Updates
I'm in the lab right now just studying Japanese. Not much is going on at the moment and I probably will not be doing anything anytime soon (other than prehaps a trip to Tokyo for a day or two). I was told that I need to start learning the machines for my research (which I think they want me to start in a couple weeks). Since I have to start my research soon, things are about to become very busy. During my free time I have made lots of friends, but I will not have time to talk to them anymore (except for chance meetings in the halls of my residence and other places). I have to start a X-Ray class soon. I am already taking a seminar every Friday from 3-5. So I will have 3 Japanese classes everyday (including a lot of homework and preperation for them -> they start at 8:45 and end at 2:45, with an hour for lunch). Then I will have one class (which will conflict with my Japanese class) every Monday and Tuesday (for 3 hours). Finally, I have a seminar for 2 hours on Friday (the seminar is easy, its just that I have to translate the handouts and that is difficult). I have to read a ton of research papers before I will be prepaired enough to do my research. All of these things will take a long long time. Did I forget to mention that after class everyday I am expected to come to the lab and spend all day here. Doing my experiment in Physics will take more than a year I think (unless I have spare time on my hands). I like being busy, but some times I need a little rest before I can continue. However, I think I will have to start taking my Japanese classes more seriously. I can easily coast through them, but since I am planning on being here for some years I would rather learn the language in the 6 month language class (the best that I can) and then learn as much as I can after that by self study and language exchange. The style that they use to teach us does not work very well with me. I do much better in self study, but since I have to get the assigned work done, I have not time for self study (which is a shame, because I would be way ahead of the class other wise). Other than that, not much is going on. I don't think that people want to hear about the adventure of "Ben on His Way to Class and to the Lab" everyday so I will try and do some interesting things along the way.
Now that is aside, I recieved a letter from my host family that I stayed with at Mieken (during golden week->they are the one's in the pictures that I recently posted). I think that they have invited me back to stay for a week when I have sometime (I have summer break soon, but I am taking an intensive Japanese class through most of it, however I will have 2 or 3 weeks off completely). I will have to go back and visit them sometime I think. I think what surprised me the most when I stayed with my host family is the way that Japanese people raise children (it is completely different from the way I was raised->I'm a bit jealous). I know what you are thinking---"Maybe it was just the people you stayed with."--- No, I've seen it from every family with children here in Japan. I am kind of jealous I think. They are not strick at all (It should be noted that I have never met a baddly behaved Japanese person). Even if the children don't listen there is no punishment that I have seen. For example, at the Sayonara party (the party they threw for all the students who did the Homestay Program in Mieken) a child, after being told not to, went up on stage during a preformance. Instead of everyone making a big deal about it (or even a comment), it was completely ignored (they were in the middle of the preformance). Instead of punishment, from what I understand, the parents try to make the child consider the other persons feelings. I know that if I ever interupted my mother (especially continuously) at the very least I would be yelled at (perhaps not my father, but I don't really remember interupting him when I was a child). I just find it interesting. Also, Americans are taught to be independent from everyone. But in Japan it is a type of interdependence on each other. I know that when I do things, so I don't have to listen to what other people think or try and do things in a way that is different from mine, I often prefer to do it alone. Hence, I am independent of everyone in that matter (financially, atleast in the past I relied on others as little as I possibly could). I just find these things interesting I guess.
I was thinking about returing to Texas for the 2-3 week break for summer, but I don't think I will have the money. I have to save up enough money to move into an apartment, preferably close to campus since it takes more than half an hour to get to the university from my home. Moving to another apartment in Japan can be very expensive. It requires about 6-7 months rent in advance. But, if I plan on being at the same place for more than 2 years, they will give a pretty good discount I am told (but I have to sign a contract I think). Well, I should probably go. It is real late here. So, later. And as alway, I will leave you with the quote of the day and week.
Not to toot my own horn, but this is the quote of the day (I don't know anything about the guy who wrote it-sorry):
(By the way, this was liberated from some web-site, but since it's a quote it does not matter I don't think.)
“I think physicists are the Peter Pans of the human race. They never grow up and they keep their curiosity.”
Isidor Isaac Rabi
Now, the quote of the week:
(sorry, I don't know this Physicist either-also a liberated quote)
"Physics is becoming so unbelievably complex that it is taking longer and longer to train a physicist. It is taking so long, in fact, to train a physicist to the place where he understands the nature of physical problems that he is already too old to solve them."
Eugene Wigner
Now that is aside, I recieved a letter from my host family that I stayed with at Mieken (during golden week->they are the one's in the pictures that I recently posted). I think that they have invited me back to stay for a week when I have sometime (I have summer break soon, but I am taking an intensive Japanese class through most of it, however I will have 2 or 3 weeks off completely). I will have to go back and visit them sometime I think. I think what surprised me the most when I stayed with my host family is the way that Japanese people raise children (it is completely different from the way I was raised->I'm a bit jealous). I know what you are thinking---"Maybe it was just the people you stayed with."--- No, I've seen it from every family with children here in Japan. I am kind of jealous I think. They are not strick at all (It should be noted that I have never met a baddly behaved Japanese person). Even if the children don't listen there is no punishment that I have seen. For example, at the Sayonara party (the party they threw for all the students who did the Homestay Program in Mieken) a child, after being told not to, went up on stage during a preformance. Instead of everyone making a big deal about it (or even a comment), it was completely ignored (they were in the middle of the preformance). Instead of punishment, from what I understand, the parents try to make the child consider the other persons feelings. I know that if I ever interupted my mother (especially continuously) at the very least I would be yelled at (perhaps not my father, but I don't really remember interupting him when I was a child). I just find it interesting. Also, Americans are taught to be independent from everyone. But in Japan it is a type of interdependence on each other. I know that when I do things, so I don't have to listen to what other people think or try and do things in a way that is different from mine, I often prefer to do it alone. Hence, I am independent of everyone in that matter (financially, atleast in the past I relied on others as little as I possibly could). I just find these things interesting I guess.
I was thinking about returing to Texas for the 2-3 week break for summer, but I don't think I will have the money. I have to save up enough money to move into an apartment, preferably close to campus since it takes more than half an hour to get to the university from my home. Moving to another apartment in Japan can be very expensive. It requires about 6-7 months rent in advance. But, if I plan on being at the same place for more than 2 years, they will give a pretty good discount I am told (but I have to sign a contract I think). Well, I should probably go. It is real late here. So, later. And as alway, I will leave you with the quote of the day and week.
Not to toot my own horn, but this is the quote of the day (I don't know anything about the guy who wrote it-sorry):
(By the way, this was liberated from some web-site, but since it's a quote it does not matter I don't think.)
“I think physicists are the Peter Pans of the human race. They never grow up and they keep their curiosity.”
Isidor Isaac Rabi
Now, the quote of the week:
(sorry, I don't know this Physicist either-also a liberated quote)
"Physics is becoming so unbelievably complex that it is taking longer and longer to train a physicist. It is taking so long, in fact, to train a physicist to the place where he understands the nature of physical problems that he is already too old to solve them."
Eugene Wigner
posted by Ben at 6:55 AM
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