![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Walking back from the bank yesterday after lunch I saw a gaggle of elementary school girls climbing over a giant snow mound in our parking lot.
(Which brings up an important observation that elementary school children walking home from school are more like a cluster of gas particles than like small people - meandering their way across the neighborhood, overtaking structures, harrassing animals, swarming and pausing for absolutely no reason. It probably takes these kids an hour to walk home, even though they all live about 3 blocks away. Suddenly the neighborhood is a barren savannah, so far that only the most dramatic of rests can get you to the other side.)
Anyway, the mound of snow was huge, and spread itself up and over our parking lot fence as if the fence didn't even exist, making it all the more exciting to climb. A pathway that had never existed before this week.
My reaction as an adult was, "What's wrong with you kids, that's a very dangerous mound in the middle of a busy parking lot. You'd better get down before you impail yourselves on the fence."
My reaction as me was, "Oh my god, that mountain is the epic mountain of all epic mountains. It would have satisfied many a childhood dream."
I can see this conflict arising often in my future as an educator. Thankfully I'm shooting for university students, not elementary.
And now, a picture of both the language and the culture. Walking to school lately I've been meeting the same high school girl at the stoplight in front of school. I decided I should talk to her instead of just smiling - it's good for her English and good for my social skills.
She was wearing the typical high school girl tender - rolled up skirt, high boots. It's freaking cold out, so I said, "Good morning!...oh, are you cold?" and she greeted me back and answered in Japanese, "a, haiteimasu!"
This illustrates two points:
1) the contextuality of Japanese, rather than saying, "Oh, no, I'm wearing nylons," she said, "oh, wearing!" This is why Japanese is so difficult, lol This situation was straightforward enough, but when someone walks up to you points to a poster and says, "going," they could be saying they're going, asking if you're going, or inviting you to go with them. Or all of the above. Good god, I'm screwed.
2) the recurring idea that Hokkaido people don't get cold. They always talk about how cold it is, whether it's cold or not, but never change their outfits. Honey, wearing nylons cannot possiby keep you warm enough, considering I'm wearing nylons and socks under my pants with a Columbia jacket, a track jacket, Sorel boots, and a hat, and you're wearing a short-skirted uniform, a scarf, and a pea coat.
And the tragic thing is, I was still cold.
(Which brings up an important observation that elementary school children walking home from school are more like a cluster of gas particles than like small people - meandering their way across the neighborhood, overtaking structures, harrassing animals, swarming and pausing for absolutely no reason. It probably takes these kids an hour to walk home, even though they all live about 3 blocks away. Suddenly the neighborhood is a barren savannah, so far that only the most dramatic of rests can get you to the other side.)
Anyway, the mound of snow was huge, and spread itself up and over our parking lot fence as if the fence didn't even exist, making it all the more exciting to climb. A pathway that had never existed before this week.
My reaction as an adult was, "What's wrong with you kids, that's a very dangerous mound in the middle of a busy parking lot. You'd better get down before you impail yourselves on the fence."
My reaction as me was, "Oh my god, that mountain is the epic mountain of all epic mountains. It would have satisfied many a childhood dream."
I can see this conflict arising often in my future as an educator. Thankfully I'm shooting for university students, not elementary.
And now, a picture of both the language and the culture. Walking to school lately I've been meeting the same high school girl at the stoplight in front of school. I decided I should talk to her instead of just smiling - it's good for her English and good for my social skills.
She was wearing the typical high school girl tender - rolled up skirt, high boots. It's freaking cold out, so I said, "Good morning!...oh, are you cold?" and she greeted me back and answered in Japanese, "a, haiteimasu!"
This illustrates two points:
1) the contextuality of Japanese, rather than saying, "Oh, no, I'm wearing nylons," she said, "oh, wearing!" This is why Japanese is so difficult, lol This situation was straightforward enough, but when someone walks up to you points to a poster and says, "going," they could be saying they're going, asking if you're going, or inviting you to go with them. Or all of the above. Good god, I'm screwed.
2) the recurring idea that Hokkaido people don't get cold. They always talk about how cold it is, whether it's cold or not, but never change their outfits. Honey, wearing nylons cannot possiby keep you warm enough, considering I'm wearing nylons and socks under my pants with a Columbia jacket, a track jacket, Sorel boots, and a hat, and you're wearing a short-skirted uniform, a scarf, and a pea coat.
And the tragic thing is, I was still cold.
Tags: