Auld Lang Syne
Those of us from America recognize Auld Lang Syne as the New Year's song. It is sung once a year, every year, right after the stroke of midnight on January 1st. No other time is it appropriate, and no other time is it heard.
Yet for some unbeknownst reason, Auld Lang Syne is the Japanese national song to indicate a store is closing. Supermarkets, restaurants, 100-yen shops, electronic stores, clothing stores... you name it, they play it. It's the song to indicate "You had best hurry up and finish your shopping so that we can close at the zero-second mark of the designated closing minute."
So I've chosen that as the heading of my final post to my Life in Japan blog.
I am very excited to return to the States. I can't wait to be around English again - in stores, overhead announcements, menus, newspapers... I can't wait to ask a salesperson, "What's the difference between these two products?" and be able to comprehend the answer.
I'm looking forward to sitting on couches, chairs and toilets and walking through doors for which I am the appropriate size.
Of course I will miss the food, the people, the cleanliness, the politeness (however surface it may be), and being a mini-celebrity (Even after being in Japan for 11 months, still when I go to the local grocery store, I get the "OOOOHH!! Dei-bi-do!" excited calls from the cashiers).
But onto bigger and better. I will be a high school math teacher this fall in the Boston area. The exact details of my employment are not yet known - I have a couple face-to-face final interviews scheduled for next week and then I'll make my decision (I already have one job offer).
It's been great bringing you a glimpse - and that's all it really can be - of life in Japan. It's been at times bizarre, hilarious, confusing, frustrating, and loving, but it's been a load of fun and consistently entertaining. I hope you have enjoyed my stories and pictures, and want to remind you that should old acquaintances be forgot and never brought to mind, and should old acquaintances be forgot then auld lang syne.
Yet for some unbeknownst reason, Auld Lang Syne is the Japanese national song to indicate a store is closing. Supermarkets, restaurants, 100-yen shops, electronic stores, clothing stores... you name it, they play it. It's the song to indicate "You had best hurry up and finish your shopping so that we can close at the zero-second mark of the designated closing minute."
So I've chosen that as the heading of my final post to my Life in Japan blog.
I am very excited to return to the States. I can't wait to be around English again - in stores, overhead announcements, menus, newspapers... I can't wait to ask a salesperson, "What's the difference between these two products?" and be able to comprehend the answer.
I'm looking forward to sitting on couches, chairs and toilets and walking through doors for which I am the appropriate size.
Of course I will miss the food, the people, the cleanliness, the politeness (however surface it may be), and being a mini-celebrity (Even after being in Japan for 11 months, still when I go to the local grocery store, I get the "OOOOHH!! Dei-bi-do!" excited calls from the cashiers).
But onto bigger and better. I will be a high school math teacher this fall in the Boston area. The exact details of my employment are not yet known - I have a couple face-to-face final interviews scheduled for next week and then I'll make my decision (I already have one job offer).
It's been great bringing you a glimpse - and that's all it really can be - of life in Japan. It's been at times bizarre, hilarious, confusing, frustrating, and loving, but it's been a load of fun and consistently entertaining. I hope you have enjoyed my stories and pictures, and want to remind you that should old acquaintances be forgot and never brought to mind, and should old acquaintances be forgot then auld lang syne.
posted by David at 6:23 PM
1 Comments:
David, it has been such a delight to share in your Japan experience. I'm gonna miss it. Where else can one get such a slice of wry with a quirky pickle on the side? You've been a great story teller/roving reporter!
By the way...can we possibly hope for the Boston Blog??? No doubt that teenaged New England high school students could generate some interesting tales.
Oh, and...Welcome Home.
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