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Inbox - Russell719

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21 February 2008 14:07  

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Hi Russell!
Wow! Cool! Another Crazy Canadian here in Northern Japan!
(I've been here in Niigata for almost 18 years now, so I guess that almost qualifies me as Legally Insane!)
It has indeed been much colder this year, with much more snow than last year as well. (As Niigata is usually called "snow country," it's nice to get our reputation back!)
That said, Niigata city itself doesn't get that much snow (especially where I live, right close to the Japan Sea), so I haven't had to drag out the shovel yet once this winter, and I've pretty much been able to ride my bicycle downtown every day!
How long have you been up there in Aomori?
Keep in touch, anyway!
Yours in gaijin-ness,
Ian
---
Live, Love, Learn, Laugh...
 

26 February 2008 01:29  

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Ha ha! I love that! "Nerd alerts"!
I was such a nerd, I had to escape to Japan (the Nerds' Paradise? Hmmm...) at the age of 24 and I haven't been back to live in Canada since!
Yeah, we still got a little snow on the ground too, but from the looks of things, I bet (or is that I hope?) it'll be gone soon, and I'll be able to ride my bike a little faster...
Y'know, seriously though, I always had this Attraction to the Orient and to Kanji. (Yes that's what they call them in Chinese (Mandarin/Peking Chinese/PuTongHua) too, it's just that they pronounce the characters 漢字 as HanZi! )
So I never found it difficult to study them, the more difficult they are, the more fun they are, if you know what I mean...
On the other hand, even though I know maybe 2000 kanji or so, I still am totally illiterate in the only-40-or-so Korean Hangul letters: just never really wanted to learn them!
And no, I don't think the fact that my wife goes gaga over this Korean actor, Bae YongJoon has anything to do with it! Okay, okay, it might have a little to do with it...
I just dived into the kind of books I loved to read; just went to bookstores (used and new) and checked out the books until I could read. I always loved books, in English and in French too, so I think that may have worked greatly to my advantage when it came to just curling up with good books in Japanese too.
I keep my Japanese and Chinese books downstairs and my English and French ones upstairs, so because I'm so lazy, it's a lot easier to just reach out my hand and take down an interesting-looking Japanese or Chinese book, than to go all the way upstairs to get an English or French one!
But I've always believed in a desire-based, enjoyment-based learning. When it's not fun, I let it rest for a while and then go back to studying when the desire comes back (which is usually pretty soon!)
As you can see, I like long letters!
Stay warm up there,
Ian
---
Live, Love, Learn, Laugh...
 

26 February 2008 01:27  

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Hot Tip: Call your "obaa-chan bike" a "chalin-ko," or even better, a "mama-chali" when you talk to your Japanese friends about it! You'll get them laughing, and they'll give you Bonus Points for your Japanese!
 

16 April 2008 03:00  

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Congratulations, Russell!
I just realized you'd been "Promoted" to English Expert!
You'll notice there are a few more validations to be done in English than in Tagalog!
Tanoshinde!
Seeya!
 
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