...even my sweat is smiling!...have i mentioned how stinking hot it is here? this is the result of hours toiling away in the classroom, enstilling knowledge into japan's youth...and again, why am i trying to grow a beard now? the truth is it takes me a good month to grow something even remotely resembling a beard, and since i had that time over the summer, i went for it...i've gone too far to turn back now...but i am at peace for the moment, in my air conditioned abode with a cold beer on one side, and my guitar on the other...
...so far classes are going well here in the first week of the new term...i have a good group of students it seems...we (meaning japanese people) refer to this kind of student as 'genki', which can be translated as something like energetic, positive, or lively...one of the hangups i have with the japanese language revolves around this word, genki...
...a common question people ask you, when you arrive at work in the morning, for example, is 'genki desu ka?', which means 'are you genki?' or 'are you energetic'...the english equivalent would probably be 'how are you?'...but here's where the problem, for me at least, arises...when asked 'how are you?' in english, there is a whole range of answers you can use, from the super-positive 'i'm fuxxing fantastic!!!' to the more subdued 'i'm ok, thanks' to the lowest of low 'i'm fuxxing miserable'...
...however, when presented with 'genki desu ka?' you can only answer yes, 'hai, genki desu,' or no, 'iie, genki janai'...and in reality, i'm not a very genki person...i mean, anyone who knows me probably wouldn't describe me as bubbling with energy and exuding positivity...not that i'm not a positive person, i just take a more relaxed, lazy approach to being happy...
...and so, i am forever forced to reply 'hai, genki desu' several times a day, even though i am not, in my heart, genki...and that is a problem that just won't go away any time soon...and that, in and of it of itself, makes me that much less genki...
...to which the japanese might reply, 'taihen desu ne', which means, roughly, tough shxt...
5 comments:
OK, baby, lemme help you out a little on this one. You have to figure that even amongst the Japanese people themselves, there are some who don't walk around smiling maniacally all day and singing songs to cheer others up, right? I mean, would someone's 100-year-old grandpa be genki compared to a bunch of 6-year-olds? No, not by comparison. And it sounds like you're feeling like that question is asking you to compare your state to the textbook definition of genki, but of course it isn't, because if it were, then a significant percentage of the population would fail said test, right?
So, when you get asked "Genki desu ka?" just imagine it, like you said, as "How are you?" because in English, if asked that, would you answer, "Well, I'm physically well, but I'm a pretty low-key and quiet personality." ??? No.
So, if you're OK - if you're as genki as YOU normally get - then the answer is "Genki desu."
Also, the idea that there are only 2 responses to the question stems from your viewing the issue as a grammar problem, because it's a "yes/no" question grammatically. But even in English, some "yes/no" questions are almost never answered with a simple "yes" or "no". Example: "Do you know where the station is?" So you should feel free to elaborate on how you're feeling and why if there is something special happening in your day.
Example: "Genki desu ka?" "Iie, kinou nomisugita." or "Genki desu ka?" "Hai, Chieko to totemo ii sex o yatte kimashita!!!"
Andrew
hmmm...so what you're proposing is that there is some sort of sliding scale that is relative to ones own standard genkiness...an interesting insight for me, and one that ruins the whole paradigm i had constructed in this blog entry...not to mention you totally blew my cover to all the folks back home who might of thought i actually know what i'm talking about...THANKS buddy!!...with friends like you...
p.s...i think chieko's english speaking sister/brother in law might read this blog...they'll be thrilled with your examples!!
It's OK; yer married. I think everybody knows yer doin' it.
You ARE doin' it, aren't you?
....crickets....
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