Naked Party In The Locker Room

I grabbed my shower basket (you’re not cool in Japan unless you have a shower basket), and my towel and stepped up to place them in the glass cubbies outside the showers. An energetic, wrinkled little 4 foot-something lady bounced up to me - if you had been there, you would have heard something like this.

Her: Pooru? Pooru ni ikimasu ka? (Pool? Are you going to the pool?)
Me: (caught slightly offguard) Uh….yes – pooru!
Her: Oyagu? Pooru – oyagu? (Swim? Pool – swim?)
Me: Hai – oyagimasu. (Yes, I will swim.)
Her: Nan-fun? Dore kurai? San-juu pun?(How long – how many? 30 minutes?)
Me: Uh…hai – san…san-juu kai. (motioning back and forth with my finger) ichi..ni…san…san-juu made. (Yes – 30 times…1, 2, 3, until 30.)

She was quite excited and laughing and bobbing and bouncing, stepping side to side and back and forth. I should probably mention that we were both standing there, completely naked, (that means no towels, either), having this energetic conversation.

Her: Sugoi, na! Na! (Great, isn’t it?!)
Me: (smiling awkwardly, trying to make sure I am a) understanding her correctly, and b) forming understandable Japanese answers)Her: Aruku? Arukimasu? (Walk, will you walk?)
Me: (slightly confused) Uh…ie – oyagimasu (making swimming motions with my arms) (Uh...no - swim.)
Her: Ah – hai, hai! Oyagu! (copying swimming motions with her arms) Crawru, crawru?
Me: Hai! Crawl! Hai! (Ha. Mission accomplished – communication successful.)
At this point, two other women came out of the shower area – there are now four of us standing around, completely naked. How often do you see 2, let alone 4, women – in Canada – standing around, completely naked, having a conversation? Never – at least, I haven’t.

Her: Hayai, na! Hayai…
Lady2: Supeedo!
Her: Eh?! Hayai?
Lady2: Hayai niwa eigra wa ‘supeedo’ (‘hayai’ in English is speed)
Me: Hai! Supeedo…wakaru! (Yes – speed, I undersand)

I should also mention that I had left my glasses in my locker – and those of you who know me know that I am practically blind without them. So just when I thought the conversation was finished, the bobbin’ ‘n’ bouncin’ lady would start talking again…but I couldn’t really see her, so without knowing where she was directing her words, I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or the other ladies.

Lady2: Doko kara kimashita ka? (Where are you from?)
Me: (proud of myself for understanding) Canada – Canada kara desu.
Awkward naked silence.
Me: Arigato…sumimasen… (ducking out of the alcove to the scale)
I weighed myself, then went back to get my bathing suit before going into the showers.
Her: (still bobbing and bouncing) Takai, na! Na! (Tall, isn’t she, isn’t she!)
Me: (awkward smile and laugh) Hai…hai. (Yes…yes.)

All three of the ladies are now giggling.

Her: Na! Na! (I don’t really know how to translate this….’I see, I see’ is the closest I can think of. Or maybe ‘wow, wow!’).

Awkward silence, amidst giggling and bobbin’ ‘n’ bouncin’.

Me: Sumimasen…yoroshiku onegaishimasu…arigato! (heading for the showers)
Her: Hai, hai….(somethin, somethin’) – gambatte!! Na, na! (Yes, yes…good luck!)

Smiling and still giggling a bit to myself, I hit the shower. She was pretty funny, and seemed to find me quite a marvel.

After a quick shower, I had to go back through the alcove to head out to the pool. She was still there, as were the other two ladies. I smiled and tried to be polite with my ‘sumimasen’s and ‘yoroshiku onegaishimasu’s…and she wished me good luck again, with a couple of ‘Na, na!’s thrown in for good measure.

She was quite friendly, and I was proud of having had an entire conversation (sort of) in Japanese – I do hope I see her again – we will both be excited to see each other and will probably exchange smiles, giggles, ‘gambatte’s, and ‘sumimasen’s in our lack of clothing. I’ve determined that being naked with other women lends itself to bonding rather quickly – despite the language barrier and short interactions. Perhaps that’s why it still seems to be so popular here.

So long...farewell....*giggle*

My initial method of dealing with the unknown Japanese phrases offered to me at the end of the work day was to mumble something like this: "---esss". Japanese verbs, conjugated in the positive present (and polite) form all end in an 's' sound, and besides - that was all I could understand of what they were saying! When I passed someone in the hallway at the end of the workday, or on the way out to the shuttle bus, I received a nod and this mysterious phrase. I figured that as long as I nodded and "--esss"d back to them, I wouldn't come off as rude.

Fortunately, about the same time I switched to a more populated office, I finally learned what it was and meant. "Otsu kare sama desu" - meaning, "You have done your work well." or "Thank you for your work." Said quickly and without pronounciation, the person on the receiving end (me) hears, "sama dess". But - now I can say it myself, properly! This poses another problem, however.

The majority of the people in my office work later than me - so at the end of the day I say, "Otsu kare sama desu" as I leave my desk. They respond (politely) with a: "saammaa desss". These sounds (I can hardly call them words) come all at the same time, in low monotones. Every day - every single day - I say my politeness, and when the politeness is returned, I have to quickly turn the corner, lest I - heaven forbid - giggle. Or laugh outright. I'm not sure why it's so funny to me, but I have to stiffle the giggle that bubbles up, and quickly run away to laugh about it to myself in the hallway. It's difficult to describe properly, but I assure you - it's funny. If you're really nice to me, perhaps I'll do an impression for you.

Another interesting thing I noticed is the tone I take. I am not a quiet person, I am rarely a shy person, and I am not usually a reserved person when I speak. However - when I say "Otsu kare sama desu", I sound like a mouse.I speak softly, gently, and very quietly. I'm not sure why - it's a strange sensation to hear myself speaking like that, especially to the extent I do. Self-analysis required!

T minus 8 days until Mom comes to visit! I am so excited - for so many things! I think it will be a wonderful 5 days, but it will be really really hard to see her go. I did tell her, though, to bring two suitcases - so perhaps I can squeeze myself into one and get back to Canada! :)

I was asked to write a short article about my coop work experiences for the Coop Connections newsletter, by the end of the month. I realized today that I haven't even thought about it. Shoot.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines Day in Japan is pretty different from Valentines Day in Canada. There are two types of chocolate that can be given - 'Giri Choko' or 'Honmei Choko'. Giri Choko is an oligatory gift to male supervisors/coworkers. Honmei Choko is a gift to a loved one. Valentine's Day is generally women giving chocolate to men, as well. In March, there is 'White Day', when men give chocolate to women. When in Japan, do as the Japanese do! I purchased Giri Choko for my boss and two male coworkers that I ride the train with in the morning. I made sure to say 'Giri Choko desu', so they didn't think I was trying to startup a relationship...that could definitely make things awkward! They seemed surprised but happy to get it...my boss seemed especially surprised, though (he made the surprised noise)- which made me wonder if I had actually followed the Japanese Valentines Day tradition, or just bought my boss a random present!

There are a couple things that I've noticed Japanese people say very often.

'Ahh - so desu ka...' = Oh...Really...I see...

'So desu ne!' = Yes, that is true... or Yes, isn't it.

'So ka!?' = Really!?

'eh...eh....eh...' = It's more of a noise than word. I'm not really sure what this means...I think it's just a sign that they are listening to whoever's talking.

'eughh!!!???' = This is by far the funniest noise...I had to get used to it and not laugh when I heard it. It seems to be a noise of great surprise and is generally accompanied by leaning back and opening their eyes wide.

'sllll' = I have no idea how to write this. It's more of a slurpring noise accompanied by squinting eyes and a grimace smile - it seems to be when they aren't sure of something or have to think for a minute about the answer.

Some of these are very funny to listen to as part of a conversation, and I'm trying to integrate them into mine to sound more-Japanese-ish (minus the slurping), but I'm sure I just sound ridiculous!

Tomorrow I'm off to the big city - Tokyo! I have to get up early and catch the train then the Shinkansen (bullet train). I will be attending an HVAC&R (Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration) trade show. I'm very excited to go - both to Tokyo and the trade show! I'll let you in on my adventures next time!!

Fire!!??

Today, I spent most of my workday cooking. The remainder was spent putting out fires and giving speeches…ha – caught your attention, didn’t I! No – I’m not as flashy and important as that sounds, but today was – as usual, an adventure!
In working with a grill, I also get to work with food – and cook it to get data and information that we require. My boss asked me to write up a procedure, so I set it up like a lab that we have to do in class… (see, I did learn something in school!) I set up a procedure and a list of required materials, and made a data sheet to fill out for each one – to keep it organized. Then we cooked for the morning, right up until lunch. There’s a picture of me below (from the other day) setting up the data acquisition system we use.
After lunch, there was a meeting of all the researchers at our facility (~50 people). It caught me off-guard when my boss asked if I was ready to go, because I thought it was tomorrow! I had to introduce myself in front of everyone in Japanese. I had to stand up at a podium on a small stage, in front of everyone! I have to admit: I was scared out of my mind. It reminded me of Grade 9 French class when we had to give presentations and didn’t quite understand what we were saying or how to pronounce it – this case was worse, though, because everyone spoke fluently the language I was attempting not to butcher! It went well, though, I think. After that we headed back to keep cooking up a storm. Having trouble keeping the thermocouples where they were supposed to be, I suggested we use a small block of wood to hold them in place (drill holes, put them through, etc). It sounded like a good idea, so we made one up, and it worked wonderfully! We started up the grill and sat back to watch the temperatures rise slowly on the computer screen in front of us. This was the third experiment of the day, and the first two had given varied results, but nothing solid like we were hoping for. This third one was working perfectly and seemed to be in synch with what we were expecting. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of light, and the grill chamber seemed to have new life, in the form of flames! I said, “Uh – it’s on fire!” and my boss said, “Should I turn it off?” I tried not to laugh, because it seemed to me that the first thing to do would be to shut off the heat source… We tried to blow it out, but it was still producing pretty red and orange flickers. I’m sure my boss thought I was an idiot, because I was laughing pretty hard. Nothing was really in danger, except our food, and I thought it was kind of a funny situation. I suggested water, but he said that would be a last resort. We kept blowing but nothing was happening…there was a minute or so of sitting and watching it and looking around the room for something that might help put it out. I was still laughing, but trying to make sure my boss knew I understood that this was not a good thing. I blew again, and it finally went out. The food was fine – cooked to perfection, I thought! The block of wood didn’t fare so well and was more of a crumbly charcoal chunk. I was shocked that it had lit on fire – I would have thought the food would light on fire before the wood! We did get enough data to make it useful, however. Takemori-San said he would look into getting a chunk of aluminum to re-create the block with. We cleaned up and had some experimentally cooked tempura, then called it a day.
Another day, another adventure…tomorrow will also be an adventure (I’m sure) as I attempt the mysterious gym & pool again – wish me luck!

January 30th

In Grade One, when a child gets taught to read, they become a walking-talking-reading machine. Or at least some do – I’m sure I did. Advertisement, signs, posters, brochures, billboards – all these things become objects of intense fascination and scrutiny. Lines and squiggles become letters, and letters – which can be slowly sounded out – become words; words, when repeated once or twice, make sense! The process is slow and painful; each letter to each word to a whole sentence, but it elicits a big smile and perhaps a laugh when the phrase finally provides some information that is understandable. I have taken a trip back in time to the Grade One Era. My studying is paying off and I can remember the majority of the 52 characters in the Katakana & Hiragana alphabets. I can distinguish them from Kanji (which I can’t read), and know enough to go through the slow and painful process of trying to read the characters in front me. Often, it doesn’t make sense, but just the ability to sound out the letters and pronounce an unknown word is considered a victory. When the word is part of the vocabulary I do know, not only is it a victory, but one worth celebrating! Today I read ‘Hair Salon’ (which isn’t spelled like that, but sounded close enough that I knew what it was) on the way to work, and it put a smile on my face for the entirety of the next train ride. It’s encouraging to know I am beginning to be able to read, because my ability to understand Japanese conversation is still hiding around the corner, waiting for me to learn more vocabulary. I plan to reach the corner as soon as possible.
I had my second Japanese lesson today – it consisted of money, numbers, and basic grammer. I already knew most of it, but hadn’t memorized all of it and it was a good review. I also have a friend in my Japanese Sensei who said I could ask her if I need help with anything. I did ask her if one day she would teach me how to cook a Japanese meal – and she said she would, sometime before I go. I also found out that I have to keep practicing my Japanese introduction, as I will be introducing myself on February 5th in front of all the researchers in my building/area – about 50 people! Scary.
I saw an advertisement on a train (several days ago) for the ‘Super Dream Circus’. The only thing I could read on the poster was the web address (most web addresses are in English letters). I asked my boss to take a look at it and tell me when and where it was, because I’d like to go! I got the information and put out an email to see if any other coops want to join me. Even if they don’t, I’m still going to go. I was thinking about my situation today, and I decided that even if other people don’t want to do things, or specific things, I’m going to do them anyways. I’m sure that for the most part, there will be other coops in the area available that want to do some sightseeing and tourist and cultural things, but even if they don’t, I’m going to! I also thought, though – what I wouldn’t give to have a friend here with me! I’ll make new friends, sure, but I would love to have a close friend here to do things with. I would also love to have a close girlfriend here! I love my guy friends, but it’s different to have a girlfriend around, too. I think there are two other girl coops in Japan right now. I’m sure I’ll meet them and get to know them, but as I’m getting used to, most of my company will be guys. Please understand that I’m not complaining, and I hope none of my guy friends are offended, but sometimes a girlfriend is an essential. Back to the circus – it sounds like some people are interested, and we may end up going this weekend! I also have to do some shopping this weekend: attachable spikes for my hiking shoes and some good gloves. I also have been wanting to buy an iPod, but I want to wait until I know my bank account and paycheques are sorted out and coming. An iPod would be nice to have on the long train rides, and to listen to my Japanese CDs with! And on that note – once again, it’s late (I wish it didn’t keep going that – getting late, I mean! :-P )… G’nite.

January 29th

Everything in Japan is small and cute. That includes cups, bowls, food portions, notebooks, shoes (I tried on a size large boot…too small!). It’s cute, but somewhat frustrating. Small bowl = less food. Small mug = almost no tea. Small food portions = I’m usually hungry. Small notebooks = I can’t find a notebook with more than 60 pages!! I would like to have my massive Disneyland cup, a huge and deep bowl, and a 300 page notebook.
I spent my day today learning how to use Visual Basic (fyi…Visual Basic is a Windows application used to design user interfaces and implement associated programming code). I will be using it to collect data in one of my projects. We have an old version of a VBA textbook, and my boss let me pick a new one off of Amazon and ordered it for me. He also ordered a Programming in C textbook that I wanted to have for the project. I enjoyed the day…I like learning new programs. Basically, they’re paying me to improve my skills, resume, and experience with important programs. This isn’t just learning for free, this is getting paid to learn! How’s that for a good deal? I also tried to go buy my gym pass, but when I got there, I managed to figure out that they close at 7…so I’ll have to get there asap after work on Thursday and hope I make it before 7 – if not, I’ll wait until the weekend.
I now have two firm trips planned and am hoping to plan another event weekend. Next weekend (Feb 9), I am going hiking with some coworkers, to Takamiyama (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the previous blog…you really should read them in order, you know! ;) ). I am also going on an overnight ski trip with some other coworkers and people from my dorm. We will take a bus at 10pm on Friday night (Feb 22) to a ski resort near Kobe (a city south of Osaka). We will spend the day skiing/snowboarding, and then take the bus back home overnight. We sleep on the bus – I wasn’t sure how I feel about sleeping all night on a bus and then trying to snowboard all day, but I think it will be a fun trip! Some of the coops also have a ski weekend planned; unfortunately it’s on the same week. I decided to go with the people from work, since I already told them I was really excited to go, and I will probably have less chances to hang out with them. I asked Yoda-San (he’s planning the ski trip) how much it would be. I need to rent equipment, and Satomi does as well…I think everyone else has equipment. He said it would probably cost 2000 Yen…for everything – bus ticket, lift ticket, and rentals. That works out to about $20. I was blown away. I asked again what it included, just to make sure. I still think we had some sort of miscommunication, though! I told him that in Canada that would be closer to 15000 Yen ($150), depending on where you went. He was blown away at that. If the weekend turns out to be a 2000 Yen weekend, I will be beyond impressed. Can you imagine taking the bus to the ski hill, buying a lift pass, and renting equipment for $20!?!? I can’t, really. The third event I’m hoping to plan is some sumo watching. There’s a tournament in Osaka in March, so I sent out a note to see if any of the other coops are interested in going. Tickets range from $30 to a couple hundred. It’s an all day event, with several rounds and ceremonies. I think it would be so neat to go see! We’ll see how that works out.
I have a new method to help me learn Katakana & Hiragana… I found some old Japanese stories online, and they’re in Hiragana. I’m translating them into Romaji (helps me to learn the Hiragana characters) and then translation the Romaji to English (helps me to learn some vocab). I’d like to find some stories in Katakana, too. I only found them today, but I’ve done some and it definitely helps me learn the characters. Sometimes I’m super motivated to learn Japanese, and other days I think, “I’ll never learn enough to be fluent anyways, and when they talk it’s just gibberish, so what’s the point?” But I’m trying to lean towards the motivated learning, because I think it will definitely make a different. I think you only get out of an experience what you’re willing to put into it…I want to get a lot out of this, so I’m going to put in as much as I can! On that note, so I can put anything into it tomorrow, I should get some sleep! (New word…nemuru = to sleep).

January 23rd

I had my first Japanese lesson today, with Ego-San. Oh, speaking of names…the guy who I called ‘M’ is actually Yoda-San (I don’t know his first name, it might start with M). The other friend I go to work wit his Maurita-San. I don’t know if I’m spelling their names right, I’m just spelling them how they sound to me. Ego-San (Nihongo Sensei, Japanese Teacher) edited my Japanese introduction for my presentation on Friday. I was surprised – there were relatively few and minor changes, and she said it was very good. I’m better at writing in Japanese than I thought! The hardest part of learning a new language is recognizing it when other people say it. I can learn to write it and to say it, but when people speak, everyone speaks in different tones and speeds, so words sound very different from one person to another. That will take the most practice. I think my 3 minute Japanese intro will be shorter than 3 minutes, but I’m not about to try and change it now. I’m just going to work on perfect pronunciation of what I have, speak slowly, and enunciate.
There are a couple things that are everywhere, in Japan. And by everywhere, I mean within 100 metres of each other. These things are: drink vending machines, cigarette vending machines, and ‘Pachinko & Slot’ facilities. The legal age for cigarettes is 18 or 20 or something like that, but the vending machines are everywhere, with no restrictions. Apparently Japanese kids aren’t rebellious and don’t buy things they’re not supposed to… The number of Pachinko & Slot (gambling places) makes me wonder how anyone in Japan has any money. They’re everywhere! That’s it for Japan details today…I got caught up in studying again, and I should have been in bed 10 minutes ago. Speaking of studying – I’m learning! I can recognize most Hiragana & Katakana characters. Now I just have to learn the words…when I recognize the characters, I can put a word together, for instance: ‘mi-ru-ku’. But then I need to remember that miruku is ‘milk’ in Japanese. So it’s still difficult to read. Oh!! Also…I got my ‘inkan’ today! Inkan is a small stamp that is equal to a signature. Mine has three Kanji (Japanese Chinese characters) on it – for ‘Su-Te-Hane’…the translation of my name. The characters mean ‘Red-Heaven-Feather’. It’s so neat! It comes in a little case with it’s own small stamp pad. It will be one of my favorite souvenirs from Japan, I think. That’s it for now…good night! :)