Let's Party!
Architecture Basketball Tournament
Every year, the Architecture Department of the University of the East has a sports-related tournament, and in my year of exchange, the tournament was basketball.
Practice hard.
Not long after I joined the lab, I heard that there would be a basketball tournament for the School of Urban Environment in four months, and I started to join the basketball club at that time. No matter how far away the practice place was, or how busy I was with exams and seminars, I still tried my best to report every week, and I just wanted to do my best in the tournament to get the first championship for the lab as a kind of repayment to Sato Lab.
Storm over the suspension of the race
The day before the tournament, after the final presentation, I rushed back to the "Suzukake-dai" campus to do my final practice. I went back to the laboratory and cheered each other on with my seniors, and then went home to recuperate, but before I went to bed, I received the following email, and I couldn't believe my eyes:
"Due to a mistake on my part, I canceled the reservation at the Aobadai Sports Center, so the tournament was cancelled and the money will be refunded later. The BBQ will start at 15:00 as usual."
I was very sad at that moment, but I had to accept it as it was.
Informal Basketball
When I woke up, I saw a LINE message from Nakata-san:
"Informal tournament at Suzuridai Campus instead, free to participate!"
I arrived at the stadium in full armor according to the appointment and instructions. At 10:45, it was time for the game, but only two people came, and at 11:00, a group of eight participants, including a group of seniors from the research laboratory of the Ookayama campus, came. The person in charge also came to the field and apologized to us by bowing 90 degrees:
"訳訳ありません。 Sorry for the訳ありません......"
This scene is similar to the scene in the Japanese drama "Hanzawa Naoki" where he keeps apologizing to people by saluting them, and there is a feeling that the school life of the person in charge is "終わった(end)".
Despite the scorching sun's UV rays, the players on the field continued to play despite the heat of the sun. On the field, nationality didn't matter, each player did their best to help their team score points, and made summer memories with their sweat. I was no longer depressed, all I could do was to make friends with the players, and I was glad to play with last year's champion team and mingle with them.
"What's your name? I was asked by a senior from Ookayama Campus in the rest area.
"I'm Zero from Sato-ken. Please tell me more." I replied.
"You played well, I had a great time today, let's play together again next time." He patted me on the shoulder.
Cheer up!
I heard someone say they were craving ice, so I went to the school's co-op and bought 20 or so popsicles for the field participants to cool off. When they saw the popsicles and asked to pay, I just laughed:
"We had a great time today. Enjoy yourselves."
I also bought a few more for the people in charge of the event, after all, I know the pressure of not organizing a good event, having been the CEO of an event. When they saw me, they bowed and apologized, and when they saw me giving them popsicles regardless of their past, they froze in their tracks, staring at each other, doubting that they were in a dream world, and one of the girls had a look in her eyes that was so close to tears that it's unforgettable.
"You've worked hard, come on!" I encouraged them.
"Thank you very much! Thank you very much!" replied the three people in charge of the event.
"You're Zero from Sato-ken, aren't you?" one of the seniors shouted.
"Yes, I'd like to hear more about it." I responded.
In this way, my name was memorized, and some people ate the popsicles in a super grateful mood, bowing 90 degrees to me to thank me, and watching their happy faces made me happy as well. I was even happier when I won a prize for a popsicle that I had finished eating.
Guessing game at a BBQ meeting
After the game, it was time for the barbecue. While everyone was chatting and discussing the interesting events that took place at the stadium at noon, a female organizer came out. Since there was no contest, and it was a guessing game to determine who would take the rest of the money, the slightly drunk Japanese were naturally all over the place trying to win the 3,000 yen, making it one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen from a Japanese person.
Let's introduce Japanese kung fu. Scissors are called "チョキ", stone is called "グー", and cloth is called "パー", and the words used to throw a punch are as follows:
"Initially, it was a stone, Jaankepopo (Chinese: Initially, it was a stone, guessing!)"
Basically, the rules are the same as in Taiwan's Guessing Boxing, but if it's a tie, it will be shouted:
"相子(あいこ)でしょ"(中文：平手再來一把! It's kind of like the Taiwanese saying "Boo" again."
Though it may seem like a small game, Rock-Paper-Scissors is often used as a means of making small decisions in everyday life in Japan. For example, scissors and rock-paper-scissors are often used to decide who is going to do something first, or when there is disagreement in a group.
However, it is still very funny to see university students playing rock-paper-scissors in such a desperate manner.
accidental reunion
Toward the end of the BBQ, a tall girl walked over to the grill.
"Do you want chicken?" I asked with a smile.
"May I? Thank you," she said, handing me a plate.
"Please use it!" I piled a mountain of meat into her bowl. Then I looked up at her and realized that she had been staring at me for a while, and I froze.
"What's wrong?" I asked, puzzled.
"You're Zero, right? The CU student who sent me the letter last year" she asked as she bit into the chicken.
"Ah, it's you, Mr. Assistant Professor!" I snapped to attention.
Half a year ago, I took a distance-learning course on "General Theory of Earthquake Disaster Reduction" jointly organized by CUHK and EIT. Not only the professor, but also the teaching assistant in the classroom was very fluent in English. Not only the professor, but also the teaching assistant was very fluent in English. Since I often asked questions about the course and paid my assignments, I exchanged English letters with the teaching assistant for a while.
"I have successfully applied for the exchange program at EIT! I am looking forward to seeing you at TUT." I wrote in my last letter.
"Okay, send me another letter when you get to EIT." She wrote me back.
However, after I came to the University, I was so tired from the settlement process that I completely forgot about my appointment to see her, and I haven't heard a word from her.
"I always remembered that there was a Taiwanese, Mr. Zero, who wanted to come to EIT to study, but when I asked the other laboratories, there were no Taiwanese there, so I thought he wouldn't come," she laughed.
"I'm so sorry, there was so much paperwork at the beginning that I forgot...but how did you recognize me?" I asked, embarrassed.
"Because someone just told me that there is a Taiwanese zero-kwan who is considerate and gentle, so I guessed it was you, besides, the meat is grilled very well!" She laughed.
"Thank you, I'm really sorry! I'll give you some more Taiwanese products later!" I bowed slightly to apologize for my failure to keep the appointment, and then a Thai female doctor that I knew from my Japanese class joined in the conversation.
"So you two know each other, let's have a drink together sometime." The three of them raised their glasses and made a promise.
It turns out that being gentle and considerate can bring people back together again.
Trivia
Many international students may think that Japanese people are xenophobic and difficult to get along with, but maybe I was lucky to have met a gentle older sister who made me willing to give my best to everyone, and I was able to communicate with Japanese people frequently.
But I still encourage you to try to get to know Japanese people. We may not be able to get a word in edgewise at the beginning of a reception, but we can start to get people to notice us by doing small things like serving others. It's the smallest things like helping with the barbecue that make people remember me and become interested in me and even Taiwan, and then they start to have conversations and gradually become friends.
Once the coldness of the first meeting is resolved, the Japanese will tell you everything.
Related Resources
- JANKAN YOURS and 16 SELECTIONS [YOURS and NERAI'S EXPLANATIONS
- English de janken! English Performance and Slang in Ger, Chinky, and Pale
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