The You-Know-Who-Deletes-A-New-Boring-Hang Out - Dong Edition

[Elin]

I miss all the group hugs.

But seriously yo, you guys need to call your moms.

They all miss you.

...I actually do. ;__; I haven't spoken to her in over a month.

[Drageuth]

Haha, yeah, I've been very lucky here.

I don't know about ever taking Japanese citizenship, though. I know for sure that I want to live here for much longer than this year, and I don't have any particular emotional or patriotic attachment to my British citizenship (I'm pretty sure I'm done with living in Britain, actually), but being a citizen of an EU country is so useful in terms of being able to move and work freely within Western Europe that I think it would take a lot to convince me to give it up. :'D Maybe if I were here for... like... seven years and still had no intention of going back to Europe.

I've also heard that it's a crazy long process to get citizenship there. Not sure how it compares to other countries, but it sounds hella difficult.

That's right. I just said hella.

[Raype]

It's still 1030 on Saturday. I love her, but not that much.

Like you've got any other women to be calling on a Saturday night.

(this is what happens when you say "hella". I hurt your feelings)

[Prude]

The new GST movie series looks so disappointing. sadness.

[Drageuth]

Like you've got any other women to be calling on a Saturday night.

(this is what happens when you say "hella". I hurt your feelings)

There are plenty of other women I could be calling on a Saturday night. They just won't answer.

[Elin]

I've also heard that it's a crazy long process to get citizenship there. Not sure how it compares to other countries, but it sounds hella difficult.

That's right. I just said hella.

It's actually relatively easy. You need five years' constant residence (three if you're married to a Japanese national), which is the same as the US, and actually lower than lots of European countries (Norway is seven, Italy is ten, Germany is eight, etc...). And there's no formal test of linguistic proficiency or cultural knowledge as there is in, say, Britain. Just an interview and forms in Japanese to fill out. The only real roadblock in the application process itself is Japan's love of bureaucracy, which can mean that it can take a long time to actually go through.

I think if more people here don't take citizenship, it's because they know that Japanese citizenship isn't going to do much to change many people's perception of them as "foreign" and / or because they're reluctant to give up existing nationalities. It's telling that most of the people who do naturalise are people from other East Asian countries, being that they tend to blend in much better physically here than we do, and being that Japanese nationality is often much better to have than whatever nationality they currently hold. One of my Chinese friends here said she wants to become a Japanese citizen, not only because she loves it here, but because Japanese citizenship makes it much easier to visit and work in other countries than Chinese does, and is simply more useful to her. I guess we simply have fewer benefits to taking Japanese citizenship.

[Drageuth]

That makes sense, actually. I've never actually looked into the naturalization process for any countries, since I've never really thought about leaving Canada. I would imagine it would be a similar mindset to the way Caucasians in America and Canada view "foreigners." No one really notices Europeans or Americans, but everyone kind of has an eye on Asians. We don't see a lot of Mexican or Africans out where I live, although I did meet one Nigerian who was coming to school here. He was a cool guy, but his eyes were fucked up.

And by that, I mean... uhh... that's cool. Yeah. (I don't know why I'm still typing, I don't think I've spoken words to another human being in three days now)

[Elin]

That makes sense, actually. I've never actually looked into the naturalization process for any countries, since I've never really thought about leaving Canada. I would imagine it would be a similar mindset to the way Caucasians in America and Canada view "foreigners." No one really notices Europeans or Americans, but everyone kind of has an eye on Asians. We don't see a lot of Mexican or Africans out where I live, although I did meet one Nigerian who was coming to school here. He was a cool guy, but his eyes were fucked up.

And by that, I mean... uhh... that's cool. Yeah. (I don't know why I'm still typing, I don't think I've spoken words to another human being in three days now)

Yeah, pretty much. We'll always be "foreign" here in some part. A large chunk of people will look at your face and immediately see a clumsy, illiterate tourist or a wacky English language teacher, regardless of who you actually are or where you happen to come from. And even when people get to know you, there will be some who will always think of you as foreign, no matter how good your Japanese is and irrespective of whether or not you're a citizen of Japan. Like you say, it's the same in every country to varying degrees for any ethnic minority (it's a strange term to use for white people, but it's what we are here... :'D).

Canada is, I think, only three years. My friend is moving out there to live with his boyfriend once he graduates, and has been looking into the citizenship laws.

[Drageuth]

I have heard we're one of the easier countries to get into. We're all, like, accepting and shit.

Plus, it's not like we're wanting for space. Just around the metro cities.

And you're right, it is weird seeing white people referred to as the ethnic minority. Then again, in the town I grew up in, I don't remember a single person who wasn't white at any of the schools I went to. Like, at all. I'm racking my brain right now trying to think of someone who wasn't white, and I'm drawing a blank. The closest I've come so far was the kid from Ireland, and that one Jehovah's Witness that I thought was insanely cute.

Apparently I've been pampered to my whole life.

[gezegond]

I wish I had a 1st world citizenship. I could actually live.

[Milady]

No black people pretending to be from the ghetto, or Mexicans knifing each other?

Weird.

[gezegond]

I have heard we're one of the easier countries to get into. We're all, like, accepting and shit.

No you're not. Canada just rejected my student visa application, like, 2 months ago. I've been feeling awful since.

[Drageuth]

No black people pretending to be from the ghetto, or Mexicans knifing each other?

Weird.

Nope. Just a bunch of laid back white folk with rifles and weed.

No you're not. Canada just rejected my student visa application, like, 2 months ago. I've been feeling awful since.

Easy is a comparative term. Easy != everyone is accepted.

[gezegond]

Easy is a comparative term. Easy != everyone is accepted.

I'm not just anyone, I'm a pretty cool guy! And it was a student visa, not an immigration application. I'm not sure what problem the rejecting dude had with me. The embassy website just said that you have to fill these forms and gather these documents, which I did, and then they rejected me for no reason.

[gezegond]

Anyways, I'm now trying to get a university admission in UK. UK is even less likely to grant a visa, but I have no choice since I have no reason to continue living here.