Happy holidays from Japan!
Although it has been a lengthy process, at last, I am almost feeling settled. My room is about the size of a dorm room, which actually has worked out very well. I’m next to the train tracks and trains pass every three minutes, but unlike an Oregon train that shakes everything around and warns of its approach by blowing a tremendous horn, the trains here make no more than a whooshing sound. At the end of January I will have internet in my apartment and soon after will likely be able to post some pictures and/or a video tour of my apartment. I will also likely be able to be faster with email correspondence.
Overall, I am enjoying work very much. The only full-time staff at the school is the manager, assistant manager, head teacher (all Japanese), me and the other foreign teacher. The other foreign teacher is from Australia and because he and I started at the same time, we are able to have a genuine, open friendship and empathize with each other. The manager is intelligent and serious about her job, but simultaneously vivacious and playful. Everyone at the school loves to laugh and it is a pleasure to work with such people. Also, I am fortunately no longer putting in 14-hour days to prepare for lessons. Hooray!
My students range in age from 18-75 and are mostly working professionals, students, and housewives. I have five private lessons each week and many classes often become private lessons because of no-shows and called-in absences. I especially enjoy these private lessons because they enable me to help the student to the maximum extent possible. When chatting with trainers I’ve mentioned this and they often reply that they felt the same way at first, although they later realized that because group lessons are more streamlined, they take less effort to teach. Perhaps I will feel the same way later, but as for now, I’m happy to put in more brainpower. I feel that I’m not here to be a teaching robot, but rather that I took this job because it would be stimulating.
The location of my school is incredible. My classroom window looks down onto the busiest crosswalk on earth – the Shibuya crosswalk. For me, this is a very welcome change from my small-city roots. Any time I have a “problem” I remind myself about how blessed I feel to be here.
Japan is really a drinking culture. When I leave work at ~9:30pm, every night I dodge drunken businessmen and women stumbling to the train as their co-workers hold them upright. I asked a part-time Japanese co-worker what he is doing for the vacation (which I’m on right now) and he replied with a big smile, “No plans really, maybe just drinking every night.” In America, I would try to enroll this person in AA! Here, however, it is just standard.
On a related note, two weeks ago the school threw a party to welcome me and the other new teacher and send off the departing foreign teachers. The party was held at a nearby Ezekiah (Japanese style bar where people sit on the floor with no shoes at long tables). It was quite a raucous event. Approximately 50 students came and we filled a very large room. The school organized two hours of all you can eat (but not buffet style - food selections are brought to the table for sharing) and all you can drink (very common here) service. It is interesting to me that, on paper, the school stresses, “The students are NOT your friends!” but in reality facilitates big drinking and bonding bashes. Isn’t that called enabling? I do realize, however, that in spite of such events, there is a professional relationship to maintain. The party was very fun and afterwards six students, the Australian teacher and I sang in a karaoke booth for an hour before heading home.
In other news, technology here is quite advanced. My free, base-model cell phone has an infrared transmitter and barcode reader. Iphone SCHMIphone! Speaking of news – what is happening in the world? I haven’t seen/heard any English news in over a month…
I have approximately a week of vacation right now and am on an active campaign to make friends. Whereas in Israel and Egypt, where I had instant community through roommates and classmates, here I am living alone. Thankfully there are about four people I know here from Oregon (both Japanese and American – language exchange partners and other friends), but that is it. I could hang out with co-trainees more often, but it’s just as well that I don’t so that I can make Japanese friends, become more immersed in the culture and improve my Japanese skills (which are quite minimal at the moment).
When reaching out to people, the language barrier can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s a curse because I simply can’t communicate effectively with many people. It’s a blessing, however, because it creates an opportunity to reach out. Asking Japanese questions on the train or elsewhere is an opportunity to friends. I even encourage my American friends to continue texting me in Japanese so that I can learn more Japanese and ask people questions on the trains. I’m finding that but once I break the ice, people usually warm up right away!
The area where I live, Shin-Maruko, is smaller and the activities and number of young people is limited. I, therefore, am very proud of myself for making a friend here two days ago. At about 12:30 a.m. after returning from some shopping in the city, I picked up some groceries and left the store at the same time as another gentleman. I asked him to help me read the information on a Salsa flier I picked up and we then walked and talked for a bit. He was on his way to a friends place and although it was late and I was tired, I decided that it was an opportunity not to be missed, so I joined them. We hung out at the apartment until about 3:30am and now I have my first friends in Shin-Maruko. Hooray! It’s interesting for me to think that because I’m in such a formative stage right now, any one interaction, such as the one at the grocery store, might significantly alter the path of my entire year here.
Wishing all the best for the holidays.
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