There's a word for poor in Japanese, it's daigakusei (college student). I'm a student again, and I'd forgotten how it felt to be in poverty. But it's all coming back to me. And luckily I'm a quick learner! I eat onigiri; all the time. I spend most my time in coffee houses pretending to drink empty cups of coffee. Back in the golden years of employment I used to casually go to a restaraunt and pay ten dollars for a meal. Now a 500yen bowl of ramen is only for special occasions. People are free, mostly, so I try to enjoy their company. It's easy make friends when you're a foreigner. I am the walking talking token white guy. Stick the key in my back, wind me up, and I might do a little dance. I think people are basically good. Meeting people is odd though. We mutually use each other, maybe for language study, maybe to pass the time. As to real friendship, that's a tricky one ain't it? To be continued...
Discuss