Last Saturday night, I spent some time with a friend-boy of mine. (note: friend-boy...a friend that is a male, more than just a platonic friend, but not quite a boyfriend.)My experience with this particular friend-boy has always been positive. He is funny, intelligent, clever, quirky, talented, and has always been kind to me. Certainly I had already realized he is a strong personality - and he holds disdain for people he feels are close-minded or posers.
So, about three months of shiny, happy fun...
But last Saturday....not so much fun. I think the entire night was a lecture of some sort...
"You need to join a gym. Lose weight. Lose it fast!"
"And learn Japanese! You live in Japan but don't know it? Learn it!"
"Did I mention you should lose weight?"
"Did I mention you should lose weight?"
"And learn hirigana - should only take you a day to learn them!"
"If you lost weight Japanese men will like you more!"
"And you can't just speak English everywhere!"
I think...in between these statements, he made some other general conversation. But if
he smiled once the whole time, I can not recall it.
Then he left abruptly to go home.
In fairness, he did say he needs to join the gym and lose weight - pshaw! Maybe 2.5 kg.
And he reminded me that he had to learn Japanese when he moved here.
BUT, he is from China! Doesn't knowing 9000+ kanji give you some advantage? He just learned new pronunciations - but already knew the meanings. Hell, he only had to learn new pronunciations for 2000 of them.
And I am quite sure that years of writing kanji, and having a brain that is used to a pictorial method of language, must be some advantage in learning those cute squiggly kana!
And yeah...so I uhm...I joined the gym and contacted a teacher for Japanese lessons...
How awful. It's never nice getting a lecture from someone and especially bad if there you agree with him to some extent.
ReplyDeleteUmmm... I don't think the being Chinese makes it easier to learn Japanese argument is going to work since your friend obviously has learnt English as well :)
Well...he ALSO claims that growing up in China and being Chinese fluent has no bearing on learning Japanese!
ReplyDeleteDamn him!
Yeah but he's obviously learnt English too so I think you are out of luck!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou! you are on his payroll aren't you? How much is he paying you? I'll double it to "take MY side!"
ReplyDeleteHey I'm all on your side on the weight thing. Personally I think the reason the birthrate in Japan is so low is because most of the girls don't have enough body fat to sustain womanly functions :)
ReplyDeleteHm...could be right. Also, in their current endeavors toward super-skinny, they may be going counter to what men are programmed to be attracted to, ie rounded, fertile, and this thus explains the whole "sexless marriage" crap! I tell ya - if I was married, I would insist, nay DEMAND, the "cookies""
ReplyDeleteHe made two very good points. You should learn Japanese if you live in Japan and not knowing Hiragana after over a year is something I have never even heard of. You can lose weight if you want to, but it's true that you'll get attention from Japanese men if you're slim, and that seems to be what you want, right?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with both things!!