36yearsago.com

Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing & friends.

Day 7 — Dr. H.—Roommate 2 from Japan
09-August-1971 (Mon.)


TRANSCRIPT

Second roommate came. He is a middle-aged Japanese man. Dr. Shigenbu H. Also friendly. Our communication was surprisingly good.

Vienna is an extremely international city. Beginning to meet students from all over—Greece, Spain, France. All are very friendly and it seems like it should be a good time.


REFLECTIONS

Whoa! What happened here? Why so short today?

It’s probably that I’m busy with getting ready for the language course and perhaps doing “life” stuff. There may have been school registration and entrance test-taking.

If I remember correctly, I’m probably writing these journal entries late at night just before I go to sleep. So, it won’t be a blow-by-blow description of everything we do—thank goodness. So, we’ll take the short days in stride. There will be some days when no journal entry is posted.

Roommate Dr. H. The good news is that I now have two roommates. Dr. H. has arrived. Wow! What a blast, that I have roommates from both Italy and Japan. One a graduate student and one, a professional, established doctor. I remember that we got along very well and enjoyed each other’s conversations. Certainly, we went to eat together in the student cafeteria and probably to student functions as well. I can’t remember all the details but I do remember liking them both a great deal.

Several things are certain: (1) I didn’t speak Japanese; (2) Dr. H. didn’t speak English; and (3) both Dr. H and myself were learning beginning German; and (4) the only way we could communicate was by trying to speak German. Talk about “total immersion.” In those days, the term “total immersion” wasn’t even invented. We were immersed before there was immersion.

Whew!

Photo of the day:

Roomate and dentist, Dr. H.

John

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Tags: languages, Dr. H., friends, studens