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http://japanese.meetup.com/53/
What kind of address is that anyways? Why not just “ottawa” instead of “53”?
They meetup at the first Friday of every month. (Except this one. I doubt anyone would have been present during Canada Day!) I’ve joined them for the second time yesterday evening.
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It’s fun, but I think it’s more about the Japanese girls being there learning English than us learning Japanese. (I say Japanese girls since no Japanese guys ever come.) Sometimes I try to always speak in Japanese, but I can’t, as everybody else around me always speak in English.
The other downside for me is the fact of who I am. Semi-social. I’ve never been able to intergrate myself in groups as I tend to sometimes try too much to be sociable. At least I try — when I don’t, I never talk and I look boring. I even look angry sometimes, but I am really not.
It’s an interesting thing I’ve discovered about myself since years, but only started to enjoy recently. I feel I’m simply a satellite orbiting around groups of friends. It’s as if each of my friends were ambassadors of their own group or gang to me, while I’m being treated as a guru with friendship. They often tell me things they wouldn’t even dare telling their own circle. I’m often never introduced to friends of their ilk, or if they do, I am quickly forgotten.
What I hate is when people are trying to feel as they are getting as many friends as possible. They met you and spoke to you for a little while and already try to get your phone number and e-mail address, like the Japanese people at the group mentionned above. I felt a bit privileged when asked for my contact information before only to discover that it’s completely worthless. It’s simply contributing to their list of contact already too long. When I give out my phone number and e-mail address to people I meet in groups, it’s most likely that I will never hear from them again, or until the next we meet. For that reason now, I stoped giving out my information. What’s the use?
I usually hang out with only one person at a time — rarely two. If you do see me with a group of people, I tend to be accidently at the back of the group, often being simply a spectator and never jump into the conversation being held by the people in front of me. If I do, that’s the part of me trying too hard to socialise again, and I usually make the situation a bit awkward. My sense of humour is also a bit special and only enjoyed by a few.
I also never give a good first impression. Those who appreciate me took time to get to know me, and they always think it is very worth it. They always tell me what they thought I was at first and how they regret it. To quote someone who is now a friend of mine: “Oh! I never wanted to tell you this, but… At first, I think you were such a loser. But now I know you better, and I regret I thought that way of you before.” Also, because of that problem, I tend to never believe the first impression I get from people, because I know they probably aren’t the way I think they are first.
