Sometimes you just have to look like an idiot, and be okay with it. One day this week in class, I had absolutely no idea what the teacher was talking about for too long, so I asked her to explain this word she kept using (“keoshi”). Now granted, this is the equivalent of a 3rd year college-level Japanese class in the states, so she started explaining the nuances of the different kinds of “keoshi” in the context of our current intermediate-level grammar lesson. I stopped her again and said, “no, sensei, what does the word ‘keoshi’ mean?” She looked at me incredulously, and then pityingly, and simply said: “adjective. Keoshi means adjective.”
Whoops.
I decided I should go learn/memorize some grammar terms. That was mistake number twenty-seven for that day, though, so I didn’t take it too hard. My goal is to make at least 100 mistakes per day. The stupider, the better, even though people look at me like I am an idiot. The really stupid questions/mistakes like the above generally have the highest learning value, though, because I sure won’t forget “keoshi,” and knowing that word makes understanding grammar explanations much easier. If I’m not making mistakes, then I’m not learning. And I want to learn! Now if I can just keep the words for “noun (meishi)” and “verb (doushi)” straight, I’ll be golden.
Whoops.
I decided I should go learn/memorize some grammar terms. That was mistake number twenty-seven for that day, though, so I didn’t take it too hard. My goal is to make at least 100 mistakes per day. The stupider, the better, even though people look at me like I am an idiot. The really stupid questions/mistakes like the above generally have the highest learning value, though, because I sure won’t forget “keoshi,” and knowing that word makes understanding grammar explanations much easier. If I’m not making mistakes, then I’m not learning. And I want to learn! Now if I can just keep the words for “noun (meishi)” and “verb (doushi)” straight, I’ll be golden.
George Takei In Da House!!
Okinawa Convention Center
Uncle George
Event Flyer
I got to see George Takei, AKA Uncle George, AKA America’s Gay Grandpa, AKA Sulu from Star Trek, AKA key player in the movement for redress for the 120,000 Japanese-Americans imprisoned during World War II, AKA Facebook humor icon and master of terrible puns. Oh My!
George’s speech was so Takei! He came to the Okinawa Convention Center for an intimate talk with 100 or so people attending. He talked about his childhood in the imprisonment camp in Arkansas (from age 5 to 10 years old), moving back to Los Angeles after the war and facing intense anti-Japanese prejudice, his acting career, Star Trek and their pioneering work in integration of such a diverse cast, his political activism, and his experience and involvement in numerous civil rights and social justice movements over the years, especially the LGBT rights movement.
I also used the rather byzantine evil Okinawan bus system for the first time to get to the convention center, since it is a ways away from Naha. Five different bus companies run routes in Okinawa, and it can be pretty confusing. I feel very accomplished having gotten myself there and back. And of course the other reward is I GOT TO SEE GEORGE TAKEI!!! Yes, I’m Star Trek. I mean star struck.
George’s speech was so Takei! He came to the Okinawa Convention Center for an intimate talk with 100 or so people attending. He talked about his childhood in the imprisonment camp in Arkansas (from age 5 to 10 years old), moving back to Los Angeles after the war and facing intense anti-Japanese prejudice, his acting career, Star Trek and their pioneering work in integration of such a diverse cast, his political activism, and his experience and involvement in numerous civil rights and social justice movements over the years, especially the LGBT rights movement.
I also used the rather byzantine evil Okinawan bus system for the first time to get to the convention center, since it is a ways away from Naha. Five different bus companies run routes in Okinawa, and it can be pretty confusing. I feel very accomplished having gotten myself there and back. And of course the other reward is I GOT TO SEE GEORGE TAKEI!!! Yes, I’m Star Trek. I mean star struck.
Live Long and Pepper. I Mean Prosper.
It turns out that the #1 most valuable resource for learning Japanese during my first six weeks here has been... Lunch! Yep, lunch. Every day after my four hours of classes, I am still having lunch with the school staff and some of the teachers in the lunch area. Without even thinking about it, I listen for the grammar structures I learned that day in class. I get to experience a natural speech environment where I hear various native Japanese speakers using the structures with each other, and I get to try them out myself and get instant feedback about whether I am using them correctly or not.
I never ask too many grammar questions, because it gets annoying after a while, but I always ask one or two at the beginning of lunch, and use them throughout lunch to set them concretely in my brain. Also, when I make the same mistake three or four times in a row, someone will often correct me, which is exceedingly helpful. Today’s lunchtime grammar study was the structure for “I have (or have never) seen/heard/smelled that before.” I was hearing this structure at least twenty times a day, but didn’t understand it, so I am super excited to be able to use and recognize it now.
I never ask too many grammar questions, because it gets annoying after a while, but I always ask one or two at the beginning of lunch, and use them throughout lunch to set them concretely in my brain. Also, when I make the same mistake three or four times in a row, someone will often correct me, which is exceedingly helpful. Today’s lunchtime grammar study was the structure for “I have (or have never) seen/heard/smelled that before.” I was hearing this structure at least twenty times a day, but didn’t understand it, so I am super excited to be able to use and recognize it now.
Since getting here, I have been paying close attention to what Okinawans eat, and how it affects my biology as well. Okinawans have the longest life expectancy in the world, and the superfood “goya” (bitter melon) is locally believed to be a major contributor to this. Goya is the most bitter of all fruits and vegetables, but insanely nutritious. The above picture is raw goya, and the pic to the left is an example of my favorite Okinawan dish, Goya Chanpuru (minus the meat). Goya is recommended in the West to decrease blood sugar in diabetics due to its plant-insulin. Per WebMD, Diabetics have to watch their blood sugar after eating bitter melon, because they can become hypoglycemic.
As is usual for superfoods and supplements, evidence-based studies have found “insufficient evidence for or against” goya, while many natural healing/food sites tout its health benefits as gospel. The American Diabetes Association doesn’t seem to have anything to say about it, but the UK Diabetes Society is generally positive. I notice that my body feels quite good after I eat it, so I’m going to continue eating it regularly, and I do believe it makes a big difference health-wise. I actually enjoy it now in stir fry or pasta, and it’s pretty tasty in a smoothie with pineapple, orange and banana.
Until Next Time!
Sam
As is usual for superfoods and supplements, evidence-based studies have found “insufficient evidence for or against” goya, while many natural healing/food sites tout its health benefits as gospel. The American Diabetes Association doesn’t seem to have anything to say about it, but the UK Diabetes Society is generally positive. I notice that my body feels quite good after I eat it, so I’m going to continue eating it regularly, and I do believe it makes a big difference health-wise. I actually enjoy it now in stir fry or pasta, and it’s pretty tasty in a smoothie with pineapple, orange and banana.
Until Next Time!
Sam
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