And while most people realized I was sick, they didn't realize I had the flu. After all, if I had had the flu, I obviously would have been wearing a mask, right? Well, no. Because those masks are worthless by the time you realize you have the flu. I explained this to those who asked, but I don't think my explanation was really accepted. The reaction seems to have been more of a "stupid gaijin is going to make us sick, but we don't really want to insult him, so let's just nod our heads."
Well, whatever. I didn't make any of them sick, so they can... go be not sick. Yeah! *Makes GRR face*
In other news, we recently had a meeting in which I was forced to finally inform the people here that I am not renewing my contract. That's right, Jeffles will no longer be in Japan in six months. :(
But it's the right choice. I've discovered since coming here that, (un)surprisingly, teaching isn't really my thing. I never really thought it would be, but I had to try. After all, if there's one thing I know, it's the English language.
I have, however, since discovered what I think I would like to do for a living. It's hard to say that I'll still want to do it ten or twenty years from now, but it certainly seems to be a job that fulfills all the things I want to do. What is it exactly? It's the US Foreign Service!
Now, now, I can hear what you're thinking. "But Jeffles! You're not even American! And since when did you care about politics?"
Well, to answer the first point, you forgot a key word. I'm not American yet. I do have a Green Card, ya know. And I have sort of been living in the US for nearly 17 years, so I practically am American. I just have to spend a couple more years in the US, then write the citizenship exam and BAM! Problem solved.
And to the second point... I do care! I care a great deal! I just tend not to actually say anything for a variety of reasons. First, I don't want to accidentally piss someone off. Second, I've always been slightly paranoid that people are watching me and waiting for any sign of dissent in order to deport me. O.O And third, the only people who actually ask my opinion tend to be asking my opinion on stuff that they've looked into extensively and I haven't. Like the status of the current debate on the validity of the thirteenth amendment. (I just made that up. I don't know if there is such a debate or what the thirteenth amendment is... though I will certainly find out.)
(Huh. Maybe I should have chosen a different amendment. Apparently the thirteenth amendment is pretty much uncontroversial. Way to go, Jeffles, implying that the abolition of slavery is controversial. >_<)
So yeah, Foreign Service. I think it would be pretty cool. Travel the world, be a diplomat, be a PR agent for the United States, learn languages... cool stuff. Speaking of which, I've started learning Mandarin Chinese. So... if you wanna help me out with that, please let me know.
I can hear you. You did another double-take, didn't you? Yes, I'm living in Japan and studying Mandarin Chinese while trying to function in Japanese. Don't be confused, it's exactly what it sounds like.
Why not Japanese? Well, you apparently don't get a lot of points on the Foreign Service Exam for speaking Japanese. And if the Foreign Service thing doesn't work out, Mandarin Chinese is going to be pretty damn useful for me anyway. So it just seems like a smart thing to do on the whole.
In fact, Mandarin Chinese is not the only thing I'm studying. I'm going to have to probably get a Master's degree in something if I want to be competitive for the Foreign Service, so I'm doing a little self education to fill in a few gaps before beginning the applications. Mandarin Chinese, US History, US Civics, and Finance and Economics. Got a timetable and everything.
If anyone knows things about the above topics, please get in contact with me. I'm currently using Wikipedia, FSI, and Khan Academy to inform myself about the above stuff, but the reality is that I'm just pleading with the internet to inform me. If you or someone you know actually is informed about this stuff and can point me in a helpful (introductory) direction, please let me know!
Oh yeah, I have a working electric heater now. No more propane death machine for me. Life is good. Damn good. :D
Cheers,
~Jeffles
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