女性の雇用がまだ大変だね (╯︵╰,)

日本では女性の雇用と言えば、何といっても大変なんだけどアメリカでは女性の状況がもっと均等になってきた。アメリカ人の女性の差別の一般的なイメージが50年代から主婦として家庭しか任せられなかったことだ。でも、共働き世帯が増えたり管理的な就職してる女性がよく見えたりしてる世代だと思う。

読んでいる記事に書いているように色々女性のための法律や制度が世界中、特に欧米で、採用されているのに、まだ均等の条件実見できない。アメリカでも、一般的な給料といえば同じくの仕事をしても男性のもらう$1に当たる女性の給料は＄０．７０しかないんだ。それに、女性が会社で男の同僚に性差別的なコメントが言われていて、まだ奮闘で苦労してるが言えるだろう。

「なんで、女性にとってそんなに大変なの」が言っているみたい。。。

新しい学期、新しい目標

皆さん、こんにちは！夏休みはたくさん遊べた？私にとって、夏は超忙しかったせいでまだ今学期の準備できないような気がしてる...

今学期と言ったら、皆と一緒に5年生の授業取るのを楽しみしてる！ちょっと緊張してるけど、皆より私漢字などで下手なこそ目標がいっぱいある。

だけれど皆のために目標を4つに短くまとめておいた。(^^)b

１．漢字の読み方と書き方に上達したい
　　　もう何年間も漢字で苦労したのに、よく新聞などが読みにくいんだ。漢字が分かったら、言葉の意味だけではなく、どんな考えから来て、関係がある言葉も分かるようになる。漢字を勉強ために、特に書き方、漢字の部首（ぶしゅ）を真面目に習うつもり。

２．オノマトペが自然に使いたい
　　　日本にいる間先生も誰と話してもオノマトペが使われていた。英語と異なり日本語が音や気持ちを表すために「じろじろ」や「どきどき」のような言葉が日常会話によく言われる。話す時、教科書ではなく本当の日本人のように会話したいから、それ勉強したい。そのために、アニメや漫画、ホストマザーにもらったオノマトペの辞書を勉強するつもり。

３．日本語で作文とかの書き方勉強したい
　　　日本語勉強始めてから話す練習ができたけど、去年まで日本語で作文を書く経験がなかった。南山大学と領事館のインターンシップで10回もレポート書いたもんだったが、やっぱり日本人のように書けない（このブログ見たら分かるだろう？笑）そのためになるべく宿題とかで長い文を書いたり授業でもらった記事や論文を真面目に読むつもり。

４．アクセントがなくなりたい

　　この点は特に難しいと思う。生まれてから英語の発音に慣れてきて、つまり21年間アメリカ的に言葉の発音話している。日本にいる間もし文法や単語はほとんど正しかったのに強いアメリカ的なアクセントのせいで日本人の相手が私の話をわからなかった。もっと自然になってきたが、まだカタカナかされた言葉を始め、ある言葉の発音で失敗している。このためになるべく会話テーブルに行くつもり。

目標を達成するように頑張る！

じゃ、また授業で！

Being White in Japan.

Setting:
Just had dinner. Lots of sushi (including a sweet one that "kitsune" are said to like...called Inarizushi?), beef, some sort of soup with tofu, and a face-cake with chocolate creme. Sisters are taking a bath, I hear my host mother talking sternly to my host father (about what, who knows), and "Call Me Maybe" is on the radio.

The first post. I should have started this 2 weeks ago, when I first came to Japan, but I put off writing anything until now. I could blame the jet lag, culture shock, and lack of time for not writing anything before. And of course, those were pretty big factors in me avoiding this blog. But I think more than anything, I didn't have anything to say. I could have written detailed accounts of all of the weird features of my new home (like the "shower toilet") or my first experience riding the subway to school (and the terrifying experience of trying to remember how to get back home by myself, without a cell phone) but I think those things I'll be able to remember, and those accounts can be found on any number of blogs written by students studying abroad in Japan. Writing all of that down is kind of a waste of time, to me anyways-I've been taking pictures along the way and can look back on them anytime to remember where I've been and what I've done. 

What I want to write about are my thoughts about this experience, because that's not something pictures can capture. I'm aware of how naive I am/I have been about the world. I have lived my whole life in the small town of South Bend, Indiana, and when it came time to enter the next phase of my life and go to college, I chose to go to Notre Dame, which is literally 5 minutes away from my house (courageous, I know). Before this past December, I had never left the country, or even ridden an airplane. I know my family was plenty scared for me (I'm a pretty ditzy person, so that plus going to a country when I've barely ever left Indiana gave them plenty of reason to worry) and so was I. I still am actually. What I'm really scared about, though, is that I will come back the same person I was when I left. I think I'm a pretty decent human being...but I've been incredibly sheltered from other ways of viewing the world. For example, in my first 2 weeks of being here, I've managed to do some stupid things, such as:

1. Not bother to research how Japanese people took baths. I took baths the Western way for the first week and a half, until my host mother asked me how I was taking them. Turns out, you're supposed to wash yourself outside of the bathtub and only get in to soak and think-the small bath water is used for everyone, so you don't want to spoil it. I've never felt so stupid.
2. Leave things plugged in. In Japan, energy conservation is a big deal since everything's expensive. I took that for granted in the US.

So far, actually, this experience has just been a lot of me feeling stupid. I didn't realize until I came here how pathetic my Japanese language skill is. I've been learning new words every day, but putting them into practice has been difficult. I came here not to just experience the culture, but to learn the language. I had a sad realization today at the store though. My friends and I went to shop in Sakae, and I found this shoe store. I was looking at a boot when a friendly clerk came, tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Last one! Better buy it". I immediately replied with "本当？" before I realized that he had said something in English to me.

English. People here know a bit of English, but not enough to talk in it often. This clerk had never heard me speak in Japanese. For all he knew, I could have been fluent. But he still approached me and spoke in English. I know this was kind of him, but a little disheartening. Japan is different from the US in many, many ways, but the biggest way it's different is that everyone is ethnically Japanese. I get stares on the subway because I'm bigger, whiter, and blonder than everyone else on it-because of this, they automatically know I'm a foreigner. In the US, you have no idea someone's a foreigner until they speak, and even then, they might be so good at English that you cannot tell. I've been thinking about this since the store but I realized that even if I learn the language fluently and dress exactly like a Japanese woman should, I will never fit in. And I think this is the saddest part of my trip.

But I'm still very grateful and happy to be here! This has actually made me more motivated than ever to learn Japanese. I do NOT want to just be a tourist here. I may never fit in, but I will try my hardest to carry part of this culture with me home. I want to come back to the US and not just tell stories about the cool places I went, or the weird features of a Japanese home. I want to go back changed by Japan, even if I can not change Japan or even be a part of Japan. I've loved this country since I was a small child, and know I will never have an experience like this again. So...I will try my hardest. :) がんばりましょう！

PS.

As if on cue, as I wrote that last sentence, my little sister Ayaka came in and gave me a hug good night. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic about the not fitting in thing...appearances are superficial, and Japanese people are very welcoming of me in general. I'm not sure how well learning the language will help me to overcome this feeling of separation...We'll see!

PPS.
I'm not sure if anyone is reading this...it's kind of just a place to muse about things, and not actually write about my happenings in Japan. I'm not telling anyone about it, because I don't know if anyone else will find it interesting. But if you accidentally stumbled upon this, mysterious person, hello there!

日本、はじめまして。

Note: I just noticed I never published this. It's in English, and from my first week in Japan. Interesting, maybe irrelevant, but I took the time to write it so I'm publishing it.

こんばんは、皆さん！今、留学生として日本に住んでいます！火曜日日本に着いて、それからもうたくさん面白いものを見たんです。どこから始めましょうか？

First, I'm not sure who will be reading this. I'm mostly writing this post and future posts for the sake of myself (to reflect upon my experiences) and my family (who want to know everything I'm doing). So, if someone from 日本語の授業 or 他の日本語が分かる人happens to be reading this...my posts are going to be in mostly English from now on. ごめんなさい.

The first thing I remember stepping off the plane, seeing Japan for the first time, albeit in my suffering-from-airline-food-and-jetlag state, was that everyone was so polite. Japanese flight attendants and airport workers lined the hallway, bowing to all of us weary passengers as we hauled our luggage to wherever we were going. Although I haven't had all that much airport experience, I know this isn't exactly the norm in America. But no, here, everyone seemed happy, even thankful, that we passengers made it. I already know that when I go back to America (whenever that is), I'm going to really miss the Japanese sense of manners.

My host family met me at the airport, greeting me with handmade, heavily glittered signs. I have two little sisters: Mei (11 years old) and Ayaka (9). I said something in horrible Japanese, and immediately presented my sisters with two Notre Dame teddy bears. They quietly accepted them and gave me shy smiles, and I worried for a few minutes that they were of the shy variety of kids who don't take too well to strangers suddenly living in their homes for the next 4 months. Luckily, by the next day, Ayaka was climbing all over me, and Mei was visiting me in my room to look at pictures of my friends from school. In fact, today the two of them took me on the subway to a new part of the city to wait for our okaasan (mother). It was a long train ride, so the two decided to pull me around, teach me songs, and suddenly decide their legs didn't work so the only way they could get off the train was if I carried them. I'm sure it was quite a sight for the other passengers- these two little girls directing and climbing all over some foreigner who dresses and talks weird.

As for the parents...they're polar opposites. I guess I can't say much for otousan (father), because he's not home very often. From what I've gathered, he works odd hours at the train station so he's rarely home. When he is, there's a painful silence between us. He knows no English, and my Japanese is pretty embarrassing, so often our conversations are limited to "Good morning" and "いってきます"(what Japanese people say to someone who is leaving the house). My mother, however, is quite interesting. She spent 2 years studying abroad in the US, and teaches English now to Toyota company workers and little children, so she's almost fluent. However, she only uses it when it's vital I understand something. When talking to me, she speaks kindly and slowly, and has a bubbly laugh. However, she can switch gears in an instant when Mei or Ayaka do something wrong. I've figured out my host mother is not someone to cross, so I'm doing my best to help her whenever I can to get on her good side. She also puts a lot of stock in my ability to do things on my own...like return home from school an hour away by myself. That was probably one of the scariest hours of my life, but that night when I saw the familiar door of my home, I got this sense of immense pride and reassurance. I mean, I managed to figure out the subway and local train system of a different, non-English speaking country...I must be at least semi-competent.

So that's the family. As for the house, I know I got extremely lucky with my home-stay placement. I live in an actual two-story house (which is rare in Japan, as space is limited and most people live in an apartment). My  home is furnished here with Wifi, central heating, and two very advanced toilets. Space is still limited, with the kitchen being pretty small and no real dining room. Over the summer, I remember the Keio University students noting the waste of land Americans use on unnecessary things like huge yards and 3 car garages. I can see where that mentality comes from-in Japan, EVERYTHING (from utilities to food) is expensive, so they try to save as much as possible.

Weird differences I've noticed:
1) The trash system is a LOT more complicated. In fact, it seems like none of it is really "trash"...it's all recycled. You can usually see 外人(foreigners) around the trash cans with confused expressions on their faces, trying to figure out where to put their plastic box from lunch. As I would guess, this system was born out of a sense of needing to conserve as many resources as possible in Japan. I'm not sure why this sentiment is so prevalent in Japan and not America...perhaps Americans are too cocky to think they need to both with that sort of thing
2) In bathrooms, there's almost never paper towels provided. Most people carry around their own cloth towels to dry their hands with (I unfortunately never go that memo). That goes along with the "saving resources" thing.
3) Japanese people are exceptional at falling asleep immediately upon boarding the subway.
4) LOTS of people here those medical masks, in order to prevent catching a cold. I'm not sure why this is so prevalent in Japan but not America...again, maybe Americans are too cocky to think they could get sick.
5) Children here walk to school, no matter the age. However, if they're still in elementary school, they walk in groups and wear matching yellow hats. As my host mom explained, these hats are supposed to catch an adult's attention so that someone is watching and protecting the children at all times.

プロジェクトの作品

ピカード：あのう、シンさん、ちょっといいですか？

シン：あ、ピカードさんか。どうだった？

ピカード：実は、昨日ホームステイーお母さんへの手紙が書いたんですが、シンさんは日本に住んでいたことがあるから、ちょっと読んでチェックしてくれない？

シン：そうですか、私日本語上手すぎるから、しかたないんだね。手伝ってやる。

「手紙を読んでいる」

シン:ピカードさん。オノマトペが好きですか？

ピカード：ええ、最近アニメを見るとき、たくさんオノマトペが聴いたんだけど。。

シン：オノマトペを手紙で書いてはいけないと知らなかった？本当に三年生？

ピカード：えええ、そうですか？本当にごめんなさい。どうやった変えたらいいでしょう？

シン：めんどうくせぇな。まあ、時間があるから、手伝ってやる。文をひとつずつ直しましょう。

「文を直す」

＊他の文も同じように変えます＊　意味は手紙の中のオノマトペの後の（）に書いています。

＊ピカードは黒板にオノマトペと丁寧な意味を書いておきます。＊

*ビデオの後、皆さんと一緒にジェスチャーゲーム(charades)をします＊

それは私達（私とシンさん）のプロジェクトの作品です！金曜日にスキットをして、一緒にゲームをしよう！皆さんお楽しみにして下さい　:)

日本のロボット

こんばんは皆さん！今週末はどうだった？ノートルダム大学のフットボールチームは突然（とつぜん＝suddenly)上手になった！全部の人生にNDのフットボールを見ても、このレべルを見たことがない。８－０になってくるから、学生はちょううれしい。私も！！

HALのロボットのビデオを見て、感動した（かんどう＝impressed)。特に、ロボットの目的はいいと思う。日本で、年を取った人は多くなっていくから、だれかが世話をする必要がありますが、若い人は少なすぎる。それから、HALのようなロボットは本当に役に立つ！もちろん、ロボットはそのことができるなら、年を取った人を世話するだけでなくて、他のことをすることがあろうと思う。例えば、ビデオによると、HALは170パウンドぐらい持てる。その重さを持てるのなら、工場で人間の代わりにロボットは重いものを持っていくことができる。それに、引っ越しの時に、ロボットは荷物を持っていくのを手伝うかもしれない。

実は、子供の時ロボットがこわかった。「Terminator」という映画を見た後、全部のロボットは悪いと考えた。今、全部のロボットは悪いわけではない。。。ほとんどのロボットは悪い。

...まだこわい

両方の歌について

こんにちはみんなさん！秋休みはどうだった？楽しんだ？

宿題のため、両方の歌（’ドリカム’と’ええねん’）を数回（すうかい＝several times(?))を聞いた。聞いた後、あまり分からないのに、特に’ええねん’が本当に好きになり始めた。聞くのは楽しいだから！

ドリカムは、聞いたの初めて少し分かった。。。北海道弁は東京弁と大きくなくて違わないと思う。歌詞を読んで、もう一度聞いて、だんだん分かるようになった。内容は面白いと思う。歌手は恋人に話しているそう。彼女は、恋人のために、大阪によく行く。彼女は何かしたいのに、恋人はいつも家をでかけたくない。関係の中に愛情のレベルが同じじゃないかもしれない。私にとって、歌手は新しいボーイフレンドが必要だと思う！

[ええねん」の方が分かりにくいが、本当に好きね！いいメッセージがあると思う。作った人が言いたいことは誰かに愛すれば、何をしてもいい。これは本当と思う。だれかに愛してると、理由は行動（こうどう＝actions）でなくて、性格（せいかく＝personality）だ。それから、恋人は同じ感情（かんじょう＝feelings）がない場合でも、もう愛してる。