Mispoken Japanese

Today was another good day at work. It was a little difficult because we had to make the Daily Special menu again, because there were many mistakes. I also learned that my Japanese is not at the right level of politeness.

I’ve been getting used to using もうしわけございません  instead of ごめんなさい.

I understand that かしこまりました is better than わかりました  .

But now it appears that when announcing customers  ‘きました’  is too basic, and instead I should say something like  ‘いらっしゃえました’ , or something that sounded like ‘gowanai mashita.’  I stuttered and whispered these new phrases all day! I hope tomorrow is better.

Also, when a customer asked for the bathroom I only said おくの右手 , and was reprimanded by a co-worker. I know that it should be おくの右手になります, but I felt too nervous to say the correct ending! That’s the difference between ‘down and to the right’ and ‘It is down and to the right.’

Little words can make a lot of difference!

I’m sorry to all the customers I might have insulted!  Everyone, wish me luck!

To Japan I Go!

I mentioned going to Japan this summer in my last post.

When I first thought of the plan it was to go for 2 months, but now I’m getting a little scared about being there for so long. I’ve only been at the restaurant for a month and it feels like I’ve been there for forever. What is forever times two?

Right now I’m working hard to save money for the year. I have the money for the round trip tickets to and from Japan. I’m saving for spending money there and the fall tuition for when I return to New York.  A semester’s tuition is $2,000. If I don’t spend any of my next paychecks I can save a little more than $5,000, but I’m certain that’s impossible.

I’m going to be staying with a friend for the most part, in Yokkaichi. That’s about an hour away from the closest city, Nagoya, but that’s okay! In New York it’s also an hour to get to the city of Manhattan.

Still, I want to travel the many parts of Japan– is there anyone reading now who will let me stay with them sometime between June 15th and August 10th? Let me know!

’08 to ’09 Updates

みんあさん！さしぶり！

Ah! It’s been more than a month since I posted. What happened to staying faithful to blogging? I think I’ll post a lot before the night is over. Updates are in order!

I got the job at the restaurant I spoke about in the last post. I love it there. I’m learning a lot about proper mannerisms and the different levels of politeness used in Japanese. I love shocking the customers when I seat them and announce “にめいさまはいります!” I love it when the American customers ask me what I said with these amazed smiles on their faces.

All of the staff are really respectful of me being a がいじん and they’re extra helpful with helping me with my mistakes or my Japanese self-study. We have lots of fun and work hard together to make sure the restaurant runs well. Everyone is an honored せんぱい and gives me something to learn from. Later on, I may give anonymous profiles on everyone there.

For now, it’s on to explaining my plans for the year!

It makes me eager to learn more and I’m confident I can deal with whatever racial barriers I come in contact with when I go to Japan.

Which is, by the way, this summer!  More on that later tonight because it deserves it’s own post.

I’m enrolled at NYU for some Japanese classes this February to let me get that “I’m going to college” feeling and spread it around.

Nothing else has really changed. Happy Holidays to all, by the way. Now, it’s on to explaining my plans for the year!

Japanese Interview Practice

Interviews in Japan aren’t so different from ones in Americca are they? I wish ihad asked this earlier, way before my interview at a Japanese-owned restaurant! I’ve been imaging how it should go. If I walk in and say “Hajimemashite” won’t they expect for me to continue the interview in Japanese? Either way, I would like to try.

The simple questions I can answer. My name, my age, where I live, what job am I doing now. I’ve been practicing harder questions.

How many days a week can you work? なんいちかんはたらますか？
毎日です。

What times can you work?なんじかんはたらけますか？
かようびのばんとすいようびのばんいがいはだいじょうぶです。

From when can you work?いつからはたらけますか？
明日からはいいです。

Today Mrs. Malone helped me say, “I’m here for an interview.” 私は面接のためにこへきました。And said that if I ever have to say ごめんなさい。わかりません, afterwards I can say でも、これからもっとべんきょうします。

I feel a lot better now.

First Times

Aaah! First times are scary aren’t they? The first time you fell off your bike or fell in love. The first time you cut class or cut yourself while cooking. 恐いでしょう？

At 5:00pm today I’ll have my first job interview at a soba restaurant in Manhattan.

I was lucky to get all my other jobs. I was nominated for my first job at a web magazine as a Web Design Supervisor by a teacher. As soon as I sent in my resume I was accepted as a Website Administrator at a record company, for my second job. My third job came after volunteering at a language school for a few months.

This will be my first time to dress up, to practice, and worry. I’m so nervous. They asked if I knew Japanese, and I told them I know the basics. Will they ask me to speak in Japanese? Will I understand what they say? I’ve never worked in a restaurant…will they accept me that way? How hurt will I be if I don’t get the job? What am I going to wear? What should I do with my hair?

The interview is in about 15 hours. I’ll let you all know how it goes!

“Who do you choose, Tejou?”

I choose Obama, and not for the reasons some people might think. For me it’s a lesser of two evils, voting on such a scale always is. It doesn’t help that Obama is part African American, but it helps that his running mate isn’t a woman rallying against abortion. Plus, McCain speaks more jibberish than a politician should be allowed. Sometimes he seems like an ancient war veteran muttering himself to sleep–worth respecting but not something you really want to listen to at this day and age. He’s just too old.

Of Bathrooms, Cups, and Keys

Just before I started writing the post before this one, a student from this evening’s Arabic class came up to the front desk and asked if I knew where the ladies room was. I smiled as normal, and leaned over to the edge of my desk to point to the bowl that holds the bathroom keys.

“Yeah, you just take that cup and you…” I paused, and glanced up at the student, who was standing with wide eyes and lips parted.

As she picked up the cup and turned it upside down we burst out into laughter simultaneously.

The ladies room key is attached by a string to the inside of 2 pretty paper cups. By no means was I asking her to relieve herself in the 9 ounces the cup provides, but I would have thought the same thing if I asked to use the bathroom and someone pointed at a cup xD

I’m Gonna Be A Star

Someday I’m gonna be on TV…or the internet…or the movies. I’m not really sure. And I’m not sure why and I’m not sure when. But it’s gonna happen.

I was late for work, and despite that, I still had my mind set on Starbucks. As I was crossing the street at 31st in Manhattan I saw a single reporter and a camera man and I thought oh no, classes start in 15 minutes–I either miss my big break or an Arabic teacher was going to be without a room and markers.

I smiled at the reporter and he asked “Can we get you to do something?”

At first I thought it’d be something weird, comical, and embarrassing. “It’ll only take a minute,” he added, and I shrugged and squinted at him suspciously. “Do…something?,” I asked and with a laugh he pulled out a release form.

“We just need you to say no and walk past when we ask you to answer some questions.” Considering that’s what I was fighting to tell myself to do, I didn’t feel bad for stopping. I agreed and as I signed the release he continued, “A lot of people do say no, but we don’t have permission to show them saying no.”

“So just say no and walk past…then what?”

“Just keep walking.”

Simple enough, I thought and jumped back a few steps as the crowd of Manhattan fled from the eye of the camera. From the street corner I waited until I got the okay, and then pretended to be occupied with my folder containing class schedules and attendances. When the reporter said his “line” I shook my head with a emphathic half-frown, holding up a hand as I walked past him and the camera. “I really can’t. I’m late, sorry!”

As I got to the end of the block I heard them both yell “Thank you!”

I never felt as cool as I felt glancing over my shoulder and giving them a thumbs up.

I’m gonna be a star.

Today I Thought of You

Today I blew a snot bubble…and I thought of you.

I was brushing my teeth and I was going to sneeze but I didn’t…and it grew…and I thought of you.

Of practice SATs, and disapproving faces, and laughter.

Of laughter lost, and my disapproving face, and your foggy faced, red eyed smile.

Today I blew a snot bubble and as I laughed and it exploded…

I thought of you.

It Has Been Completed

Ah…it’s hard to believe that just a little more than a month ago we first heard of the Room Remix contest. It’s a contest hosted by BET, and though it’s pretty lame that they thrive on conflict and instigate if they don’t see enough, it’s nice to win something worth so much. See the commercial for it asked if you couldn’t stand being with your roommate and needed someone to help make your shared living space more neutral. Our entry video featured that riled up little sister of mine, insisting my books are garbage and my notes are trash and my hobby of Japanese language learning is dumb. To think that we actually won the contest, announced on the 8th of September, and that I’d have to go through more of her insults…well…it made me pretty sad. But now that I’m a grown-up –18 since September 17– I decided to talk through my problem with her and we came to the agreement that if she trash talked me I’d walk away.

So yeah, to back track my sister, Nesha, heard about the contest on BET, went on the site and signed up. She received an email requesting pictures of our room a few days later and those were sent in. Then about a week later a woman named Adrienne called and requested we send in a video of us explaining our situation, and a few days after that my sister IMed me at work in Capslock that we were finalists.

We were one of four finalists, and I hear we won by a landslide, but maybe the manager/producer just wanted to make use feel good.

It all happened pretty fast…After that we were interviewed by the design team, I was called a slob, and I cleaned more than I had in maybe 5 years in a week. I wonder if I’ve lost weight.

Here’s a video I made of the before and after.

Banners Make My Heart Pop

It’s 2:50 am despite what wordpress may say. I shouldn’t be up now but I feel I should post something.

I made the banner today. It makes me happy even if kanji doesn’t.

I love the movie Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and the song “Pop! Goes My Heart” would be on repeat on my phone if I could work this mobile version of Windows Media Player the right way.

Good Morning!

Working in Retail

I’ve never wanted a job in retail. I always told myself and others that “I won’t get a job selling stuff” and I thought I was living up to that promise until I thought about it today. I work at a language school. My job is to prepare snacks, drinks, and class materials and then I transport them to the site where classes take place. I set up the snacks and drinks, put signs up on the door, prepare attendance sheets. Teachers and students arrive and I answer questions about class credits and scheduling. Students come to me with questons and requests to sign up for language classes or to re-enroll.

“Life is about selling yourself.” I’ve heard this often and I believe it, and if it isn’t life then it’s work. I’ve just never thought of it along the terms of going against my promise. Now “selling yourself” doesn’t mean to the devil and it doesn’t mean you’re “selling out.” No matter the job, you want someone to like or at least want something about or from you, you advertise your quailities and anyone who doesn’t snarl and walk away is a satisfied customer.

Isn’t that a sale?

I work in retail and I’m here to serve.

My Japanese is Useless

Today, I remembered this one time, maybe two years ago, where I got off the train and there was this lone Japanese girl standing in the station. She was looking down at the fold up map in her hands and biting down on her lower lip. I knew she was Japanese because of the characters on the book she was holding the map against–a mix of kanji, katakana and hiragana. I wanted to help her so much, when all I could have done was asked “Daijoubu?” and then the conversation would have ended there. Embarrassed with myself I just walked past her and up the stairs, I didn’t even try to help her in English.

To this day I still feel pretty crappy about it. And when I think that I still don’t know enough Japanese to have helped her it bothers me even more. What am I doing wrong? How can I get better at conversational Japanese? What studying techniques should I try?

Someone Help!