Self Introductions

Now that I am doing it in another language, I am realizing that "self-introductions" are my least favourite display required of people almost everywhere. I don't like them, in English or otherwise. I was put on the spot to do one today at a barbecue, as one of the first to do so...so I didn't really have a model or a feel yet on what I was supposed to say to this group of fellow internationals. I mentioned that my name was Adam, and that I was from America, and that I was a learner of teaching English. I thanked them and bowed. Then afterwards, I was told by some girls (mostly by their looks) that they thought my introduction was "cute" in whatever language was convenient.

One problem was that I also received this from a young man from China. He told me in clear Japanese that I my introduction was cute, then he discretely winked at me and walked off. The funny things is, he started talking to me a few days ago at commencement, and he was mostly talking to me but more or less facing Trang-chan. She's a charmer, so it seemed pretty obvious to me what he was looking for. His general body language was speaking to his effects too, but only because I was paying alot of attention to him. After all, he seemed like a nice guy and seemed quite interested in my friend Trang. What I figured was, he was interested in her, and that he was trying not to be obvious (it is Japan after all), and was befriending me to, you know, have a sort of...liaison? Not sure what the term is in English. So I'm up for helping her get a nice, attractive, well-mannered young man, so I was going along with it.

You generally go through other people for any romantic relationship in Japan, marriage or otherwise...there is usually a "connector" often 2 parties, male and female, consisting of one or more people each. But...now that I have heard that comment from him about me being cute and getting a wink from him, I'm starting to think he WASN'T using a middle person...I was the target! Hahaha. I may now understand how he has such a strong fashion sense. How awkward. And I see him all the time, too. It's a small campus after all.

The strangest of all things is this:

I tend to get more "looks" and friendly communications from women (and men) in Japan when I am clean shaven, generally. I haven't even so much as trimmed my beard in long over a week, I don't do anything with my long, thick hair which is typically a mess, and now, as it gets more and more unruly, I'm getting alot MORE comments about my attractiveness. Maybe because I'm thinking about Brandy so much? It may be reflecting on the outside. In any case, I NEVER expected that the unruly beard would actually be making me cuter at some point. Oh well. I guess the "wild man" look may not be in popular opinion, but apparently it is still popular! Now I just gotta find the balance of "sure I wanna be your friend" and "No, I'm not looking" at the same time!