Job Discussion Forums

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I was just thinking of my time here in Japan has changed me. Personally not as much as I'd like as working for NOVA pretty much means no social life (working weekends and late shifts on weekdays, plus no holidays).

I do think I have developed a greater appreciation for culture.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Eleckid · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 102 Location: Aichi, Japan

Yes, coming here sure changed me.

- I'm now punctual.
- I'm eating way more healthier food than before, & I'm hardly using any oil to cook. I think my high blood cholestrol is gone.
- My views on Japanese. Good & bad things. They're hardworking & complains little (or none). It's hard to see what they're really thinking sometimes cuz at times they show a dif face than how they really feel. Tho some ppl are super smart, some are also very shallow & arrogant...esp for the younger generations (highschool students), it's hard to have intelligent conversations with them cuz some have no point of view or an opinion of their own. Very honest ppl. And extremely talented bikers!
- Manner. Sometimes I bow w/out realizing! When I visited home this summer, my sis said I was weird cuz I was bowing to some ppl.
- More patience.
- The ppl at my work have really strengthen my perserverence.
- My biking ability has improved a whole lot. My legs have also gotten skinnier & I have strong muscles on my calves.
- I used to hate teaching some students cuz they're bad, but now I enjoy teaching all classes cuz I love all my students. I think at the end they're not that bad. Either that or I got numb.
- The way I speak completely changed too. Being in a conversation school made me lost some of my ability in speaking Eng. Sometimes I speak in broken Eng in Japanese grammar, & my vocabs have gone down cuz I used too many simple vocabs here. I also say "a re?", "eh?", "un", "un-n-n (for no)", "jyaa", "eto", & "hai" & I can't stop myself from saying them. I couldn't stop myself from spilling out those words when I went home for a visit. My sis was laughing at me.
- I don't pay too much attention when other ppl are talking in Japanese anymore. It used to bug me a bit when I first came here cuz I couldn't understand them. Now I've just learned to tune out when I don't understand & tune in whenever I understand them.
- I now smile a lot...like almost all the time.
- I say sorry a lot now, a lot of times not really feeling sorry but say it to get out of trouble.
- I'm not so shy at talking to strangers anymore.
- My biggest meal is now lunch instead of dinner (due to the fact that my work starts at 2pm & finishes at 9pm, with no dinner break).
- I've also learned how to eat a hot food. It used to take me a long time to eat a hot bowl of ramen, but now I can eat it very quickly.

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Haha... I've started saying "EHHH???" as well! I think it's driving my family crazy in our phone conversations. I wish I could stop saying it, but it's almost natural now. Shocked

I now say "maybe" and "vacation" a lot now too. Sad

Eleckid · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 102 Location: Aichi, Japan

hahaha you too, eh? Isn't that weird? That we can't stop ourselves from saying those things~

But why "vacation"? That's the only word I don't say out of control.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I have learned an important lesson here: never let money be the determining factor when you are trying to decide what country to live in. I have resolved to go somewhere that truly appeals to me when my time here is done.

Changes in my personality and teaching style could just as easily be attributed to me simply maturing as a person/teacher as to me living in Japan.

On the positive side, I have learned how to snowboard.

d

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Denise said

Sherri · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 3:40 am Post subject:

Now that I am back in the US after 14 years in Japan, I have noticed some changes which are a result of living there. I always take off my shoes now for example when going into a house and luckily here in Hawaii people do the same. There are a lot of Japanese customs practiced here and I am glad I spent time in Japan which helped me feel at home right away. Of course I have a better understanding of Japanese people /language than before I arrived.

I agree with what Denise and TokyoLiz have said. It is easy to stay in Japan because the money is good, then get caught up in the fast life there (for me in Tokyo).

I am so glad that I chose to leave when I did. Life is great here, I found a job teaching in the local community college. Most likely my experience in Japan didn't hurt my job chances as most students here are Japanese. Knowing how to teach Japanese students and understand where they are coming from is one of the most useful things I got from living in Japan.
Sherri

Zzonkmiles · Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Posts: 309

I personally can't remember ever using the word "hobby" so much before I came to Japan.

I think I'm a bit more patient in general after arriving here though. It's not so easy to express myself in Japanese all the time, nor is it easy for me to understand others when they speak rapid Japanese or broken English. So I've learned to not worry so much about the small things. (In other words, I pick my battles with the language wisely.)

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 7:33 am Post subject:

I haven't changed at all, because I don't feel Japan is particularly different from any other Western city.

(Yes I know Japan isn't a city)

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Top of my head changes...........

Got married to a Japanese woman and have had one kid (so far).
Lost about 7-8 kg. due to the walking to train stations.
Learned more about the eikaiwa business and high school educational system here.
Made me look at my own country more critically.
Forced me to learn more Japanese that I would have back home.

Other things just don't seem to come to mind, but I know there are some. Perhaps Japan has caused some Alzheimers...

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

Every experience changes you. Even if just slightly. Living in Japan made me a more worldly person, as I was living with Italians, Irish, English, Swedish, Koreans, and Australians last year in the heart of Tokyo. I know how most of the rest of the world views America. It irks me how anything foreign to America is "weird" to Americans. I'd say living in Japan has made me embarassed of my own country. I envy the long history Japan has behind it.