Through One Ear and Out the Other

"It went through one ear and the other," I said flippantly.
My Chinese Language Partner stared at me with surprise. "What does that mean?" He wondered.
"Oh." I wondered if this was a new expression or phrase for him. "If someone isn't listening properly or paying attention, then what you said to them has gone through one ear and out the other...I guess because their mind isn't present and so there's an empty space in between their ears..."
My language partner nodded enthusiastically. "It's the same as in China."
"Ehh, really?!" What a surprise!
The word 'walk' doesn't exist in all languages, but a strange expression like 'Through one ear and out the other' does. What a funny world we live in...

Later, when I went on a date with my potential boyfriend, we discussed it over two steaming cups of delicious butterscotch hot chocolate, and he said that the same expression exists in Arabic too. He is a citizen of a country in Africa and the Middle East called Libya.

It amazes me that an expression like this can exist in three different languages and in three different areas of the world.

Gender Roles vs Individualism: Japanese Husbands

 

"The husband will feel ashamed if his wife has to work; people will look down upon him."

 

This isn't the exact wording, but the general gist of a conversation I had with a Japanese husband and wife (some of my host parents). I was curious as to why all of my female host parents had written on my forms that they were house wives; whilst, all (except one) of them had some other kind of job also. For example, they had jobs as Dance Instructors or as Office Reception Staff.

 

"Do you help with the house chores?" I asked  the husband, curiously.

"Oh no," his wife interrupted, happily, folding the washing. "In Japan, that is the wife's duty."

 

The next morning the husband was complaining about how his wife leaves him to do all of the housework. "Shougenai ne". He then proceeded to prepare breakfast, hang out the washing and do the dishes.

 

Some things are the same no matter where you live in the world!

Australia; Japan: Asian or Western Countries?

In Australia students are taught in school that Japan is an Asian country. But, I have seen newspaper articles in Japan debating whether Japan is an Asian or Western country. I've seen similar articles debating whether Australia is an Asian or Western country in Japan.

This year, the Opposition Leader of an Australian political party came up with a plan to make Australia the food bowl of Asia if he is elected. There has been some academic talk about whether Australia is an Asian or Western country. I think if you asked most Australian people, they would say that Australia is a Western country. But, the first time I heard of the debates about whether Australia is an Asian or Western country, I was a little confused because I had an image of an older Western USA, with cowboys in mind when I thought of the word "western". There are not many cowboys in Australia.

Yesterday, I was hanging out with a friend who has heritage ties with Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. He asked me if I'd ever eaten Asian food before.
"I just told you that I'd lived in Japan," I laughed.
He thought seriously for a moment. "I thought that Japan was a Western country," he said.
My Chinese Tutor is also under the impression that Japan is more of a Western country than an Asian country.

Is Australia or Japan an Asian or Western country ~ what do you think?

War Australia and Japan

War isn't something that I am particularly fond of because I feel that there is great sadness in war.
So, when a work colleague invited me to a World War II tour I was a little reluctant to go. However, this was an important project for her as she was writing an article for a Japanese newspaper and so I wanted to support her. I also wanted to know how to be supportive for those who survived the war and later developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

An Australian soldier who survived 'the Bombing of Darwin' came with the tour group as well as a Japanese civilian who had survived the air raids in Japan as a child. It was interesting listening to their stories and to see no resentment or animosity between the two fellows. Our host was enthusiastic about piecing together an honest account of what had happened during World War II from the perspectives of Australian and Japanese people of that time. I found the tour forgiving, warm and honest. I recommend it!

 

I've also been to the Hiroshima Museum and the Hiroshima Peace Park before. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a digital picture of that for the moment. But, I was impressed about how the plight of other countries was acknowledged in the museum and I felt moved by the stories of hardship that many people had to endure as the result of the atomic bomb, particularly the stories of wounded children. :(

 

In War movies there is often a "good guy" and "the enemy". This is not the impression that I got from my World War II tours. Of course, I was not alive during World War II, so my views may be a little ignorant or naïve. I found that all of the people I met and learnt about seemed to be warm hearted, kind and forgiving human beings.

Jewellry

Whenever my friend's Mum comes back from Indian, she brings back beautiful trinkets of jewellery with her. My friend and I would fawn over the treasures like pirates. I find it so interesting to hear the stories of how each piece had been introduced to India.

The history of jewellery in India goes back thousands of years and different societies' and cultures have made their mark on each jewellery type in their own unique ways - from the Persian (Mughal) inspired jewellery to Indian Aboriginal inspired jewellery. Some types of jewellery are made of gold and sparkling stones whereas others are made of organic materials, such as dried seeds (which have a spiritual significance).

I feel amazed, sitting back and listening to stories of remote family clans who aren't in contact with the digital world, and of villages made up entirely of men or women. One day I would like to visit India and see the bridges that are made of tree roots. But, realistically, I think that it probably won't be as mysterious as what I envision in my imagination...that is, if I ever do get to fulfil my dream of travelling to India. The unknown can sound fantastical and magical from afar. But, after living in another country for a while, the mysterious starts to seem ordinary.

The Love Umbrella

Do you have a crush on someone?
There are some teenagers in Japan who will draw an umbrella when they have a crush on somebody.
At the bottom of the umbrella, on one side, they will write their name and on the other - their crushes name. I don't know whether it is common to do this or not in other places around the world, but I've never seen anyone do this before in Australia. Instead, a heart is often draw. Inside the heart some teenagers in Australia will write their crushes initials and their initials. So, it's a pretty similar action even though an umbrella isn't drawn.

But, be careful with your love umbrella. Once I read a manga in which an evil umbrella went about murdering everyone. It was so unexpected!

Japanese and Mandarin, English and German

留学生	留学生
可爱	可愛い
大学	大学
年	年
一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十	一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十
家	家
介绍	紹介
医院	病院

Knowing how to write in Japanese definitely helps with learning how to write in Mandarin (a Chinese [Sinitic]  language). I think you can understand why if you look at the table above.
How these words are spoken; however, is totally different from the way they are written. The spoken words are not that similar at all.

The table below is of English and German. These words look more different compared to the Japanese and Mandarin words, but sound much more similar. It's kind of ironic!

Learn	lernen
School	Schule
Friend	freund
music	musik
wonderful	Wunderbar
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday	Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag
Blue	Blau