but not yet

[nnozomi]

Daily life: Schools are starting back up again, and with them volunteering. Last week was the Saturday cram school, a free-of-charge arrangement for kids in a nearby town from struggling families. Very wide range of academic ability, mostly very likable kids. This time I had two to work with, both boys, an interesting exercise in the effect of masks on communication. First R, a seventh-grader new to me, not very motivated but amiable, with the longest damn eyelashes I’ve ever seen in real life. Fortunately, I have seen Zhu Yilong batting his eyelashes to fend off tedious interview questions many times, and was thus able to resist R trying to do the same with questions like “Do you remember what ‘morning’ means in English?” and “How about you practice writing this a couple more times?”. The second hour was with S, an eighth-grader I’m fond of because he’s a brass band kid (when they can start up again…), a trumpet player, although I foresee that he will switch to horn or euphonium at some point, he’s not extroverted enough for the trumpet. His eyes over the mask were very expressive of everything from “are you kidding, I have to do what now, give me a break” to “hey, you praised me for getting something right and I’m kind of happy about it but I’m going to play it cool.” Good kids.
I found out after the fact, due to being a news ostrich, that there is a Black Lives Matter branch in my district and that they had a demo last weekend; I think I would’ve gone if I’d known. My usual rotten timing. I’m keeping an eye on their Twitter (aargh) for future reference.
Also I have a bunch of photo-cards made from photos taken before the rainy season set in this week; if anyone would like a postcard from Japan, let me know.

Music: I’ve been listening to the Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H., a piece I like so much I’ve put it into a fic in the past, certainly if there is anything like a heaven Bach is up there playing jazz to his heart’s content right now.

Books: Naomi Mitchison on the Current Situation (actually written in August 1940 but perfectly to the point eighty years later):

Personally, I think we are in a complete dilemma of the worst possible sort. The difficulty is that we must change very rapidly and practically nobody really wants that. We like our neighbours to change so long as it is not us. I think it was Augustine who said Lord, make me good, but not yet. This is universal. We can all stand a little change, but not a big one. Quantity alters quality. I do not think that the ordinary person can stand the amount of change which appears to be necessary. Still less, can I suppose that they can want or will it to happen. One can usually stand greater changes than one can imagine.

Chinese: I am not thrilled with some of Duolingo’s practice sentences this week but I’ll bring them back up when they’re not so Current Situation related. More divertingly, I misspelled motuoche as matuoche (Japanese habits doing me wrong for 摩) and ended up translating “My girlfriend doesn’t like motorcycles” as “My girlfriend doesn’t like horse-drawn carriages.”

Writing: Made it to 40K! Halfway point, theoretically, and also only 10K or so away from the endgame section, which I have been looking forward to the whole time. I need to finish the current scene and then work up a quick chart of the people, themes, and threads raised so far so I can see a little more clearly how everything should come together in the last part.

Be safe and well.

Comments

[clevermanka]

hey, you praised me for getting something right and I’m kind of happy about it but I’m going to play it cool
That's adorable.

Love that pull-quote. Yes, big change is terrifying but whooo doggies do we need it. Best wishes getting more current info from your BLM locals.

And congrats on the writing milestone! Sounds like you're in a good place with it.

[nnozomi]

I decided a while back that I definitely wasn't suited to teaching full time, but I like doing little bits of it and getting these entertaining moments with the kids ;)

Thanks for good wishes of various kinds! Naomi Mitchison is amazing and everybody should read her stuff, and as you say it's both applicable and comforting in the present day.

[trobadora]

Congrats on reaching 40k!

And that quote is very apropos, yeah.

[nnozomi]

Thank you! She really knows what she's talking about.
*hugs*

[glymr]

I would love a postcard from Japan! I will DM you my address. <3 (And if you want a card with Guardian ribbons, let me know!)

[nnozomi]

I'll be delighted to send you one! Send me a DW message when you have a chance, and let me know if you have a preference among flowers, flower-adjacent things, cats, and other random scenery ;) A Guardian ribbon & card sounds lovely too.

[laireshi]

an interesting exercise in the effect of masks on communication
I keep trying to smile at people, it's the worst xD Clearly I need to start waving eyelashes at them ;) (But also wow language classes in masks are so difficult.)

Yay at the writing progress!

[nnozomi]

My theory is that we do realize when people are smiling, from the eyes, but it's more subtle. I think someone somewhere is working on transparent masks (good for deaf people too), but it's gonna be a while.

It's so much easier to make progress writing when the fun part is within sight. ;)

[tinny]

Oooh a BLM group in Japan! Awesome!

That quote from Naomi Mitchison is definitely timeless.

Hehee, love the Chinese/Japanese motorcycle conundrum. :D Language learning is so weird sometimes! And so much fun.

[nnozomi]

Who knows, next weekend I might actually get to a demo. We'll see how it goes. (Naomi Mitchison would certainly have been out there protesting...)

Language learning is so weird sometimes! And so much fun.
Absolutely! My language brain is complaining that after 20 years I've finally more or less mastered reading Japanese without too much effort, and now I'm trying to overlay Chinese on the same damn characters, what even... but it is fun!