English

Ouchie

/ melibelleintokyo / 2 Comments

As we opened the door to the house this evening, coming in from her school/hoikuen:

me: hun, i’m so proud of you–your English is stronger and stronger everyday.

You love love reading! Everyday it seems you are using a new word,…

girlie girl: yeah, but i’m not proud of you because you don’t have Japanese.

me: oh…..

Image

wah wah wah. probably a great idea if she sees me actively working at expanding my Japanese

& expanding my brain. or i’m thinking this thought she shared may/will only get worse as she gets older.

how’s that for motivation? thud.

A Juicy Discovery

/ melibelleintokyo / 1 Comment

Image

It is quite juicy

to suddenly be able to

understand gossip,

to lean-in

learn, discover

that

I am at the core,

a RAVING busy body.

You see,

America means I am EVERYWHERE

at once,

in every booth

back office

check-out counter

girl-talk

mama talk

talking hushed voices

round the clock.

Like Jim Carrey when his ears

took on the job of Almighty G-d.

SO much! SO much!

And that’s only what was spoken aloud.

(Fahgetabout what is being shushhhed).

Then there are the murmurs, the sighs,

the oversensitive, overactive

imagination

which is all on overtime,

jet lag,

and sheer

adrenaline

at

mere comprehension.

can i get an “amen”?

 

For you expats or bicultural, bilinguals, how is it for you when you go back home? How does language strike you differently as you move back and forth between worlds?