日本の夢を見ること Nihon no yume o miru koto

今夜疲れたですよ。
Imayoru tsukareta desuyo.

Spent 45 minutes talking to my father's sister's husband today (what is that - uncle-in-law?). For ten years, his company had sent him to Japan for three months a year to handle international dealings. He was given private lessons (by Bunka, no less) prior to his first trip, and he says he passed JLPT-2 before going over.

Tonight, however, he failed to understand "どこで会社ですか？"

I do not want to become like him. I do not blame him - I am sure that he did not feel the goose pimples I felt as he was relating stories of Japanese corporate staidness. I am certain that he did not see, in his mind's eye, the idiosyncracies of every little side-street in Shinjuku as he told me about the increasing use by many 女の子 of "わからない" in place of "わかりません". Japan was not his のぞみ, and still is not. It is mine, and only mine to fulfill.

I was agonizing for the longest time over the best title for this blog. I'd considered 情事Japan and 熟考Japan just for the alliteration, but in the end they didn't quite capture what I wanted to say. Plain and simple, I dream of Japan every day. You might think you have my full attention, but really, there's a part of me - always - still in that 静かなひびの階段. And I don't think I'll ever fully ascend it - nor get off it altogether.

Which is pleasing.

Today's vocabulary edification:

Later　あとで
Day after tomorrow 明後日　(asatte)
Sometimes たまに
Next time 今度　(kondo)

A little / a few 少し (sukoshi)
A lot よく
Very すごく　とても
Nothing 何も　(+ negative verb form)
Not at all せんせん　(+ negative verb form)

And for grammar:

"Ru/Rareru" form
The potential form of verbs. Basically, add "ru" to the 4th word of the conjugation line for Group 1 verbs. Add "rareru" to the stem word of Group 2 verbs. So いくbecomes いける, and 食べる becomes 食べられる. Now you have "I can go" instead of "go", and also "I can eat" instead of "eat".

Important: The potential form of the verb becomes a completely different verb from the original it was conjugated from! So いける is recognized as a separate Group 2 verb (all "ru/rareru" verb forms are considered Group 2 verbs). It also conjugates into the six forms (いけない、いけます、いける、いければ、いけよう、いけて). Keep it together, son. Keep it together.

じゃ、またね！