Kate’s Quests

I met up with Jocelyn yesterday for coffee in Zushi and had a really great time. It’s so rare for me to find someone I really enjoy talking to that’s married to someone in the military. I haven’t had much luck in the past so it’s always nice to confirm that they are actually out there. They do exist! After coffee we wandered up to the liquor shop and managed to find the blueberry liquor that D.J. and I enjoyed in Kyoto and she gave me an impromptu lesson in Sake. It was very enlightening and perhaps now D.J. and I can find some that we actually enjoy. We’ve tasted a couple different kinds and have agreed so far that everything has mostly tasted like lighter fluid. But, maybe now that we know the difference between the lower and higher quality stuff, we can taste some that we’ll want to bring back with us.

Then last night I had my two seven year old students. The second lesson is always hilarious because my student is so crazy (she’s a silly seven year old girl). I brought some games over and she really enjoyed playing them. Her mom usually takes part in the lessons and last night was no different. My student was saying how cute something was, so to be funny I said “cute” in Japanese (Kawaii). They were both shocked to hear any sort of Japanese come out of my mouth (I really don’t speak much at all) and then later I picked out the word “Junken” which is the game, rock, paper, scissors. They seemed really impressed at my knowing the words, and I think they believe I now speak much more Japanese than I do. I have to say though, that I can usually follow along with a conversation as long as I know the topic and what they might say. I listen for the occasional English word, watch their body language and look for cues that would indicate where the conversation is going. As a foreigner for four out of the past five years, I started to learn and use other ways of communication when I couldn’t use the language well. People are people and we all use the same mechanisms to communicate. It just takes some concentration and practice.