by Whitey | Jul 15, 2008 | Ministry News
Since I wasn’t around on Friday, and didn’t get anything up on Monday, here’s a re-cap of recent goings-on in my life, along with random thoughts running through my head tonight…
1. Had a great time in Tokyo, hanging out with Zach before and after the meeting I went up there for. Friday night we hit up Tokyo Tower, and Sunday afternoon we visited Yoyogi Park. Yoyogi Park is amazing on Sunday afternoons, with hundreds of people coming and going. There were countless bands and musicians doing their thing. Many of them were awful (it reminded me of round one of American Idol or something) but some of them were pretty good. There were also the famous rockabilly dancers, artists and other freaks. It’s an incredibly creatively-stimulating place. I will have to post some video and photos when I sift through the stuff I shot.
2. The aforementioned meeting (held on Saturday) was all day long and all-Japanese. It was a struggle to sit through at times, I’ll admit. Added to the length and language, most of it didn’t affect me directly. But it was a good learning experience on the Japanese way of doing things. It was also a good look into the youth ministry leadership of the church we work with here in Japan.
3. The downside of the weekend was breaking the lens of my camera, and finding out it will probably cost almost as much to fix as it would be to replace it. Ouch. Any readers know of a good replacement for the kit lens of the Nikon D-50? If I’m going to buy a new one anyway, I may do a little upgrade. And not just because the sales guy at Bic Camera tried to sell me one when we stopped in to check on repair costs. Really.
4. Last Monday’s big test went much better than the previous one. So I’m moving in the right direction. This week I’ve got a kanji reading test on Thursday and a speech contest on Friday — lots of memorizing to do between now and the end of the week.
5. During the month of August, my class goes on natsu yasumi — summer vacation. For me, the whole month isn’t a holiday, though, because August is also the month of three major events I’m going to be a part of: my church’s youth camp, the national denominational youth camp, and all-ages area retreat. After that, I’ll have 11 days before school’s back in, so I’m planning to take some vacation time then. Not sure where, though.
6. I realized tonight, as I was rushing around the 100-yen shop, stationary store and grocery store (all in one building) that the best time to go shopping is right before closing — not because of any deals I got but because when there’s a time limit I don’t linger too long, waste too much time, or spend too much money. I should do that more often. Go late I mean.
7. I’ve been Twittering lately, and more so now that I’ve figured out who to do it via my cell phone. I used to think it was silly and pointless, but today I realized that there’s a haiku-like beauty and simplicity in micro-blogging. Okay, maybe it is silly. But it’s also a great way to keep people posted when you’re not able to sit down at a computer and type up a full blog post like this. If you’re on Twitter, feel free to follow me: I’m called skitzoman over there.
8. This weekend’s a long weekend. I’m not sure what the occasion is, but Monday’s a holiday. And, after the busyness of the past couple of weeks, I’m looking forward to it. Unfortunately, a big part of it will probably be spent cleaning house, something that definitely goes on the back-burner when I’m busy.
And… I guess that’s a wrap. Come back soon for the above-mentioned photos and videos, as well as other fun stuff I should have time to put up on the weekend. See I won’t be just cleaning.
by Whitey | Jul 10, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the third in a 3-part series. If you haven’t read them yet, you may want to check out Part One and Part Two first. Again, if you’ve experienced — or are experiencing — culture shock yourself, feel free to leave a comment with your two cents. Here are some thoughts on my experiences…
—————————————————-
Everybody goes through culture shock when they move to a foreign place. But not everyone goes through the same kind of culture shock.
My experience with culture shock has been mild compared to what a lot of people might go through. Living among and working with fellow-Believers has helped. But in Osaka, there wasn’t as much adapting to do as there in now in Nagoya. There were moments of stress like catching the wrong train and ending up who-knows-where. There was trouble shopping, and other language-related difficulties. And there were times when I just got tired of being a “novelty” or standing out. But in my day-to-day life I could survive without learning Japanese, because my job was English teaching and my friends and co-workers were mostly fellow-expats.
This time is different. I’m definitely more immersed this time, but now I have the advantage of having lived in Japan previously. The main thing that causes culture shock for me is the language barrier: It’s a bit frustrating, even overwhelming, to be surrounded by Japanese and not able to join the conversation. And it feels like in order for the others to include me I have to suddenly become the center of the conversation, which I don’t want; but often it’s either that or feeling left out. Japan is also a more group-oriented society, a place where there’s a right and wrong way to do everything, and a culture where communication is less direct — all of which add to the learning curve.
But when I do face stresses relating to these cultural differences, it’s always an opportunity to learn. Language barriers give me incentive to study Japanese. Doing things the wrong way helps me remember the right way. Dealing with and working through culture shock helps one to understand and relate to the new culture — to acculturate.
And, little by little, God is helping me to do just that.
by Whitey | Jul 8, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the second in a three-part series of writings that are adapted from stuff I did for the internship program I’m in. Click HERE for part one, where I give an overview of culture shock, at least as I define it.
———————————————————–
Whatever form culture shock takes, it is natural for us to experience it when we are in the process of acculturation. In fact, if we aren’t experiencing any culture shock at all, we’re probably not experience the new culture itself, either. A friend told me about someone he met here in Japan who basically goes home after work and stays there, watching American TV and American movies, in English. Actually I would guess that this person was experiencing culture shock, but instead of facing it and working through it, he was choosing to ignore it by isolating himself from the strange world around him.
While I would agree that “disconnecting” for a while can be healthy, why bother moving to a country on the other side of the world if all you’re going to do is stay in your room and never go out and experience the culture? I myself enjoy reading or watching something English-language and familiar as an “escape” sometimes. One thing about living in a foreign, non-English-speaking culture is that ordinary, every day, easy tasks feel like work; so it’s nice to get away from that from time to time and enjoy doing something that doesn’t require as much thought or that exercises a different part of the brain. But part of the joy of living in another country is what we can learn and experience that people at home only dream about.
Not only is there a lot to enjoy, but if you’re going to live in a foreign country long-term, acculturation is essential. And, like it or not, culture shock is a part of the acculturation process. It’s not just an unfortunate side-effect, though; it can actually aid the process if we let it. As I said, not experiencing any culture shock shows we’re not experiencing the culture, and as such not acculturating. On the other hand, going through culture shock helps us learn the new frames of reference, meanings, and assumptions that are necessary to adopt in order to enjoy living on foreign soil on a long-term basis.
And that — living in a foreign place long-term — is exactly what I’m working towards…
by Whitey | Jul 4, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
I almost forgot to do this this week. Not sure it would be much of a loss. Most weeks I spend a lot of time studying, and these days even more. So… it’s hard to think of stuff to write.
This coming Monday’s another fairly big test. Please pray…
In other news, I’m off to Tokyo next weekend for a meeting on Saturday. I’m planning on leaving Friday after class and staying through till Sunday evening. Should be a fun gettaway, and a good chance to connect with some fellow M’s.
I may not post a re-cap next week, or if I’m going to keep doing them. And with studies getting heavier I may not post as much other stuff either. But I do have some stuff lined up to automatically post, so do keep coming back. Hopefully I’ll find the time to post some fresh stuff soon enough.
That’s a wrap.
by Whitey | Jul 3, 2008 | Thoughts
This is the first in a 3-part (for now) series on, as you’ve no doubt guessed from the title, culture shock. It’s taken from some assignments I did for HQ a while back as part of the internship program I’m in. Here in part one, I’ll give an overview of what I think culture shock is, in part two delve a little deeper, and in part three talk about my personal experiences. Feel free to comment if you’ve dealt with culture shock yourself before.
—————————————————
I remember coming to Japan the first time and people asking me if I was experiencing any culture shock. Honestly, I didn’t think I was, but on the other hand, though I’d heard the term thrown around, I never really knew what it meant.
So what exactly is culture shock anyway? I would define culture shock as any stress, discomfort or agitation caused by cultural differences when living or visiting a place that is culturally different from your home. This could happen after moving across the country or around the world, and could range in severity from mild irritation to emotional breakdown. It’s the tension that happens when different cultures come in contact with each other.
Culture shock, then, as broadly defined above, is something that we all experience when moving into another culture. The specific form it takes will differ from person to person. The severity of our culture shock will depend on our individual personalities, weaknesses and strengths. It will also depend on just how different our new host culture is from our home culture and on how immersed we are in the host culture.
Whatever form or severity it takes, culture shock is pretty much inevitable when you make your home on foreign soil.
by Whitey | Jun 30, 2008 | Links
This is a shot of Oda Sensei interpreting for me during my recent ministry visit to Gifu.
Scroll down for to read my latest prayer letter, if you haven’t already, or to listen to the latest podcast.
And in other news, as mentioned in the podcast, I recently did a guest post at Worship and the Arts. It’s part of their “Spiritual Bridges in Anime” series. Check it out.
by Whitey | Jun 29, 2008 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
I know it’s not July yet, but it’s Sunday night and I thought I’d get the prayer letter sent out before another busy week begins. So here it is…
First of all, a big thank you to all of you who prayed for my ministry in Gifu last weekend! Several people emailed before I left to let me know they were praying, which was really encouraging, so thanks for that as well.
I had a great time in Gifu, where I participated in an outreach service through music and testimony. I had a great time, and was really made to feel welcome too. There were 27 people in attendance, 10 of whom were visitors, and 6-8 of whom were non-Believers! Meanwhile, back here in Nagoya, my own church was having an outreach of their own, and reported 83 in attendance, of which 16 were seekers and 5 were first-time visitors! Praise God for newcomers and for the opportunity they had to hear the Gospel!
Here are some things you can be praying for in the coming weeks…
1. Pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of those who came to both outreach services.
2. Pray for my English/Bible student, with whom I’m still meeting semi-regularly.
3. I’m planning to travel to Tokyo in a couple of weeks for a planning meeting for this summer’s national youth camp. Please pray for safe travel, as well as that I would learn something from the experience, and be able to contribute.
4. And, as always, I’d appreciate your prayers for my language studies. I have to confess that lately I’ve really been struggling to stay on top of things. PLEASE pray that God will help me to understand, to stay focused and disciplined, and to succeed!
I’m beginning to understand the wisdom in taking a whole 2-year missionary term to focus on language studies. And I’m learning to see language school as my “full-time job”. Any ministry opportunities I have on top of that are just icing on the cake — but not my main focus right now. It’s all about a long-term investment that will pay off in the years to come.
As always, your prayers and thoughts are much appreciated! THANK YOU! Hope you all have a happy Canada Day and/or Independence Day this week!
Blessings,
– robin
by Whitey | Jun 27, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
I had a good time in Gifu last weekend. Did a testimony and played/sang some tunes. Thanks to everyone who prayed. There were a bunch of unchurched folks at the service, and everyone made me feel really welcome and like the guest of honour.
Meanwhile, back here in Nagoya, my own church’s outreach service was going down Sunday afternoon. Apparently there were a good bunch of visitors here too.
I got back to Nagoya later in the afternoon, and the outreach was over, but lots of people were still lingering. Some of the kids ran to greet me as I approached the building, and I stuck around to chat with a few people before going to my room. It really felt like “coming home”, which is a good feeling, considering I’m so far from my “home-home”.
Studies continue to get more difficult, and I’ve really got to buckle down over the next few weeks. Still got some catching up to do. It’s been a tiring week, and I’m looking forward to getting some rest over the weekend — as well doing housecleaning and stuff that’s piled up from being away (woohoo).
That’s a wrap.
by Whitey | Jun 20, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
But first: Hey, check out the podcast survey below!
And… I just sent out an email to my prayer partners and got about 22 failure notices. This is after I deleted a bunch of dead email addresses from the list a few months ago. So if you signed up for the list but haven’t gotten anything lately, and you’d still like to, please CLICK HERE to sign up again. Then make sure your spam blockers are set to receive stuff from my address (japancanada [at] gmail.com). Thanks.
Now, on with the re-cap…
This week was a busy week of mostly studies. As I said last week, I needed to back up and work on developing some good study habits. Well, I’m definitely improving in this area, though I’m sure I have a ways to go too. I’ve been getting up early (around 6 most days) so that I can spend about an hour before class studying; this helps. In the afternoon or evening I spend about 2 hours doing homework and reviewing/previewing stuff. The new stuff is sinking in a little better, I think. On the other hand, I had a Kanji reading test yesterday that didn’t go so well. Still some catching up to do in that area.
Monday’s big grammer/reading/listening test (yes, yet another one already) will be a good… well, “test” of how far I’ve come and how far I have to go.
This weekend I’m off to nearby Gifu, where I’ll be doing ministry Sunday morning. I’m doing a short testimony and a couple of songs in an evangelistic service. Meanwhile, back here in Nagoya, my own church is having a musical outreach event of their own. If you think of it, please pray for these meetings.
That’s it for this week here at JapanLog. Next week I’ll try to bring an update from the weekend doin’s, along with some other fun stuff. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great weekend, wherever you are.
by Whitey | Jun 13, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
This week…
1. I found out how I did on last week’s big test. It was pass, but not nearly as good as I’d have liked. I’m also kind of weak on my kanji and vocabulary. It was a bit of a wake-up call — I need to take it up a notch, and put in some extra time studying. So this week I’ve been working on building some good study habits. I need to study about 3 hours a day just to keep up. To catch up, maybe more. I’ve put some other stuff on the back burner, at least until I get caught up.
2. For some reason, after Wednesday night prayer meeting this week it struck me afresh just how much I love my church. Have I ever mentioned that? The people here just really enjoy being together, and that makes me enjoy being around them. Though the church is on the conservative side, I don’t get the impression that it’s legalistic. And these people really love the Lord and want to reach others with His love.
3. It’s the rainy season, but today’s weather has been beautiful. So much so, in fact, that I may just go back out for a while, and take my camera, before it gets dark. I love the weekend…
And that’s a wrap for this week.
