post japan thoughts

Hey, I don't know if you're class still gets our old blog updates but I wanted to let some people know about reverse culture shock and other returning home strangeness. The first thing I experienced when i got back to the states was an overwhelming sense of identity lose and confusion. For example before i ever left, I hated LA with a passion. When I returned It was Montana that gave me the most culture shock of LA ,Las Vegas and Montana. The next thing i felt was an intense nostalgic feeling, similar to homesickness. I found myself missing the bike rides, trips to the supermarket, and overall architecture as well. Now after 4 months of being home, i am finally able to feel like a "normal" american again. I met up with some past exchange students(ones that were in kumamoto) and hang out with some exchange students. I learned a ton about my self over this last year and a half and it certainly was an unforgettable experience. 　　-John(former ryuugaku)

ジョボTロンの話したいことがあるんだぞ

先週はジョボTロンのともだちにこられた。楽しかった。ライヤンは日本に始めてきたのは日本語ちょっとしゃべったとき僕はびっくりした。その人は日本語のしゃべれる時間がつくない、アメリカにすんでるから。そのひとは日本語の間違うことが多いけどよく頑張れました。しかし
、もしえいべい人私に日本語をしゃべったら、気持ちがわるくなる。どうして？ぼくもぜんぜんわからない。たぶん、日本に来たときもっと上手ひとから、私にダメと言った。

自分の意見がとっても違うんだけど、えいべいじんとはなしてる時日本語使わない。

by John(Jobotron)baby
　

自己紹介

みなさん、こにちは
　　僕はジョン・ショルッです。ジョンとよんでください。モンタナ州立大学からきました。去年から日本語の勉強始めました。それで日本に行きたかった。９月は日本に来ました。今も日本は面白い。僕の専門はコンピュータインジャニリングけど熊本学園大学で日本語と韓国語を勉強しています。３月後で帰るのためにいい友達を見つけてます。９月から今までにほんにいるあいだずっと勉強してます。
どうぞよろしくお願いします！

春の学期は遊びましょう！

PDA common sense

I will start by saying that controversial PDA begins with kissing in public. Holding hands should not be seen inappropriate because there is nothing sexual about holding hands. I can understand that kissing in public could be seen as inappropriate and I think that it generally is. My question is if this PDA is limited to that of Boyfriend/Girlfriend PDA or if it extends to family PDA. for example, a mother often kisses her kid's before sending them off to school.


Public displays of affection between adults are rare in Japan, so the absence of
direct physical contact between the parents is not, in itself, surprising
http://soc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/3/423

Cultural Context
adjusting one`s behavior to avoid interpersonal conflicts at all costs so as to maintain harmony(Nakanishi, 1998)...In Japan people adjust to the current situation I.E group rather than individual and this relates to the majority of couples in Japan.


Becuase the groups opinion is the most important of all in japan perhaps public displays of affection are frowned upon by the group and therefore less prevelent in Japan. Personally i think ifs sexually affiliated PDA then it is probably inappropriate.

“Japan is a great nation. It should begin to act like one.”- John C. Danforth

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johncdanf111646.html
I have no idea who this person is. I do know that he was a senator, and an Episcopal priest But I found this quote and i thought that this was very interesting. This quote makes me think of very religious people. the idea that a secular nation could ever be truly great , is unbelievable to some people.
この案は本当に悪いと思う．私は宗教が大丈夫　思ってる、でも　たいせつじゃない　。　　　　
allthough to me religion is OK, I don't think it is important for a culture to have organized religion. Japan has it's own style and way of thinking that makes it an interesting place. This quote was may be taken out of context. it seems like Danforth accepted Japan's prosperity, but doesn't approve of the way Japan is. If a culture doesnt put so much of an emphasis on religion so be it, it doesnt make it any better or worse.
I think that with all cultures there are both good and bad things. in america, even when recycling is offered to people for free, they avoid it to a fault. In Japan it seems like everyone recycles and there are bins everywhere. But i think that Japanese students being discouraged from voicing out opinions is a bad thing about japanese culture. In America it seems i hear the opinions of others and if its a bad opinion it reinforces the notion that I think for myself.

that is all and thank you for your time.

Dream Journal!

When I arrived in Japan, I was exhausted ,scared, and confused. It felt like a dream, for the first time I was seeing something completely different than America. I have to ask the question is this affecting my dreams?
3 nights ago I had a dream of epic proportions. It was in a city that my mind had created. I was with a group of friends from all over the world, and I was chasing after them. I was afraid to be left alone in this unknown city, which was something that made me think about my bad sense of direction and how its crippling my life.
I have been afraid to get lost ever since I was first left alone with the doubting side of my brain. This is my conscience, and because its broken it makes me panic in situations that involve sense of direction. for example, in Montana i was driving the wrong way on the interstate because i was scared to change what i was doing and correct it. I ended up with a panic attack and fear. That ungodly creature that won't leave my dreams, no matter how hard I try to over come it in my everyday life.
on the other hand

日本語が難しい，私たちは助け合っています。
The Japanese students can help my japanese and i can help them with english. Its going to be a heck of a lot worse to get lost with out any japanese skills.

thanks for your time

Self Introduction

I am a 21 year old American who goes to college at Montana State University. I am currently minoring in Japanese , my interest in coming here stems from a curiosity in Asian culture and lifestyle. Since high school i wanted to study Japanese because of the vast differences from the Latin based languages.
I look forward to speaking and understanding Japanese but I love that bike riding is so convenient and popular here. I was always told that Japanese was a difficult language to learn, and after my experience with Spanish in high school I learned i had great difficulty with foreign languages. In short Japanese is my Everest, but i love it.