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Finally I decided to post in my journal, what normal journals should have, daily happenings.
When I was in college I decided to take japanese classes, because I had to take one language course, and what better option that japanese.
Now I have 7 months working in a japanese company (from japanese origins), there are about 6 japanese working there giving support in different areas. The rest of us are normal mexican workers.
What I'm about to write is what happened when I had 3 weeks working there. I was walking around production area, doing what was a daily activity, confirming set ups kind of thing. When I see 2 japanese walking, and then they stopped an one of them approached me; at that moment he asked me this question "¿Qués estas haciendo?" (in spanish, which translates to What are you doing?) I was surprised to hear his spanish so I answered what I was doing naturally in Spanish. But then to my major shock he answered back "No hablo español" (which translates to: I don't speak spanish"). Until today that's something I can not understand, but maybe someday I can bravely asked him, why he asked me in spanish, when all he could say was about that?
After his shocking statement, I continued with a "Gomenasai", which really surprised him, and made him happy. He continued asking me 8i japanese) "Why do you know japanese", (do one has to have a reason for learning any language?) I answered him I learned it at college. At first he thought I went to a japanese college (which I would loved to do), but when I told him I learned it here at Mexico, he was more surprised than ever. Then he proceeded to introduce himself as O-san (he told me his complete name, but O-san is shorter to write) and what was his involvement in company matters, he asked my name and write it on katakana on his notebook, then he returned to his japanese colleague.
My heart was beating so fast as that was the first time I talked to a japanese aside from my japanese teacher, I thought I will never be able to do it, considering my japanese is still far from being fluent.
But that was just the beginning, because after he returned to his colleague, and said a few words, now this other japanese decided to approached me to. He came to me and directly asked me "Can you speak japanese" (also all this in japanese), which I answered I can a little. And just as hearing a recorder, he asked me the same questions O-san did (why did I know japanese, where I learned it, my name, etc.). Then O-san joined the conversation while this person introduced himself as M-san. Just one extra question M-san made me "You are new in the company, aren't you?" After that both left to continue their activities really happy, which made me really happy too.
That day I encountered O-san with 3 of the rest of the japanese, and he excitedly greeted me in japanese so the other ones could confirm my japanese. It was like they found a new toy which made them really excited and high tension!!!
While I was sharing this story with my sensei, he explained me they were excited because, they are far away from their country and finding one more person they can use their language makes them happy, also because for them who are weak in learning languages is difficult to believe one can learn japanese without going to Japan. (On the company there are several mexicans who can speak Japanese, but that is because they went to Japan and learned it there). So even though is difficult to me I'm trying my best to practice my japanese and become better day by day.
The only one who was missing to discover I could speak some japanese was the japanese plant manager, but that is a story for an other post as that has some weird parts as well.
When I was in college I decided to take japanese classes, because I had to take one language course, and what better option that japanese.
Now I have 7 months working in a japanese company (from japanese origins), there are about 6 japanese working there giving support in different areas. The rest of us are normal mexican workers.
What I'm about to write is what happened when I had 3 weeks working there. I was walking around production area, doing what was a daily activity, confirming set ups kind of thing. When I see 2 japanese walking, and then they stopped an one of them approached me; at that moment he asked me this question "¿Qués estas haciendo?" (in spanish, which translates to What are you doing?) I was surprised to hear his spanish so I answered what I was doing naturally in Spanish. But then to my major shock he answered back "No hablo español" (which translates to: I don't speak spanish"). Until today that's something I can not understand, but maybe someday I can bravely asked him, why he asked me in spanish, when all he could say was about that?
After his shocking statement, I continued with a "Gomenasai", which really surprised him, and made him happy. He continued asking me 8i japanese) "Why do you know japanese", (do one has to have a reason for learning any language?) I answered him I learned it at college. At first he thought I went to a japanese college (which I would loved to do), but when I told him I learned it here at Mexico, he was more surprised than ever. Then he proceeded to introduce himself as O-san (he told me his complete name, but O-san is shorter to write) and what was his involvement in company matters, he asked my name and write it on katakana on his notebook, then he returned to his japanese colleague.
My heart was beating so fast as that was the first time I talked to a japanese aside from my japanese teacher, I thought I will never be able to do it, considering my japanese is still far from being fluent.
But that was just the beginning, because after he returned to his colleague, and said a few words, now this other japanese decided to approached me to. He came to me and directly asked me "Can you speak japanese" (also all this in japanese), which I answered I can a little. And just as hearing a recorder, he asked me the same questions O-san did (why did I know japanese, where I learned it, my name, etc.). Then O-san joined the conversation while this person introduced himself as M-san. Just one extra question M-san made me "You are new in the company, aren't you?" After that both left to continue their activities really happy, which made me really happy too.
That day I encountered O-san with 3 of the rest of the japanese, and he excitedly greeted me in japanese so the other ones could confirm my japanese. It was like they found a new toy which made them really excited and high tension!!!
While I was sharing this story with my sensei, he explained me they were excited because, they are far away from their country and finding one more person they can use their language makes them happy, also because for them who are weak in learning languages is difficult to believe one can learn japanese without going to Japan. (On the company there are several mexicans who can speak Japanese, but that is because they went to Japan and learned it there). So even though is difficult to me I'm trying my best to practice my japanese and become better day by day.
The only one who was missing to discover I could speak some japanese was the japanese plant manager, but that is a story for an other post as that has some weird parts as well.
