Tests and Television

Long time, no write. I'm surviving without a car and I haven't left the village in 2 1/2 weeks. This is a record! (Actually, it was a record after the first 2 days!)

Recently, I've spent a lot of time at home studying Japanese. I made 48/50 on my last test and it was such a good feeling. Whee! I felt like a little kid again! You know, I've not had any kind of test in years - I've not studied for a test, taken a test, worried about a test or felt that sense of accomplishment after doing well on a test since uni. (With the exception of my Japanese driving test!) Guess it's good to brush up on my studying and test-taking skills now, before I start grad school.

Of course, I'm not always studying. I also watch some TV -- on one program, couples meet with the hosts and reveal their problems. The hosts then judge which half of the couple is "right" or which one they sympathize with most.

One particularly sad episode featured a woman who thought her husband was up to no good. She didn't believe he was going to work every morning like he said he was and she wanted to find out where he was really going.

The program's cameramen secretly followed the man one morning. The man drove his van to the seaside, got out and walked to the waterside. He stood and looked out at the water, looked at some abandoned row boat, kicked the sand around and then, after a couple of hours, he ate the lunch his wife packed for him. (I'm getting teary-eyed just typing this!) After his lunch, he went back to the van, rolled down all the windows, reclined the seat and took a nap until it was time to go home.

They showed this video to the husband and wife on the program and I think the wife felt awful for her husband. He explained that he had lost his job and couldn't find another job and he was too ashamed to tell his wife. Instead, he just pretended to go to work each day. I suppose he was collecting severance pay or unemployment benefits during this time.

It made me feel sad, too, that this man felt so much shame that he couldn't tell his wife, the closest person to his heart. I also found it sweet, and it reminded me how fragile men can be despite their attempts to always appear strong and in control. The man found, as soon as his wife knew about his situation, that she was very supportive and caring and they worked together to find a new job for him. She even gave him a present - a pair of shiny, new shoes to wear to his new job.

Sometimes, the couples are pretty funny. In last night’s episode, a girl revealed to her boyfriend that she had many special friends. She proceeded to name them… David, Mike, Phil, Robert, and so on. She also said that she wanted to go to the US as an exchange student.

The boyfriend gave her a talk before she left and practiced several situations with her. For example, he would play the part of her friend, DJ Mike, and say things like, “Would you like to go for a drink after this?” When the girlfriend said "Yes," the boyfriend said, "No, no, no, that's not what you're supposed to say!"

The funniest was when the boyfriend acted out this situation (in English):
DJ Mike walks girl home. They stop at the door.
DJ Mike, gripping waist and moaning, says "Uhhh I have the runs."
Ditzy girlfriend says "Oh?"
DJ Mike says "May I use your toilet?"
Girlfriend says OK.

"NO!!! NO! He just wants to go to your room! Don't let him in, even if he says he has the runs!!," the boyfriend cried.

Classic.

I didn't get to finish watching the rest of the episode but I can guess what happened. That boyfriend didn't have a prayer!