What Shacho said
...written on 2000-10-27, @ 23:33:26
Fri October 27, 2000
I hate getting behind in my journal. So much stuff happens everyday.
Hmm, let's see. I already told you about Ikeda and going to the Sushi bar with Shacho and reciting him the haiku my friend translated for me.
Well, we had our weekly employee meeting on Wednesday and Ivan was supposed to introduce himself. He had written a 3 page speech. Hide saw it and said, "No way, that is too long.", so Ivan had to self-edit as he went along. Fred was translating to me what Hide was saying to everyone about Ivan's speech and I asked him why people were laughing at this one particular place where Ivan said he had graduated in the top 10% of his class. Fred said Hide said that he thought Ivan was boasting and that Japanese really don't like that and would never do it. In fact, there is a Japanese baseball player in the States that is angering his countrymen by being very boastful. That wasn't Ivan's point at all, but that's how it was translated.
Ivan bounced back in everyone's favor though, when he read a haiku he composed about being a teacher in this company:
Look out the window
Dream of great accomplishments
Open the window
Shacho then got up and welcomed Ivan and thanked all the American English teachers for coming to the juku schools to teach. He told everyone about our trip to the sushi bar and about the conversation that we had in the car. He said that he thought that "Kim-chan" (everyone laughed here because it was strange to hear such a term of endearment applied to a foreigner, Fred explained that it was Shacho's way of demonstrating a great affection and respect to me in front of everyone) could see "inside" of people and things. That while most people looked on the outside only, I sought to go deeper. I was astounded, honored, embarrassed--a myriad of emotions passed over me at this point. Shacho then invited me to stand and recite the haiku I told him in Japanese.
Momo no mino
Min no ruko no hini
Shinen n zo ya
(I am very sorry to have to die
at this time with peach trees in bloom)
That night I went to Tarui with Mori-san. He took me to Mega Mart so I could by some new flooring. I just bought enough for the bathroom and I'm glad. It won't go that well in the kitchen.
I had three classes at Tarui. Elementary, 1st grade of jr high and 2nd grade of jr high. They went great. I have used the pictures of my family and friends to wonderful ends.