFL students at a private college in Vermont.
3. How cold it is. A lot of students coming from Tokyo or Kanazawa had to run out and buy hats, gloves, even a parka when arriving to Vermont in February (the worst time to come I can think of). Minus 20celcius doens't really occur in Japan, even Hokkaido all that often.
|
-20C doesn't occur in Vermont either. 
I have yet to find anywhere in the US that has the temperature extremes that the Tohoku region has. Parts of Missouri and Iowa can get it, but they don't get them for the same extended lengths of time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="cornishmuppet"]
| azarashi sushi wrote: |
| Quote: |
As for stereotypes, whenever I tell a Japanese person I'm Australian, the first thing they say is "G'doi (as in g'day) mate." and they are convinced that every AUstralian person says "to-die" for "today. Maybe in the outback but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the city greeting you with g'doi mate.
|
This drives me up the wall. There's a night school teacher who usually comes to see me just as I'm going to go home and because he went to Australia once about a thousand years ago he insists on speaking to me in this ridiculously overemphasised Australian English which makes me want to slap him. "That's how they speak, you know, to-die, to-die," is the kind of thing I have to listen to just as I'm trying to leave. That I'm British doesn't help. The unfortunate thing is that apart from being irritating beyond belief, underneath the dumb accent he's a nice enough guy. |
As a Brit you have to take responsibility for the country you created, along with their farcical accent and "culture".  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ShioriEigoKyoushi wrote: |
I'm also not amused when someone makes sweeping, critical statements about my attitudes and behaviour in a foreign culture when they barely know me and haven't bothered to read or understand what I've said. Seklarwia, improve your reading comprehension before you spout more of this self-righteous indignation at people who don't deserve it. 
|
Perhaps I misunderstood. But the way you worded your post and also because you didn't at any point refer back to the OP (and threads very rarely stick strictly to the OP's post - you need only read some of the posts on this thread to see that) or mention that these were faux pas in your home country that Japanese visitors do or might make, certain things you did say lead me to believe you were simply complaining about things that needed to be changed here:
In all my travelling in western countries, apart from in quite specific circumstances (like a formal occasion or when entering a place of worship) short skirts are not a faux pas, and since you didn't say that it was in your home country, your first point just appeared to be a personal complaint about something here.
And in your second point the way it came across was that your students here ask you questions that, because you are from where ever, you find them inappropriate. So, a complaint about the situation with your students here.
Another thing is the smoking point. Unless I was misinformed (by all the oz teachers on campus simply exaggerating in irritation over the smoking habits of the Chinese staff where I used to work), Australia went smoke free long before we did, as did most of western Europe. I've never been in a restaurant in America that allowed smoking at tables either (I will admit I simply assumed that NZ is that same, but perhaps I am wrong). In my poor little uncomprehending mind, since it is illegal to smoke, restaurants in most western countries don't supply ashtrays in the first place. And since most Japanese are very careful with their ash and butts, they would ask for one before lighting up. When told that it wasn't allowed, they wouldn't then do it anyway.
So it doesn't seem like a faux pas they are likely to make and thus your point along with your added understanding about smoking manners sounded once more like something you believed should be changed here.
You might think I didn't bother to understand what you wrote. But I think you didn't write enough to allow full comprehension of what you really meant.
Since I misunderstood that you weren't simply listing things that need to change here, I apologise if you felt offended. Perhaps now you understand better how I came to my conclusion. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 2:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
-20 C does occur in Vermont. I lived there.
My father lives there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ssjup81
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Posts: 664
Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 4:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
Wow, -20 Celsius... Never been that cold here. Our average low in the winter months is probably about -1 or -2 Celsius (about 30 something Fahrenheit). Our average high is about...30 - 35 (I think) Celsius (upper 80s Fahrenheit I think) for the summer. That aside, I can semi-tolerate the heat, I hate the humidity we get here. We have that humid subtropical climate.
Edit: Just thought I'd point out I was referring to my home. Not in Japan or anything. ^^
Last edited by ssjup81 on Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:24 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
Can a place that reaches below zero temperatures be considered subtropical? I wouldn't have thought so, but I'm not an expert.
I have experienced -20C- that was the usual overnight low in Jan-Feb when I was living/working at a ski resort in Nagano a few years back. It was so cold that when my eyes watered the tears would instantly freeze into a kind of ice mascara on my eyelashes. Going outside without completely drying my hair was never a good idea. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shonai Ben
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 617
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| since we are talking about cold temps........the coldest actual temperature for me was -33C with a windchill factor of -66C........that was in eastern Canada about 15 years ago. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
seklarwia posted
| Quote: |
| ....And since most Japanese are very careful with their ash and butts, they would ask for one before lighting up...... |
They are? Sorry, in Takadanobaba where I normally live, I was constantly sweeping them out of my driveway (the ash and butts, not people  ).
| Quote: |
| And in your second point the way it came across was that your students here ask you questions that, because you are from where ever, you find them inappropriate. So, a complaint about the situation with your students here. |
But he was giving this as an example of something not to do abroad. And yes, you can dislike something here as well, but of course it may be more difficult to deal with (different set of rules). But then again, everyone has their own personal values, yes? So how much of a Roman you wish to be in Rome might depend on the person .
Last edited by gaijinalways on Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| gaijinalways wrote: |
They are? Sorry, in Takadanobaba where I normally live, I was constanly sweeping them out of my driveway (the ash and butts, not people ). |
Unless your driveway is in a restaurant, my point still stands.
| Quote: |
| But he was giving this as an example of something not to do abroad. And yes, you can dislike something here as well, but of course it may be more difficult to deal with (different set of rules). But then again, everyone has their own personal values, yes? So how much of a Roman you wish to be in Rome might depend on the person . |
Yes, I know that now since he/she has explained that. I was explaining why I came to the wrong conclusion about what was written. At no point in the original post did the writer say they were listing faux pas for their home country and for the reasons already explained, I assumed they were listing things they wanted to change here. And I never said they had to agree with something that was being done here; simply not think it should be changed because their home country values are different. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
seklarwia,
Oh well, and I'm not sure why on the street would be different. Most people I know in restaurants don't toss the butts on the floor.
But obviously Japanese people not making a mess doesn't apply to my street, especially smokers.
As to your reading of ShioriEigoKyoushi's words, you seem to be in a 'vocal' minority . But, hey, everyone is entitled to an opinion. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ShioriEigoKyoushi
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
-
Last edited by ShioriEigoKyoushi on Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| gaijinalways wrote: |
Oh well, and I'm not sure why on the street would be different. Most people I know in restaurants don't toss the butts on the floor.
|
But then I never said that smokers elsewhere threw their butts or ash on the floor in restaurants (although in China many do, as well as spit... that was a real shocker). But, I've never seen a Japanese person use an empty cup/glass/bottle/saucer/etc on the table as an ashtray. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Splitting hairs buddy, splitting hairs. Better than infinitives, I guess . |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
