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[erikred]

Back in the States since Sunday morning. Having difficulty not saying "Konnichiwa" to people I see on the street.

This is how cognitive dissonance works: After two weeks of being in Japan, habit tells me that it's perfectly all right to say "Konnichiwa" as a greeting; reason disagrees, and points out that the vast majority of Asian Americans I meet on the streets of Oakland will probably think I'm some kind of ignorant jerk for greeting them in Japanese. My brane hurtz.

I still do a lot of nodding and bowing, though.

Comments

[ctiee.livejournal.com]

I always find it extremely disorienting to be greeted in Japanese in Germany. My first inclination is to say "Wie bitte?" because my poor brain goes "What was that?" I don't even recognize it as Japanese for 30 seconds, which makes me look rather stupid. Alas!