“I like travelling, collecting art, scuba diving…my new hobby is to learn Japanese (giggle). I also like magic. I appreciate honesty in people.”
Q2. How long have you been in Japan?
“Six months.”
Q3. What brought you here?
“Hmm….there are many reasons why I came to Japan, and if I mention only one of them, it would sound ridiculous. But, one of the main reasons was that the scholarship offered by my home university to come to Japan was very good, and only one person could get it. It required at least one year of study aboard experience; I had done a study abroad in America for almost a year and a half when I was in high school, went to France with a scholarship named Erasmu [Mundus], and did my internship in London for a summer for three months. In order to get this scholarship, you had to be ambitious and interested in East Asia, and be willing to overcome cultural differences there. I applied for it because I wanted to challenge myself. Also, I am hoping that my future would have something to do with one of the Asian countries.”
Q4. What, if you had any, was your first culture shock incident?
"It was during one of my first Japanese classes. The [class] speed was unbelievable, and to learn a new language (Antal had only studied Japanese for two month prior to this study abroad program), it was too fast, and I couldn’t catch up."
Q5. What part of you think makes you a representative of your country/culture?
"[Here in Japan] I try to represent the ‘Central’ European countries…I am open-minded, friendly…those kinds of things. But [whatever I represent] I never forget that I am in Japan.”
Q6. Do you have any questions about Japanese culture?
"I have one: why do you keep bottles full of water around the telephone poles on the streets? Also, this is not a question, but sometimes I am confused, when [Japanese] people are talking about another person, whether they are talking about a real human or a Pokemon character…."
You obviously had fun with this week's post - and you provide a nice introduction to your new friend.
ReplyDeletePlease refer Antal to this post to explain the pet bottles:
http://soleswornthin.blogspot.com/2010/05/pet-versus-pet.html
I really can't help you with the Pokeman thing...
To: visual gonthros
ReplyDeleteAs you might be able to guess, this was the most exciting blog post so far! It is always a pleasure to get to know new people, and build a personal relationship with them.
We also had fun taking the pictures - my friend and I chose the ones that we felt would represent him well.
The blog post that you introduced to me was very interesting and informative (Antal says "thank you!"). I had answered Antal's question on the pet bottles, but I feel that this blog gives a better explanation....