Friday, July 14, 2006

The Turning Over

This is a difficult time of year, because the new JETs are coming in soon, which means the old ones have to leave. You know what I've discovered about myself? I don't much like people when I first meet them. At best they're just all right, but usually I find them somewhat annoying. Very rarely do I like someone immediately. It's worse when I feel I'm forced to interact and be friendly with new people, and especially in the case of first-year JETs, who are like college freshmen. While their enthusiasm is refreshing, it's also draining. So I'm forced by circumstance (the need to communicate in my native language with people who don't find American women intrinsically strange... and sometimes with American men, too) into these friendships with people I might not otherwise have been friends with, for better or for worse. And then when I really get to like someone... they leave.

5 comments:

Leslie said...

Emily, I understand not being excited about the new JETs. They will be terribly excited and in my bitterness I don't know if I can accomodate them!

And I do the opposite, I actually like people alot when I first meet them and then tend to not like them the more I find out about them. Interesting.

But I am gutted Kate left!

Anonymous said...

i hope i wasn't TOO annoying~

Emily K said...

Lol, no, you were fine. :) This post is more a reflection of myself than it is a judgment on anyone else's behavior.

Jason H. said...

Yeah - cuz I know you liked me from the moment you met me! I mean, what's not to like??

LOL

But yeah, I hear ya - big influx of new people into Izumo (the real one) this time. It's be interesting - having 3 new peeps at the FH for instance.

-JCH

Gemma said...

Hi Emily, it's Gemma here. Checked out your blog for the first time today, it's funny! Yeah know what you mean about newbies. I have a hard time with huge, loud groups sometimes. I'm much happier in smaller groups of people. Also, I tend to judge people, based on first impressions which of course is not good. The good thing is, being here in Shimane forces you to give people a second chance, I think. Happy happy, joy joy!