Identity

ポストした日：８日３月２０１４年２０時っぽい

    Is there a difference between "national identity" and "cultural identity"? 

    A book on Language and Citizenship in Japan (source of inspiration).

    From my perspective and experience this is not a new question but in fact something that all Puerto Ricans think about and already know the answer. Of course they are different! I wouldn't wait one second to say that. Yes, I have an american passport and I have many legal advantages when living in US, but this doesn't make my national identity as "American". In fact I am far from it.

    

    Just as Japanese-Brazilians have more ease in the immigration process and visa application and may look more Japanese than other immigrants, their inner nature is much more different than that of a person whose cultural identity is Japanese.

    Whenever this topic of US and PR (Puerto Rico) come up with my friends, I don't really like to talk to much about it. My blood starts to boil, and I need to cool down. I would like to help them understand my situation but how can it be understood with just 1 short conversation? There are so many areas to this US-Puerto Rico political relationship. (Because let's face it, it's political and not much more. Ok business too.) 

    For example, when I live in the US I can vote for the president but when I am living in Puerto Rico I can't vote (Part of this reason is because US politics and the domestic decisions they make, do not affect Puerto Rico. So really there is no need to vote for a President.) 

    When I am abroad I have to write on papers that I am of American nationality because it is rare for institutions/etc to even include the option of Puerto Rican nationality.

    I like that in US people are more open about religion, homosexuality, and have a lot of imported foods/products/etc (compared to Puerto Rico), but I also don't like how they were using land space to practice bombings that resulted in people getting sick, or how they tested birth control pills on Puerto Rican women which lead to many deaths of those participants. (That's one of many reasons why I don't like this pill and don't want to take it. Because I keep thinking of all the women that died in order for me to take this pill just because I don't want to use a condom. There are other reasons too.)

    So it's difficult to explain to another person and also have to control my feelings. How do you do that?

    In this sense, I have no problem changing my "nationality". I just see it as a political paper that dictates where I can vote, and where I can have working benefits, and which countries I can travel to with ease.

    (One of the reasons why we even have this "nationality" concept is so that we as citizens don't have the power to vote in multiple countries and sway the political sphere.)

    If in the future I need to decide to change my nationality to like a Japanese one, I see no problem in that. I will still be me. A paper is just a paper. The me holding that paper is just me holding a paper and saying something like "wuuuuuuu. I can work more now!! :DD". Jajajaja

自信

ポストした日: 7日3月２０１４年、8：54時っぽい。

    早稲田の結果を見て自信が亡くなってきた。「なんで取り入れなかった？。。間違うはどこなの？。。どうしたらいいかな。。。もう一回早稲田の準備してみるかな」と思ったけど何も言わなかった。心の真ん中に深い感情を感じた。しかし、どう説明するかな。悲しい、怒る感じ、等。また、何を言った方がいいか分からなかった。(._.) 将来の夢観るのができる？


    (March 16): I look back at this , and I have nooooooo idea what I was talking about. XD

なんでもかんでもという宿題

ポストした日：７日３月２０１４年００：３１時

今日の日本語の授業の宿題はこちらです。「内容質問」と言います。

１）なんで「ちょっと「ちょっと考えさせて下さい」と言ったのか。

　　どうして「ちょっと考えさせて下さい」と言うの理由は、雇い主（やといぬし:employer）だし人間関係にひびが入らないため、ソフトな言い回しを表します。

２）「こんなソフトな言い回し」の使うこと、筆者はどう思う？

　　筆者は悪くなくていい事だと思います。理由はもっとソフトな言い回しを使えば相手のきまり悪い気持ちを断ります。つまり、相手の気持ちをきずつけない（to hurt someone's feelings）ように恥ずかしくないように、ソフトな言い回しを使った方がいいだと思います。

３）会談では、どんな誤解（ごかい: misunderstanding）が生じた（しょうじた: to occur）のか。

　　アメリカの大統領（だいとうりょう: president）はニクソンと佐藤首相（さとうしゅしょう）と会談の時に「善処（ぜんしょ:to take appropriate steps）します」と耳にして「イエス」という意味だと思いました。しかし、佐藤の言葉は「多分無理だ」ということでした。これはニクソンの誤解です。だたし、佐藤とニクソンの文化が違いがありますから「善処します」という言い回しの意味を変わると思います。

４）日米は「ノー」の使い方にどんな違い？

　　アメリカで私的な会話には「ノー」使われますけど公の場であんまり聞こえません。一方、日本人にとって公の場でも「ノー」を耳にします。

５）表す表現を探して

　　「日本人以外にはとても「ノー」とは思えぬ言い回しでも、日本人にとっては紛（まぎれもない：unmistakable, obvious）れもない「否」」という表す表現は「ちょっと考えさせてください」かもしれません。

６）あなたの国の人以外にはとても「ノー」とは思えない言い回しでも、あなたの国の人にとっては紛れもない「否」を示す表現はありますか。

　　実はそんな意味を持っている様々な言い回しがあります。例えば、ある人と話せて怒れば、「ノー」をまだ使いたくなれば、「nadie le gusta un 100 dolar」の言い回しを表します。この言い回しということは「誰も百ドルのが好きじゃない」という意味です。考え方はお金を使う時に大きなドルを使いたくないで、もっと小さなドル「１０ドル」とか「２０ドル」とかを使うのが好むですから。しかし、プエルトリコの女性が短気（たんき:short temper）がありますので、とても怒っている場合にシャイわけじゃなくて曖昧な（あいまい）言い回しを使わなくて、明確な（めいかく）ことを表現します。

７）なぜ「日本人はなぜ「ノー」と言わないのか」という質問がノンセンスなの？

　　日本人にとってソフトな言い回しを口にするのが普通ことですから。

意見を述べよう

　　「ノー」とはっきりclearly/plainly/distinctly言わずにwithout saying「ノー」という意図を伝えることを、あなたはどう思いますか。

          What do you think about conveying the intention of "no" without clearly saying "no"?

　　もちろん、文化や場合によって違うですけどーーはっきり言わずに「ノー」の意味が変われるし誤解でもできるしーー、いい人間関係があるためにこうした曖昧な言い回しは大切だと思います。いつも明確な（めいかく）ことを口にすれば相手に失礼な印象を示してしまって、相手が自分の姿を誤解するはずです。こうした場合が欲しくないのではないでしょう。すなおに話しても大丈夫ですけどあちこちソフトな言い回しを使えば相手の気持ちをきずつけなくなりません。

　　一例は、お母さんにめいかくに自分の本当の気持ちを表したいんですけど絶対にお母さんの気持ちをくずつけて関係が悪くなってきると思ってて、ソフトな曖昧な言い回しをよく使います。それから、ある人の悪いした事を話したい時にはじめに、ソフトな言い回しで意図を表しますけどまだもし分からないと、もっとすなおになります。

不思議な感じ

本当のポストした日：６日３月２０１４年１９：５８時っぽい

    As I do my homework I can't help but feel nervous and anticipation for this spring break trip. It's only about 2 weeks, but still. I've been waiting. . . . . . 4 years already to return and to all of a sudden be able to do that feels mysteriously wonderful and strange. In other words, 不思議な気持ちを持ってる。。。

    What do I do with this feeling?

    I'm not really sure. . .
    ?

    And then I'm also preparing for graduate school again, and job interviews and the work I have to do for the part-time job. My brain is all over the place. Today I spent a good 3 hours deciding and folding the clothes I want to try and sell. I still have a lot of clothes I think. I'm not used to having so much clothes (that I like), so it feels like I still have a lot. But I decided to sell many that haven't even been touched for more than a year. There are other ones that just are too big now. And I don't like to have many T-shirts. There are some that I am unsure if to sell them or not but I will think of that later. Also I have a lot of shoes that are just in storage that I never use that I want to sell.

    Regardless, I'm excited. :)
    Hmmm. . . . I've never been introduced to someone's parents before. But probably this is a different meaning/thinking for him. And I've never experienced the situation where other people WANT to meet me. When does that happen? I'm not sure. . . .

    Then there are the schools. . . . I have no idea how to even start so I asked Sue for some advice (also I asked her about Interac and what she knows about this company). I also want to ask my advisor.

 
    I have also been thinking for a while to sell some of my manga. I really don't need them. The problem is that they are not popular around this area compared to english novels, so I won't make much money. . . Who wants to read about Neko Ramen? Not many people. (at least around here)

    And on a different topic, I'm an now officially using my twitter account. I'm not posting anything, just following other people. The same way that I have used youtube. I just use it to make favorite lists and playlists, and follow people. It's easier to check up on rocketnews24.en ! LOL!

がっかり

本当のポストした日:1日２月2014年、11：46時

    Another month anniversary. . . not a very good one though. My heart just dropped. がっかりした

がっかり(する): to be disappointed