A little Something…
Something I’ve been working on, trying to get a solid reference image done for Yaju to use in the cast section of the site. I think this might get posted after the site design get upgraded for wordpress 2.5
As an aside, I’ll be going back to America for a couple of weeks starting on the 18th of this month, so I likely wont be putting up comics during that time ; ; Maybe I can use some of the downtime to write some new material, but I’m sure I’ll be busy meeting people and doing all the things humans do during this time of the year.
I do however plan to bring my notebook with me, so maybe during the middle of the night when I’ll undoubtedly be awake from the time zone swapping jet lag, I can get some code work done on the new site that I’ve been wanting to do for months and months now.
I’ve heard about people experiencing a ‘reverse culture shock’ when they return home after living abroad for a time, but I find the concept of that ridiculous. I mean, how can it be ’shocking’ to return to normalcy? I don’t see myself dropping random Japanese words, or acting strangely in otherwise familiar social situations, but I suppose only time will tell. I think I have a good buffer from it built up being that I live with my Wife, and speak English on a day to day basis with her. Not top mention the amount of American T.V. shows, movies, podcasts, and radioshows that I listen to in order to comfort myself with English speaking voices.
I’m a little nervous though, all told, to go back home. I don’t feel like the past year has been much of an objective accomplishment for me. I’m only working part time, my Japanese isn’t exactly impressive (maybe first year of college level), and my supposed focus on my cartooning has been pretty much fruitless. I’ve made some strides personally and with my art, but as far as success or goal reaching goes in so many areas, I just don’t feel like I’ve done anything. I’m not prepared for the barrage of questions about life here, answering those same questions over and over again to everyone that I haven’t seen in the past year and a half…I wonder if the friends I’ve abandoned will even make the time to indulge me in a conversation to catch up.
Ah the worries and the woe…I do not look forward to my return to the States, though I do look forward to the cheeses. A new mathematical formula for me to memorize (as apparently no references are available in the real world when you need a mathematical formula, forcing you to memorize them all for the test) 5 beers + 2 a.m. = block of nonsensical text. I will regret this post in the morning ^_^
5 beers? Lightweight :p
Hey, when you come to the states, if you happen to be around Charlotte you should let me buy you a drink or something (though I’ll probably be really busy, and so will you :p). Hope you have a fun/safe trip
To be fair, I’ve been drinking 7% beer in the 500ml cans. But yes, I am a lightweight being that I’m only 130lbs. at 5′11″ >.>; I”ll be jumping around the Charlotte area a bit while I’m over there, I think most of my time is gonna be eaten up in Concord. Lots of family/friends to see, and we have no real plan or itinerary… scheduling is gonna be fun.
I know how you feel. If I hear “how’s Japan?” one more time, I’ll lose it. How’s Japan? It’s Japany. We’ve got boys that look and act like girls and girls that look and act like an abortion of a color wheel. And one vending machine for every 7 people. It’s awesome.
Haha, I’m totally stealing that response! I’m gonna print copies on index cards and just walk around handing them to people. Usually I just say that it’s like anywhere in the world, they have buildings, streets, and people. But no one’s ever satisfied with that >.<
LMAO at bamboo! Thats probably the best description I’ve ever heard… ever
Reverse culture shock can be a bunch of little things. For example, you will have got used to the cars being on the other side of the road. Politeness of service staff in shops and restaurants. No tipping. Excellent public transport. A 24-hour combini within 10 minutes walk wherever you live. Not being taller than nearly everyone.
I even find, after a few weeks in Japan, I get stranded outside shop and office glass doors for 15 seconds until I realise they won’t open automatically. And I miss the washlet.
Anyway, congratulations on the improvements you’ve made in your artwork. Good luck on your trip. Enjoy it. And I’m looking forwards to further adventures when you get back to Japan.
Now that I’ve been home and back again, I can say that at first it was a little weird. Just hearing that much English all around felt a little odd, I’m not used to filtering so much background conversation anymore. I found myself overeating because of the portion size to price ratio, but I don’t think it’s to the level that some people claim to have had. The one thing that really stood out was exactly how rude waiters/waitresses were at some of the restaurants I went to back home. I mean, I remember them being pretty bad, but it was enough to make me go ‘ohhhhhh yeah…it really IS that bad.’
More of a little culture jolt than shock on the whole though. I feel like I readjusted to the States pretty quickly and in some ways everything I miss about home came rushing back. Luckily there are enough things I hate about the States and enjoy in Japan that it wasn’t terribly difficult to hop back across the water.