August 24, 2004
"Beneath the Lamp is the darkest Place"
A Japanese proverb says that beneath the lamp is the darkest place. The lesson is that we should always keep looking around because we tend to overlook important things at hand. The proverb proved itself two times a day.
I met my language partner after work. I have been searching a person to talk with in English. I found my partner on the Internet (craigslist), who was seeking a partner to exercise Japanese. She was a lawyer. She has lived in Japan for years before she became the lawyer. She visited many places in Japan for sightseeing. Today, we met at a nice Italian café in the city center where she knew. Locals know good places.
Her impression of Japan was different from mine. She thought that Japanese people were kind and open to foreigners. She said that Japanese talked to her warmly and helped her many times. I had believed that Japanese were not so friendly to foreigners (“gaijin” or alien). Her story surprised me a lot. It reminded me of “beneath the lamp”.
I spnt a good time. This was the first time in my life to experience a language partnership. I am shy. I could never move forward without encouragement and help from Funa, who has already experienced sessions with many partners in NY.
After the session, I went to Haynes Valley, a neighbor of my accommodation. I wanted to know the place of a café for the next session beforehand. Indeed, I will have another session with a gentleman on Thursday. The café was a chic place. Around the café, I found galleries, a musical theater, and nice restaurants. Haynes Valley was a great place. Even though the place was only five minutes from my accommodation, I have never visited there. This was another “beneath the lamp”. I went into one of many restaurants. I enjoyed dinner with a table with a rose, a candle, and a cloth napkin.
Posted by hfuruichi at August 24, 2004 11:59 PM