日本人のパーティ

On Saturday I went to a pot-luck party with my 先生.
I was really nervous about going.
And actually almost chickened out.
I feel my Japanese speaking is still very weak.
I've had a few Japanese gatherings that I've been to that didn't go so well.
I also very much dislike 建前 at such gatherings.
Yes, this exists in every culture, but I am not used to the intensity of it in Japanese culture.
The feeling and doubts kept repeating in my head on my way there.

There was a lot more people there than I thought there'd be.
Apparently there is a small community close to where I live.
Which makes me very happy because most Japanese live near/in Boston.
It is also driving distance for me.

Going in we passed a few people but I was very shy and stayed close to my 先生.
It's funny, when entering Asian culture you would think that the aspect of bowing would
feel strange or hard to get back into the habit of. Thankfully it is so natural that I don't need to
think about when to do it. Though I need to be more aware about how low I should bow.
Everyone there was older though so I always bowed low.

An acquaintance of mine, みさん whom I met at a 飲み会 a couple of months ago, was there.
I was very happy to see her. It's very easy to strike up a conversation with her, and she is patient
with me. Even with my broken Japanese she understands me. I tried my best to talk in Japanese.
I remember saying something like, 「みさんの髪が綺麗です。顔はきらきらです。」
I wasn't sure if I used the word きらきら in the right way. I really want to add more onomatopoeia into my speaking abilities. I think there a lot of fun to use.
みさん is very fashionable and pretty and I really think she sparkles when shes in a room.I swear she looks like she popped out of a magazine. She was very nice to introduce me to some of the people she knew.

Then everyone had to gather round in a big circle and introduce themselves. I almost hid behind my teacher when we did this. At the same time though, its easier to make friends when people don't know each other. I had been standing on one side of the room and went over to my teacher. I thought they would have been going around the other way so I wanted to be the last one.
To my horror I was the second person!
I stepped up and took in a deep breath. Thankfully, a introduction speech is something I have practiced many many many many times during my commutes. Cause I know I will most likely blank out and loose my voice. So I basically didn't have to think about it, but I don't remember what I said. I do remember that I need a better way to close and need to elaborate.
If I did it right, I must have said, 「始めまして。ジセリとします。二十二歳です。大学生で専門はコミュニケーションです。日本語を勉強しています。よろしくお願いします。」
And then bowed. Then it was my teachers turn. I was thankful she elaborated for me and explained I was her student. So we went around and I sadly understood very little. A sir kindly asked if I wanted a translation but I declined. I wanted to try my best at listening. (But I kinda zoned out through most of it). One thing I noted was when it was a family talking, it was always the man who spoke. Is it a cultural subconscious thing to do?

After all the introductions we ate our dinner. Many spoke to me and tried to strike up conversation in English, but I would reply in Japanese. I wanted to have the basics of conversation at least in Japanese and then the more complex things in English. I had the pleasure of meeting ひさん at the party.  Another pretty acquaintance. (>< Every Japanese woman I meet is just gorgeous) We hit it off really well and talked about our language learning backgrounds, schooling, etc. She and みさん impress me so much with how diligent they are with learning English. I hope I can be as studious as them. ひさん also lives a few towns near by. So I hope to see her soon.

By the end of the party I hung out with ジョンさん (from my ぶろぐ７video) and 2 little girls. It was funny because the youngest kept challenging him to a Kanji contest. When he asked her is she knew the kanji she replied, "Uh ya, of course I do I'm Japanese duh." I couldn't help but laugh and I have heard this line more than once before. Being Japanese doesn't automatically mean you can read Kanji haha.

Before leaving I had the chance to strike up conversation with the sir from earlier. He is a translator and manly does it by phone. I wanted to hear more but we had to go. I always feel that being a translator could be a backup career for me and I do enjoy doing it. (Have had a few experiences doing it).
All in all the party boosted my confidence and I got to meet interesting people. I really hope I can keep in touch with みさんとひさん and make my Japanese speaking ability grow.

Tomorrow I get to go to Boston to meet up with レイチェルちゃん, the blogger of http://isitpossible.posterous.com/, and hopefully I remember my Japanese. Look forward to that entry.