The figurative dictionary of change is a collection of both abstract and concrete concepts that have assumed a new meaning or importance to me throughout my stay in Japan. Because this experience is extremely unique and impacting me in many ways, I feel the need to collect my thoughts around what are the major influences Tokyo is having and will have on me. The dictionary of change, as its name suggests, is not immutable. It expands as I, like a child, discover my own growth every day and it mutates as I, like a child, mistake my predictions and try it all again from the beginning.
As in a real dictionary, the phonetic information is given: just remember to add a bit of Italian accent to the pronunciation, if you feel like reading it out loud.
Tree (noun /triː/):
At first I was a bit shy to start this new friendship, with the same feeling a puppy must have towards a new toy: so willing to play with it, but yet a bit scared. Because I was seeing it every day, there was no chance I would forget about it, so eventually my curiosity won and I started to approach it more, day by day, during lunch time. I don't know how I expected us to become friends, as the only effort it was actually doing was overhearing my conversation with my friends, and moving its arms slightly in the air.
This movement was not a sign of judgement, I rather interpreted it as a willingness to release our secrets to the wind, before they could be caught by other people. I do realize that, from the very first day, it was a good listener. With immovable patience, it saw me struggling and complaining, fighting, smiling and meditating. I don't know how we became friends, but I like to hug it, because when we hug I can see a little less how different we are and a bit more of that invisible force we share.
It became so beautiful in fall, that I almost felt jealous, but it let me be part of the yellow sunlight filtering through its leaves: how stupid to be jealous of a beautiful happy friend!
Like a human, It was not always happy; it also showed me its ugliest moments and fragility and that was my time to not give up on it, it was my time to dress in yellow and green and circle around in a dance, to remind it that everything is just temporary. I don't know if we truly became friends, because when it asks me to tell the truth and look into its eyes, I am confused and I cannot find them: I do not know where trees have eyes and if they have they are too many to look into. One thing is certain, I never thought I would one day be friend with a tree.
 |
| Tree |
Research (noun and verb /ˈriː.sɝːtʃ/):
During a meeting with my supervising Professor, I tell him with great excitement about my latest holiday in the Caribbean and about how white the sand was; he vaguely mentions there must be a sand grain which is not white but black. He is sure of it but has no time to check personally to prove it.
On my next holiday I fly back to the same beach and I start looking for the black grain of sand among all the white ones. At first it seems quite easy: one black dot among thousands of white should be visible. With that hope, I keep looking for months and eventually start digging a hole on the beach. After years of digging, I stop for a short break and realize that the black grain might not exist at all, or it might as well lay next to my sunglasses. It doesn't really matter, what matters is that I now managed to dig a tunnel that connects France to UK and that water can happily flow through from the sea.
 |
| Research |
Comments
Post a Comment