The summer is still here in Kyushu. Maybe after another month or so the temperature should gradually drop another 10 degrees, but for now it's still 90s and humid. Last month I received a one year extension offer to my contract, but I decided it's time to move on and start new things next year.
I only extended one month, so my last day working for my company is March 17, 2012. After that, I'm free, so to speak.
I've already passed the midpoint here, closing in on 7 months strong. The good thing is that it's a descent from the peak until the finish line. As long as I continue to try to make the best of my time and studies, it should be an enjoyable 6 months. The short term plans for now are taking the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) level 2 in December, my friend's wedding in Tokyo, and going to Thailand this Christmas/New Years. In regards to the JLPT, if I took it today, I might pass it, depending on what kind of questions and luck I have. So hopefully if I keep my studies straight for the next 3 months, I can fill in any missing holes in order to pass the exam.
An interesting article I read when I first came to Japan was a study based on Culture Shock. The process of Culture Shock is basically the adjustment of an individual living in a new culture. The symptoms can vary from over excitement, joy, fascination, to loneliness, isolation, and a "Why did I come here?" attitude. This study also had a Culture Shock timeline, which describes the state of emotions and feelings the person may have at each point in their living in this new culture. The timeline looks something like this:
/ \ / \ /
/ \ / \ /
1 / \ 2 ____3____ / \ /
/ \ / \ / \ /
/ \ / \ / \ /
/ \ / \ / \ /
/ \/ \/ \/
4
The first peak (1) consists of the initial "Honeymoon" period and then a sudden immersion of new problems such as housing, food, transportation etc (2). The plateau (3) comes after those initial everyday hardships are overcome and one starts to feel rather adjusted. The next drop (4) occurs when the individual has been away for a rather long period of time and has somewhat mastered the language, but cannot express themselves as well as they can in their native language. This is known as the "Mental Isolation" stage and frustrations begin to mount, which leads to a drop in self confidence. The study mentions that some people never successfully emerge from this stage.
Personally, I believe there are two major contributing factors to why some people can't get out of the "Mental Isolation" stage. The first is language. Anyone who has studied a foreign language knows that you reach numerous plateaus while studying, with each one becoming more difficult to overcome. This point in the Mental Isolation stage, may be the largest peak to climb in the language stage as well. This individual knows enough at this point to interact comfortably with native speakers, watch television shows and understand the overall meaning of each program, and pretty much confidently handle any sticky situation in which they may have faced before (ex. going to the doctor, receiving directions, conveying and gaining knowledge in confusing situations). However, for those who may not be satisfied with this point may begin to feel frustrated because they are "almost there"and every little word, nuance, phrase is taken with extreme consideration because they are the little steps they can build as they climb this mountain. Missed days of studying may feel like digressions, and new tactics or more time may have to be allotted in order to reach the next stage.
The language stage may run parallel with second point, social life. Just like the "new guy" in school, upon arriving to a new town can be very exciting not only for that individual, but for those living in that town. You are in fact quite different from the others and they are curious and want to know all about you. The initial attention may be overwhelming at first, but many new social buddies are made in a short period of time. As time progresses, the attention naturally decreases because you gradually become one of the norm. The 20 or 30 friends you had calling you every weekend to go out has now suddenly dropped to single digits. It's no more their fault than the individual's, because realistically it's just not possible to carry a job, take care of appointments, do one's own hobbies, and hang out with 30 people every week. Those single digit friends are now the friends who you are close enough with that you don't have to see each other every week. But then when that feeling of "I need to make new friends, make good use of my time here, find a nice girl etc." starts to creep in, it comes along with a feeling of "How do I approach these people?" In the beginning it was simple, just act yourself because you don't know how else to. The element of you being different will be enough for people to want to befriend you. But now it's not so simple. You've acquired knowledge and experience on the way things work in this culture. So what do you do? Do you try to act like one of the natives, although you are clearly not one of them? Or do you continue to play the "foreigner" card? With those knowing you have the experience in their culture, there may come a subconscious expectance that you are not naive to the ropes around here. The balance of the two may be key at this point, and those who can successfully balance the two will not only surpass those who are stuck in this situation, but it may excel them above the natives.
It's essential in how one can make use of their tools, and in this case it's knowledge, experience, and motivation. Used properly, these tools will not only create a masterpiece of a person, but a legendary story to come along with it.
