I moved to Japan approximatelly three weeks ago. I boarded the plane on July 31st and arrived in Tokyo on August 1st. As i began to navigate my way around my daily life it became more and more apparent that my inability to speak Japanese made everything more challenging.
A few recent scenarios:
Is that vinegar or oil at the store? Let me ask the cashier. Oh wait, they don't speak English.
What is this bill for and how much do i need to pay and where do i send it?
Turns out google can't answer every question...
Illiterate- unable to read and write. 2) having or demonstrating very little or no education. 3) showing lack of culture, especially in language (according to dictionary.com)
In America I am an educated hard working competent individual. I have a masters degree in education, love reading books, enjoy writing on the side, and thoroughly enjoy giving speeches. In college I gave a welcome speech to 2000 incoming freshmen students. At work I lead professional developments to a staff of over a hundred employees. I spent four years teaching where I spent the mass majority of my job standing up in front of a critical audience of 11,12, and 13 year olds. That was me...
The new me accidentally buys liver instead of beef because he cannot read the label. The new me cannot figure out which day to attend the local community center because i cannot read the days of the week on the calendar. The new me spends 45 minutes in the milk aisle trying to figure out which one is fat-free, reduced fat, or creamer. Then to top it off dictionary.com has correctly explained me as: unable to read or write, having little to no education and showing a lack of culture through an inability to communicate.
Talk about an identity crisis...
No comments:
Post a Comment