Richard Jernigan -> RE: Tell me some good news; Go west old man! (Oct. 19 2012 17:57:23)
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ORIGINAL: estebanana Are you suggesting a second career? Teaching the Engrish would be easier, I would not have to get as fat so fast. When Larisa and I spent a few weeks in Japan in 2008 we only spoke to one expat at any length. He was an Englishman teaching English in Tokyo. He loved it and said he would stay as long as he could. We met him at dinner as we stayed at an onsen near Nagano. It's the one you see in National Geographic where the monkeys have their own hot spring. Thing was, the English teacher was from Lancashire. His accent was so thick I could just barely understand him at all. Throughout the conversation I kept drifting off onto a mental picture. A half dozen Japanese engineers and managers show up for a meeting in Silicon Valley and break out speaking in pure Japanese-accented Lanky.... We made Kyoto our home base. It's a human scale city with a rich cultural heritage. We stayed at country inns a fair amount after we left Kyoto. We only spent three or four days in Tokyo, and enjoyed kabuki, the Imperial Museum and shopping. In Tokyo I spent money on taxis, since I was too lazy to decode the complex but comprehensive mass transit system. For several years while I lived half the time in Palo Alto, and later full time in Santa Barbara, my girlfriend was a young woman who grew up in Tokyo until she was 14, then moved to the Bay Area with her famiy. She lived in San Francisco, and complained humorously that it was a hick town, because they rolled up the sidewalks at midnight. When people asked her how it was in Japan, her usual response was, "It's like here, only more modern." She was the sharpest person I have ever known as an observer of human behavior, and at figuring out just what was going on in any situation. I was particularly impressed, because that skill was an important part of my job. In fact, it took three or four years of frequent and ernest conversation to sort out some cultural understandings, though she had lived in the Bay Area for six years when we met. As one small example, she asked, "Richard, why don't you drive a Mercedes?" "I don't need a Mercedes." "Why don't you buy your clothes at Wilkes Bashford?" "If I did, it would annoy the aerospace engineers I work with as a consultant. Only their bosses know how much I get paid." In the end, she told me I should pay more attention to my "face". "I don't need to show off," I replied. "It would annoy the people I work with if I did." "Face is not 'showing off'." "What is it then?" "It's behaving according to your position in society, and showing that you accept the responsibility that goes with it." "But I'm not a leader with a number of younger people depending upon my guidance, and depending upon me for power if they need it. I'm a lone wolf. I'm a consultant, not a boss." We arrived more or less at an accommodation. I had my work clothes, and I had my taking her out to dinner clothes. In another episode, we were at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. She was wearing Guess denim jeans and jacket, leather boots. I had on a leather jacket and Levis. A Japanese shop caught my eye. I went in without discussion. I approached an old Japanese lady who appeared to be the proprietor and asked about a particular 19th century Japanese wood block print. She shuffled through a bin, and announced that she didn't have a copy. Her coldness and disinterest amounted to extreme rudeness on a Japanese scale. After we left, my girlfriend was uncharacteristically silent for several minutes. A couple of weeks later, I mentioned the print in passing. "Do you really want one?" "Yes." "You know the price range?" She had several, by a variety of artists. She said they were a lot cheaper in Japan when she was a girl and received them as presents. "Yes." "Okay. You have to do what I say." We went back. She wore discreet heels from the Ferragamo custom shop, a pleated skirt and a silk blouse under a nice sweater. I had on a cashmere blazer, white shirt and tie, flannel slacks and hand made penny loafers. With hunched shoulders, hands clasped, head slightly bowed, she preceded me, approached the old lady and spoke tentatively in Japanese--but in her upper class drawl. The old lady relaxed a little and began to converse. I heard my girlfriend mention her mother's name. At last the old lady glanced my way, assessed my clothes, and finally made the briefest eye contact. We moved on to business in English. The old lady said she didn't have a copy of the print, but knew where one might be available. She asked how much I would offer. As schooled, I asked her advice. Long story short, over a period of a couple of weeks, offers went back and forth, and at last I got the print. I asked my girlfriend, "Was there really an anonymous owner, or did she have the print all along?" "Of course she had it. Why do you ask?" She was from a high status family, went to the same school as the Empress, had the same flower arranging and tennis instructors.... It was four years before she felt I was ready for her to take me to Japan. Your progress has been much quicker! She said she first became interested in me because she had never known anyone who was so purely Euro-American as I, but showed some flexibility and interest in other cultures. Her previous boyfriend was born and raised in San Francisco Chinatown. She laughed and said, "A lot of those Chinatown guys are more 'white-bread' than you are." I'm sure you'll love Japan. It's a tremendously beautiful country with a wonderfully rich culture. The people were friendly and helpful when Larisa and I visited. We loved it. RNJ
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