(no subject)
Things proceed smoothly on this end of the earth. My classes are fun, I'm busy, and lots of events are brewing which I may get involved in.
First, the gym thing. This is another situation where the subtle culture shocks really hit you. Normally, I handle them pretty well, though, and I seem to be doing that now. The application process wasn't so difficult, though I will readily admit that I did ask for help anyway, and they gladly accepted me. My experiences with the gym near home served me pretty well cross-culturally; wipe stuff down when you're done with it, ask if it's okay to use something, get help if you don't understand, and don't be a nuisance. Common sense.
What you may not know is that they expect you to keep a record of your activities and log your BP, heart rate, and weight each time. You're not allowed to wear your everyday shoes in here; you *must* have a spare set of trainers which will be worn only during your workout. (It's that whole indoor/outdoor thing they have here.) Also, you'll notice that they're not that big on free weights. Yes, they do have them, and it's a nice variety, but you won't find a wall full of them here. Instead, the machines are preferred, and they're pneumatic. The pressure can be adjusted higher or lower on the fly, so you always have option immediately scale back without much down time.
The people are very happy to talk to me, as I'm currently playing the role of the Curious New Member (+1 column shift for being a gaijin), so I've heard several things ranging from how I'm doing really well to an older man whose brother died in the 9/11 attack. These are the conversations which put your linguistic skill to the test, and it makes the gym time much more interesting.
Oh, here's something of note: I may get to participate in an interview for a Japanese national news program. They're looking for foreigners/students to interview, but I don't know the topic. This is all very much up in the air, but it seems like this could an interesting experience. I'll let you know more when I get more info.
First, the gym thing. This is another situation where the subtle culture shocks really hit you. Normally, I handle them pretty well, though, and I seem to be doing that now. The application process wasn't so difficult, though I will readily admit that I did ask for help anyway, and they gladly accepted me. My experiences with the gym near home served me pretty well cross-culturally; wipe stuff down when you're done with it, ask if it's okay to use something, get help if you don't understand, and don't be a nuisance. Common sense.
What you may not know is that they expect you to keep a record of your activities and log your BP, heart rate, and weight each time. You're not allowed to wear your everyday shoes in here; you *must* have a spare set of trainers which will be worn only during your workout. (It's that whole indoor/outdoor thing they have here.) Also, you'll notice that they're not that big on free weights. Yes, they do have them, and it's a nice variety, but you won't find a wall full of them here. Instead, the machines are preferred, and they're pneumatic. The pressure can be adjusted higher or lower on the fly, so you always have option immediately scale back without much down time.
The people are very happy to talk to me, as I'm currently playing the role of the Curious New Member (+1 column shift for being a gaijin), so I've heard several things ranging from how I'm doing really well to an older man whose brother died in the 9/11 attack. These are the conversations which put your linguistic skill to the test, and it makes the gym time much more interesting.
Oh, here's something of note: I may get to participate in an interview for a Japanese national news program. They're looking for foreigners/students to interview, but I don't know the topic. This is all very much up in the air, but it seems like this could an interesting experience. I'll let you know more when I get more info.