I Know MY Heart Will Go On

[ennui83]

One of my favorite parts of living in a foreign country is realizing just how little so many things change from culture to culture. The details change, but the essentials never do. Even if the frosting is made from plum juice and cherry seeds, the cake will always be double-layer vanilla

Comments

is it a rebellion from the man?

[burndoutstar]

You could tell the cool kids, since there was nothing else to look at while you clapped off your epidermis, because they were the ones that refused to walk straight, pivot at the taped off mark in the floor, march for another twenty feet, stop and pivot again and walk to their seat. The cooler you were, the more S-shaped your walk was.

Very interesting culturally poignant distinction, that is.

Is this something that I've gotten from looking at too much FRUITS (and I know that is Tokyo), but I feel like being an individual is the biggest deal in Tokyo, and maybe Japan (at least with the non-adults)?

x

Re: is it a rebellion from the man?

[ennui83]

I`m not nearly qualified to make a sweeping distinction like "everyone wants to conform," and it`s not true anyway. There are plenty of ways to be an individual in (rural) Japan, and everyone I work with is unique and different and it`s only the combination of all our personalities that make this office a nice place to be, but at the same time...

There is huge pressure to be The Same, to not rock the boat. While American children are rewarded, at least theoretically, if they strike out creatively, set themselves apart from the crowd and assert their individuality, it seems to me that a Japanese child is ridiculed and forced back into line, socially speaking, much more than an American would be.

Here`s a story my friend Eric actually just wrote a post about (wanderingvoice). One of his students had a super high falsetto voice that he was always ever embarassed about so he never spoke up in class. A few days ago, Eric hears a really deep voice and looks up to see the same sqeaky-voiced boy talking to one of the teachers. The kid`s voice had

I see

[burndoutstar]

Thanks for the in sight. Of course I didn't mean for you to make a widespread truth for Japan. I just wanted your assisesment.

x

[mafiajen]

A very interesting point. And that part about the power going out and opening curtains to get light in CERTAINLY sounds like something that would have happened at Concord!