This is me at work. 

Especially yesterday when I worked two hours of overtime and just couldn’t take it anymore.

No longer do I have to make 8 hour nonstop phone calls in Japanese, but instead I am given one translation project after the next.  Sometimes, I think my eyes will bleed in kanji characters.  My tears will spell out the word: 過労死

In America, overworking just isn’t a common thing.  One good aspect of America.  Here, however, the work is too much and the deadline is too fast. 

To top it off, I had to work during the weekend thanks to the National Holiday.  One day I’m going to march up to Hujintao and say: “Why do you make us work to ‘make up’ for a holiday?  Please don’t make us work so hard.  Pretty please?”

I saw this article on Yahoo! News the other day.  The picture that says it all about a Japanese train.  What’s even worse, however, is that Japan condones–even praises–this obvious display of exhaustion.  It’s this kind of mindset that really drives me batshit about Japan.  The title reads,

“Being tired is the proof that we are working hard everyday.”

Wha. 

“In other words, the accumulation of fatigue from work has a bad effect on the body.  Wtihout forgetting this reflection from our heart and bodies, let us try our best and get over this summer.”

I understand their mindset.  Instead of complaining, whining, expressing their dissatisfaction with life and work–they want to appear honorable and hard working, giving their best despite the obstacles, despite the fatigue, despite all the work.  That is the Japanese way.

Now here’s the Chinese way.

This picture is a bit old, but it’s from the 90th anniversary of communism here in China.  If you don’t know what QQ is, it’s like the “MSN messenger” of China.  Everyone here uses QQ to chat and communicate.  It’s a way of life. 

Seeing a huge sickle and hammer punch me in the face during the log in screen helped remind me that, well, I live in communist China.

God my life is crazy.