Dear Fukuda Family members,
I just have to post about this since it is a very magical recent occurrence.
One of Papa's close friends/admirers from church, a woman named Noriko Sakoh, (the woman who got Wally and Mom on TV) has given me a shot at a translation job for an NHK-backed TV program called 'Trails to Tsukiji.' (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/tsukiji/20180516/2054065/)
The regular translator happened to be away during the Golden Week holidays, when the first draft was due, and so she contacted me to see if I'd like a shot at it. The show is 30 minutes long and is shown abroad, not in Japan, and introduces different seafood sold in Tsukiji, giving the background on how they are caught and sold and prepared, all from a very culturally rich perspective, using a westerner host who goes to the sites and gets to fish, cook, and taste the dishes. It is fascinating material. The program I did for a trial is hotaru-ika, or firefly squid, a very beautiful creature of the sea that glows during spawning season.
The regular translator came back from the holiday and reviewed my work and told the producers that he was happy with my translation and I just got a call tonight from the producer saying that she's like me to stay on board for more programs!
This comes after a very long, dry financial spell during which Hiro and I almost got kicked out of our home for being behind on our rent (well, the landowner was going to terminate our contract), so the news can't be any more welcome. (As some of you know, to pick up extra funding, I have started working as a guide helper for people with autism, which I love, and I am starting at a local preschool as an assistant tomorrow, which I am also very excited about, but both are minimum wage jobs.) Hiro's house for his client that has been on the drawing board for the past 3 years is finally under construction, but he has already expended much of the budget on hiring specialists (his structural engineer, landscape designer, architectural legal expert, etc...) leaving very, very little for his own income from the reward. Of course, he has other side work to help us through, as have I, but times have been very, very rough for us, especially the last 3 years. We are hopeful that after all the hard work, the construction will go smoothly and the client will be satisfied with the design and appreciate any well wishes for that to happen...
The most amazing thing about this story is that the woman who hired me for the job, Noriko, just so happens to also be the estranged daughter-in-law of my dear neighbor, an elderly woman who I have befriended for the past 7 years since her move to Nerima, with whom I have shared hours long phone calls to offer her some company since she is bed ridden. When I realized they both had the same last name, I called my friend to tell her about the job, and she affirmed that they were indeed related - and in fact, said she had been wanting to introduce me to Noriko for a long time, but wasn't sure if I would be interested in the work. She said she never did mention it, and that it was pure coincidence that she would extend the offer to me. (They are apparently not on the best of terms, and do not communicate on a regular basis, but maybe there is a chance for that to change.) Ken, you may have met my neighbor during one of your stays while she was still living here, as I think she recalls meeting you.
I want to share this story with you all because I feel grateful that the beautiful and magical friendships that Papa created have extended into my life and to Mom's and are continuing to shine light on us and uplift us. Papa is always with us in that sense and it is the most magical and beautiful experience and I wanted to share that with you. (Before the homeless meal in two weeks, I am going to meet up for lunch with another close friend of Papa's, Chika Eto, a woman who Papa hired while working at HSBC, who I have gotten to know and become close to. I found out that we are the same age and her parents live very close to me, so it is nice to make friends with her as well!)
Wish me luck as I go into the studio on Friday for the subtitle adjustment work. Hoping the environment will be safe enough for me to tolerate and that the people there will be fun to work with.
xoNorie
I just have to post about this since it is a very magical recent occurrence.
One of Papa's close friends/admirers from church, a woman named Noriko Sakoh, (the woman who got Wally and Mom on TV) has given me a shot at a translation job for an NHK-backed TV program called 'Trails to Tsukiji.' (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/tsukiji/20180516/2054065/)
The regular translator happened to be away during the Golden Week holidays, when the first draft was due, and so she contacted me to see if I'd like a shot at it. The show is 30 minutes long and is shown abroad, not in Japan, and introduces different seafood sold in Tsukiji, giving the background on how they are caught and sold and prepared, all from a very culturally rich perspective, using a westerner host who goes to the sites and gets to fish, cook, and taste the dishes. It is fascinating material. The program I did for a trial is hotaru-ika, or firefly squid, a very beautiful creature of the sea that glows during spawning season.
The regular translator came back from the holiday and reviewed my work and told the producers that he was happy with my translation and I just got a call tonight from the producer saying that she's like me to stay on board for more programs!
This comes after a very long, dry financial spell during which Hiro and I almost got kicked out of our home for being behind on our rent (well, the landowner was going to terminate our contract), so the news can't be any more welcome. (As some of you know, to pick up extra funding, I have started working as a guide helper for people with autism, which I love, and I am starting at a local preschool as an assistant tomorrow, which I am also very excited about, but both are minimum wage jobs.) Hiro's house for his client that has been on the drawing board for the past 3 years is finally under construction, but he has already expended much of the budget on hiring specialists (his structural engineer, landscape designer, architectural legal expert, etc...) leaving very, very little for his own income from the reward. Of course, he has other side work to help us through, as have I, but times have been very, very rough for us, especially the last 3 years. We are hopeful that after all the hard work, the construction will go smoothly and the client will be satisfied with the design and appreciate any well wishes for that to happen...
The most amazing thing about this story is that the woman who hired me for the job, Noriko, just so happens to also be the estranged daughter-in-law of my dear neighbor, an elderly woman who I have befriended for the past 7 years since her move to Nerima, with whom I have shared hours long phone calls to offer her some company since she is bed ridden. When I realized they both had the same last name, I called my friend to tell her about the job, and she affirmed that they were indeed related - and in fact, said she had been wanting to introduce me to Noriko for a long time, but wasn't sure if I would be interested in the work. She said she never did mention it, and that it was pure coincidence that she would extend the offer to me. (They are apparently not on the best of terms, and do not communicate on a regular basis, but maybe there is a chance for that to change.) Ken, you may have met my neighbor during one of your stays while she was still living here, as I think she recalls meeting you.
I want to share this story with you all because I feel grateful that the beautiful and magical friendships that Papa created have extended into my life and to Mom's and are continuing to shine light on us and uplift us. Papa is always with us in that sense and it is the most magical and beautiful experience and I wanted to share that with you. (Before the homeless meal in two weeks, I am going to meet up for lunch with another close friend of Papa's, Chika Eto, a woman who Papa hired while working at HSBC, who I have gotten to know and become close to. I found out that we are the same age and her parents live very close to me, so it is nice to make friends with her as well!)
Wish me luck as I go into the studio on Friday for the subtitle adjustment work. Hoping the environment will be safe enough for me to tolerate and that the people there will be fun to work with.
xoNorie
Comments
I have kept friendship through facebook with Nobuto and last week there were many posts of a cruise he had gifted to his mother and grandmother. Well, guess who that mother is... I had never made the connection but there were lots of pictures taken this past week.
As you can guess, the pictures were the proof of the pudding.
-M