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yuhakko Tetraglot Senior Member FranceRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4629 days ago 414 posts - 582 votes Speaks: French*, EnglishB2, EnglishC2, Spanish, Japanese Studies: Korean, Norwegian, Mandarin
| Message 201 of 203 26 July 2015 at 12:31pm | IP Logged |
Life is going perfectly well thanks! I don't have internet at home nor on my phone so it's a bit tough to give much news but I'll try to give
more details asap!
Work's going fine although a bit tough from time to time. I'm not a big fan of my boss or her "passive agressive" way of acting but well.. I
can't do much about it.
I do have the opportunity to read a lot of japanese at work (like news or emails I am in copy) which is very nice. I also wrote my very first 2
mails to potential clients, so I had to use very formal Japanese. It was tough but nice.
As I've said on the team thread, I've also started again working on my Chinese and soon my Korean (Actually I started Healer as well ^^)
Outside of work, life is busy as hell. Going out a lot but unfortunately most of the time I end up with a lot of french colleagues so I'm
starting to miss hanging out purely with japanese (or at least half half with people speaking Japanese as well).
I'll put a better update as soon as I can! I hope to find time next weekend but god knows how it'll go :)
2 persons have voted this message useful
| yuhakko Tetraglot Senior Member FranceRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4629 days ago 414 posts - 582 votes Speaks: French*, EnglishB2, EnglishC2, Spanish, Japanese Studies: Korean, Norwegian, Mandarin
| Message 202 of 203 15 September 2015 at 4:48pm | IP Logged |
First of all, this message will be the last I will post here only. Starting the next time, my posts will be put both here and on the
new forum.
It's funny how one day one's mood can change all of a sudden and the way thought one moment ago can feel like a crazy idea.
I'll give a proper description about my languages and what I've been up to, but first let me explain the meaning behind the phrase
above. Sorry, it'll probably come off as rambling
As most of the people reading this log know (thanks btw for reading my log!), I have been working in a French company in Tokyo since
June. To be more precise without telling exactly where I am, I am in an administration-type ("public" I guess) environment. As a
result, things are pretty difficult to move. The idea of "that's how it's always been" is very stuck in many of my colleagues' heads
and especially in my boss'. I have come around to it and gotten used to just accept things how they are, making concessions on loads
of small things everyday. However, there's one thing on which I had decided not make a concession : having japanese classes. As a
matter of fact, my contract is a particular one and I am entitled to Japanese classes if I wish to have some. My fellow french
colleagues under the same contract have been having theirs for some time. However, my boss (considered by most in the building as
horrible/the worst) has decided that I should not have some. Obviously, having gotten to know her, I knew this was coming and
prepared myself to explain why I should have some (being for efficient in some translations thus having more time for other things,
better exchange with Japanese clients, self-satisfaction thus making me happier and more motivated among others). The HR Director has
said she will support my case to the big boss so that I can get my classes and I am pretty sure I will in the end get them. But as a
result, my relationship with my boss, already rather rocky, is bound to become even worse.
For the past month or so, I have told myself that I could handle it for 2 years (my contract is maximum 2 years and will most
certainly be this length because it is hard to find someone and train him/her every year), but this day has made me think a bit about
the situation.
I don't know if I have mentionned it here before, but I plan "one day" to start a company revolving around languages and/or cultural
exchanges between Asia and the West. I have some ideas (which I won't explain just yet) and know some people who could support me.
However, before diving in, I'm planning on going at one point or another in the translation/localization or e-learning sector. I am
still young (turning 25 rather soon) but I feel like if I don't go for it in the next few years, I'll just never have the guts.
So I've decided to start networking more and more and spend at least an hour or 2 a week looking more into those sectors and prepare
my coming in those sectors.
Of course, advices, opinions, or else are more than welcome!
Edited by yuhakko on 15 September 2015 at 4:49pm
2 persons have voted this message useful
| yuhakko Tetraglot Senior Member FranceRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4629 days ago 414 posts - 582 votes Speaks: French*, EnglishB2, EnglishC2, Spanish, Japanese Studies: Korean, Norwegian, Mandarin
| Message 203 of 203 15 September 2015 at 4:50pm | IP Logged |
I've actually decided to separate my rambling and my message about languages. So here
we go.
Anyway, now let's talk language per se!
Korean : I've watched Healer in less than 2 weeks. It had been a long time I hadn't
finished a K-drama and this one was really nice. Sad fact though, my comprehension's
gone down so I'll need to go on watching more Korean stuff. I've also been following a
15-minute podcast everyday before work, studying about 2 grammar points (from
Japanese) and seeing some new vocab here and there. The level is pretty low but at
least I am finally building a strong base to work from. I've been looking into places
to practice Korean in Tokyo in the past few days but still nothing really
interesting's come up.
Mandarin: Still following the 15-minute podcast right after Korean and the level is
really starting to be something. The new grammar points are ones I barely know or at
least don't know how to use and there's a lot of vocab I don't know. Still, my
pronunciation (tones) are getting better and some words and grammar points are
starting to stick. I've also tried using the Practical Chinese Reader series but it
appears the CD broke in 2 in the plane so I'm looking for it nowadays.
Ainu : Again, as in the past few years, I've given up. Should I even continue trying?
I like the language but can't seem to stick to the lessons...
Japanese: Obviously doing a whole lot in this language. I'm using it everyday and even
talk to some of my colleagues about work stuff in Japanese or send business emails
without much trouble now. I'm reading articles and suming up some in French or English
almost everyday. I've also started this year's Taiga Drama 花燃ゆ which is very
interesting and well done. Obviously I'm not using subtitles anymore but with the
language style used in this drama, I feel some constructions as weird (although being
able to understand them). I'm also on day 2 of the 1st week of the 総まとめN1文法 which
I bought last weekend and started yesterday. Let's hope I'll keep it going.
It's now been a bit more than 3 months that I've been here and I have to say that
Tokyo is indeed tiring from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that I
can do whatever I want whenever I want it, but as I live in the city, I never get to
have a pure silence around me, which I really enjoy usually. I went to climb a
mountain last weekend and it felt great (not for my legs though... :p)! I was alone,
without anyboday around and it allowed me to actually appreciate what I was seeing, my
breaks, and the climb itself. I'll probably go climb other mountains in the near
future considering how it felt good.
As I've mentionned above though, work can be a real pain in the a** but I'm surviving,
more or less.
I have a number of habits taking outside of work and I really appreciate that the
people at the café I go all the time to (Segafredo), the izakaya I go often to, or
even the Yakitori place to which I've never been to, next to my building, welcome me
back everytime as a regular. The yakitori owner tells me everynight お帰りなさい and
that makes me really feel that the day of work is over and that I'm back home.
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