As per usual, the days have continued to grow increasingly busy now that the end of the semester is drawing near. Even so, I continue attending practices for both Kyudo and choir on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
First, I\u2019d like to discuss my relationship with my bow. Emily, Megan and I have nicknamed the bow that I tend to use during Kyudo, \u201cEdward\u201d, as in \u201cEdward Cullen.\u201d Why would I ever do that to myself, you ask? See, just like the abusive boyfriend Edward Cullen of Twilight fame, I tend to get injured whenever I use the bow. And, just like a textbook case of domestic abusive, I still use the same bow because I know that the reason why my bruises from Kyudo continue to increase is because I\u2019m doing something incorrectly. It\u2019s all fun when we joke about my abusive bow (Bow, Beau, get it?) but whenever I think my bruises have healed, I find myself getting new ones to replace the old ones. It’s like the bows are trying to remind me that this is a sport and requires some kind of physical strain. I joked around about finding the one sport that doesn’t require running and getting exhausted when I found my strong affection for archery of all types, but after practicing for these past months, I realize that’s not entirely true. Partly because of the occasional slaps of the bow string against my arm, and partly because of the gripping energy I realize I lack after a full hour of shooting, do I realize that archery still exercises muscles more than one would think.<\/p>\n
With that said, I\u2019ve known for a while as to what my issue is, and I\u2019m just having problems changing it. My fear of being attacked by the string of the bow and my improper method of handling the bow has hindered me from shooting arrows sans corporal punishment. You\u2019d think I\u2019d be used to dealing with pain from the string after having gotten hit so many times, but I\u2019m still subconsciously shying away and doing weird things when I practice. Meaning, I\u2019m not really getting the meditating aspect part of Kyudo down. I\u2019m entirely wrapped up in going through the motions that I find that I\u2019m having difficulty getting out of my mind. More than shooting the arrow, trying to get out of my mind is the hardest part for me.<\/p>\n
Since I\u2019ve figured out how to hold the bow somewhat properly, the pain has decreased over the past couple of weeks. That does not mean that I’ve been able to graduate on to a painless existence in the dojo. In the end, the pain I receive is just like when those monks hit people during meditation when they find their minds wandering. It serves as a reminder of the fact that A.) I’m still doing weird things unnatural to kyudo and that B.) it needs to stop. All I can do is keeping chugging on, and maybe Edward and I can come to some kind of compromise soon. Or I could just use the other bow we named Jacob, whom I work better with anyway. Either works.<\/p>\n
Moving on to choir, I think my main issue is the fact that my motivation to regularly attend is like zip. My lack of motivation stems from the fact that I know I\u2019m practicing for a performance that I don\u2019t have the funds to participate in. I personally think it\u2019s ridiculous that I have to pay 10600 yen to perform in my own concert. And I really want to introduce the concept of fundraising to the group. But since I need some kind of motivation to keep me going, I\u2019ve decided to go with the cheaper option: performing the theme song and the encore for only 2000 yen.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still frustrating, though. The people are really nice, and they\u2019ve always been incredibly welcoming, and even though we\u2019re not performing the actual set, we\u2019re still allowed to practice with them. But perhaps actually going and practicing the set with them increases my frustration with my lack of sufficient funds to appear in the whole concert.<\/p>\n
It makes me wonder though, am I in this for the music, or am I in this for the people? Giving up on performing because of funds, and losing motivation… Perhaps this also stems from the lack of practices over their spring break, and the cancelled practices due to influenza bugs going around. I miss singing like crazy, but I’m not so crazy as to spend that much on my own performance. Maybe my love for music has died over the years of not singing — although I really hope that’s not the case. I have to think about this more.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s at least a bit heartening to know that my issues with both kyudo and choir do not stem from some kind of cultural misunderstanding. These are things that could virtually, and probably already does, happen anywhere else in the world. Money, time, lack of skills\u2014these are all problems common to any other college student like myself, Japanese or not. And in a way, that provides at least a little bit of comfort, knowing that I have some kind of inherent connection with this strange new world I\u2019ve been living in for the past few months.<\/p>\n
Woes aside, I really am having a blast. That much, at least, hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As per usual, the days have continued to grow increasingly busy now that the end of the semester is drawing ne … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080