Sensei and Sensibility
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Some Things are Just Different
I arrived at work today to find all the second year teachers, dressed in suits and ties, huddling in the corner and whispering to each other. There was tension hanging in the air, and I felt helpless to interpret what was happening. I casually asked one of my teachers in the tea room. Here is the reason for the dressy clothes and the tension: S-sensei is sick. I felt my heart drop. Judging from the stress levels in the room, I was certain that S-Sensei must be lying in a hospital somewhere, near death. Not a week ago, she was doing tumbles and rolls in the teachers room, practicing for her teacher`s exam (they go through rigorous testing here before getting their licence - in all subjects including Gym, and most teachers fail a few times!). Perhaps she was in a car accident, I thought. I decided to clarify it with the helpful teacher in front of me.
It turns out that S-Sensei is sick from the stress of the tests. She is exhausted and sad, and can`t eat or sleep or anything. She has been trying to pass for the last 5 years, and the fear of failure has made her ill. Her doctor recommended that she take a week off work during the summer vacation to get healthy again.
The reactions of the other teachers seemed incongruous to me. It is summer vacation, the students aren`t around, S-Sensei isn`t needed, other than to pour tea for the Principal. Why is everyone nervous?
It turns out that the other teachers of the 2nd year classes, in a situation like this, have to have a meeting with the Principal on S-Sensei`s behalf to plead her case for her. They get scolded by the Principal for not looking after S-Sensei well enough, and for not making sure that she passes her exam. She is a Junior teacher, and they are her seniors and therefore, they are responsible for her.
Even though there is no sick-leave here (S-Sensei would have to take vacation days to be sick in any case), and even though she is not needed, the Principal could become enraged with the loss of face (on her behalf) caused by psychological illness, and refuse her leave, doctor -recommended or not. If the other teachers do not plead her case well enough, apologize for letting down the school enough, or other random things, S-Sensei could be permanently relieved of her duties. This is why there is tension in the air, and this is why all the other teachers have dressed up to show respect to the Principal.
I looked down at my tracksuit. I am dressed for today`s volleyball game and suddenly I feel embarrassed. Once again, no one told me that there was a reason to dress up today. The teachers finally gain admittance to the Principal`s office, bowing very low as they go in. Three hours later, they still haven`t come out. The rage within me is building alongside my anticipation.
I fail to comprehend. I cannot process this. If someone is sick, then she is sick. She hasn`t yet missed a day of work, and is forever doing kind things for everyone. She is wanting to take a week of her vacation time to get well, during a time when there aren`t even students around. I feel angry that a psychological illness would be interpreted as an embarassment. I feel sick to my stomach at thinking what life here will be like for the poor teacher when she does return. Her fellow teachers have been punished for her illness, and she will feel that she owes them. I do not understand, and I wish I knew the words to express how I feel about this in Japanese. There are many instances when I bite my tongue here, but I feel the need to speak out about this. All I can say is that I hope that my school`s administration is an exception and that other schools do not operate with these archaic views of mental illness in mind. Any thoughts? Please leave a comment below!
 Sabine . 12:00 AM . Comments
Thursday, August 22, 2002
The Minty Patch
I am sitting here at my desk, dazed and confused, and covered in minty patches. You have no idea what I am talking about, no doubt. Minty patches are white, sticky patches filled with a mentholatum jelly, and here, they use them for everything. I have 4 on me right now.
How did I find myself in this predicament? You may have heard that we in Asia have been inundated with typhoons recently. In parts of China, the flooding is so bad that they have declared a state of emergency. Here in Japan, there are no floods, only extreme fluctuations in temperature. A few days ago, it was about 40 degrees and the humidity was near 100 percent. One night, it became windy and the temperature dropped down to 10 degrees. Yesterday it was 33 degrees, and last night it was 10. Needless to say, I have been waking up in the middle of the night absolutely shivering. I go to bed in the heat, wearing just a t-shirt, and wake up at 3am to change into my flannels. Now, I have caught a cold.
I came into work today looking pale and feeling dizzy and achey. The school nurse took my temperature, asked me where I was sore, and proceeded to apply minty patches to various parts of my body. I have one on my forehead, one on my throat, one on my chest and one on my aching lower back. I am all tingly now.
You might think that I would have gotten a different response if I went to the doctor. Not so. A few months ago I twisted my knee falling down a mountain (don`t ask), but could not find a tensor bandage anywhere. So, I went to the doctor and found out that they don`t have tensor bandages here. I did, however, end up leaving with about 50 minty patches to put on my knee.
At the drug store, they have whole shelves of minty patches, for every ailment and for every part of the body.
Welcome to Japan, the land of the rising sun, kimono, raw fish, and minty patches...
Sabine . 7:05 AM . Comments
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Barnga
Today I played a simulation game with my students. Basically, the game itself is an educational experience, a "simulation game", and many ideas are expressed in the discussion afterwards. I could tell you all about the game, but it is a bit of a secret. If I was to tell you, I would have to kill you.
I love this game, Barnga. It is really good at teaching about inter-cultural communication. I just facilitated it at the prefectural orientation with about 40 foreigners, and the discussion afterwards was awesome.
Which is why I had trouble understanding why I was having do much difficulty generating discussion from my Japanese students today. I finally asked my teacher what was going on. She was absolutely fascinated with this game and the teaching style. She had never seen anything like it before. She was shocked by the level of responses the students were giving and I, in turn was shocked that she was shocked. Surely she sees that the students are barely participating in the discussion - they must have hated the game!
It was then that I learned about the largest difference between the Canadian and Japanese education systems: No one here had ever heard of a group discussion or of brainstorming! AHA! No wonder they were having problems! I altered the discussion a bit, to involve small groups (safer) with one representative speaking for each one. They started to explore the game. We had time left over, so then I turned the discussion around to focus on the topic of the differences between the Japanese and the Western philosopies of education. They told me that in the Japanese classroom, the teacher talks and the students listen and write. They must memorize the teacher`s words at home after class. If they do not understand something, then they have to figure it out on their own or attend cram school (night classes). They come away from school in Japan knowing a lot of things, but not necessarily being able to use them.
They were interested in the "Western" way. They felt empowered, like they had it within themselves to educate themselves. They felt supported, and that they could develop at their own pace. They felt that the group was still respected, but so were their own personal opinions. They felt like humans, like they mattered. They felt capable and intelligent.
This was very interesting for me. Surely, the Japanese system is known for producing very knowledgeable students! I presented that to them. They thought that it was true, that Japanese students were very knowledgeable, especially in math and science. But they thought that the passive learning style would make them to dependant on someone to always tell them what to think and do. They wished that they could be more outgoing and imaginative, they wished that their intelligence could have value before they graduate from university. They got very excited during this discussion.
We explored the body language of the teacher. They were aghast when I leaned on the desk at the front, squatted down, or sat on the desk. I explained that when I am standing above them, I have all the power - they must look up at me. When I sit down, or lean, then we are on the same level and I want their input. The casualness of walking around is used to generate questions and discussions. I explained to them that many times, teachers back home see themselves as being more like facilitators than instructors. Then I put up on the board Socrates` " A pupil should be a candle one lights, not a jug one fills" and had them brainstorm what the meaning of that is. Their hands were finally flying up left, right, and centre.
I was never more proud of a group of people in my life. Our motto for this trip is "Be Brave", and this group of students certainly is. They dared to look beyond the borders of the world their parents, teachers and government created for them. Suddenly, they knew that the world was open for exploring without judgement. They were exploring both the pros and the cons of their own education system, and of an educational system elsewhere. They were not learning facts, they were learning how to be alive, contributing citizens. I can only hope that a couple of them will apply this knowledge later on. As for my part, I have lit the candle. Only time will tell what will become of the flame.
Sabine . 12:18 AM . Comments
Monday, August 19, 2002
Taking it For the Team
Hmmm. Before I left for Japan, someone told me I was a "Grassroots Diplomat". The weight behind these words was enormous. I was heading off to the back woods of Japan to help educate people on the world beyond the ocean. Everything I was to do in Japan would reflect upon this world, and for a time, I took my responsibility seriously.
However, after a while I loosened up and started to be myself. I forgot that others would look at what I did or said and make generalizations from this.
Fast forward 376 days. I am at our prefectural (state-wide, or province-wide) orientation for new teachers. The gentleman running it is kind and fun, but he has high hopes for us. The new English teachers have arrived, and he feels the responsibility of his job: to train us all, and hope that we are perceived in the best possible light by the residents of this country. So, here we are, about 130 foreigners in a residential Teacher`s Training Institute. We are listening to speeches and going to workshops for the greater portion of the day. 99% of us have only been in the country for a week or two, mostly without seeing another foreign face. We need to bond, to get to know each other, to develop alliances with fellow country-people. We need to kick back with a beer and try to make sense of our experience. However, the neighbours hate us being here - they see us as being loud and obnoxious (Yashiro, the town it is held in, has absolutely no social scene, and the locals couldn`t possibly begin to understand our excitement). Our fearless leader, X-Sensei, understood this, but to save face he was trying to keep our excitement under control by enforcing a 10pm curfew (by sending us to bed at 9:30). Never underestimate 130 drunken foreigners though.
On the last night, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan. We would ply X-Sensei with alcohol, thus loosening him up so that we could enjoy ourselves. Everyone was supportive of this plan, especially my friend Mr. Tequila. The lemons were cut up, the salt shaker was located. We went off in search of our prey. We explained the rules of the body shot - one finds a willing partner who offers up a place on his/her body on which to sprinkle salt. Then, the drinker licks the salt off the body part, sucks back the tequila, and grabs the lemon wedge from the mouth of the volunteer. No one was willing to step forward to be X-sensei`s volunteer, so I offered up my wrist as the first victim. Soon people were offering up their necks and arms and such. We decided to demonstrate how far some people were willing to go. Mr Tequila was an excellent facilitator of the lesson, putting us at ease with our risky behaviour immediately. One man offered up his nipples to a lady. The scene was quite steamy, but was quickly followed by a handshake and a pat on the back: it was obvious that they were just friends putting on a show. X-Sensei was enthralled.
More beer was poured, the tequila being long finished. Vodka was brought out and the drinking and singing and dancing had resumed full force. It was 11pm - the plan had succeeded. Someone thought to teach us all how to Salsa Dance, and I volunteered to partner the unsuspecting Sensei. We coined the phrase "Taking it for the Team" whenever anyone would volunteer themselves to our cause. There were many shouts of "Taking it for the Team" that night. The New Zealanders taught us the Haka, a Maori War dance used now by the national rugby team, and X-Sensei got right in there doing it with us. Previously, the English teachers found him to be strict and difficult, but as he loosened up, something strange happened: they saw him as a fun human with whom they could relate. This energy feeds on itself though. As he was having more fun, they felt that they could also have fun. The energy was building up as the walls of formality were crumbling down. None of us were prepared for what happened next though.
It was a hot evening. The girls were sweltering in tank tops and shorts, and many of the guys had taken their shirts off. It was nearing midnight and everyone had been drinking pretty hard by this point. X-Sensei decided that he would try to send everyone to bed, but the reality is that he was having fun and wanted to continue the party. Slowly, he walked up the stairs. There was a teacher standing near the top of the staircase, enjoying a cigarette. He is a tall bloke from somewhere in the south of the US, and he speaks with a bit of a drawl. With his shirt off, he could have been a manual labourer at some point. This was the first person X-Sensei encountered on his way up stairs. Feeling like continuing the party, and forgetting about strictness, X-Sensei proceeded to shake his booty and do a little dance in front of the American guy. Suddenly, X-sensei leaned in to the American, licked his nipple, giggled, and ran off.
I think the American guy is still standing there at the top of the stairs, in shock. He "Took one for the Team". Perhaps I should call 119, and perhaps I will - after my hangover abates.
X-Sensei was running around like a kid in a candy store, for he had discovered the secret of developping positive relations with Western people. In his heart and mind, I think that he is convinced that we forge bonds with each other by licking each other`s nipples while drunk.
I, for my part, feel a bit guilty. The party was great - too great, as we have pretty much been kicked out of that location for next year. By bringing along my friend, Mr Tequila, I encouraged a lot of people to step out of their comfort zones into a bit of a dangerous realm. To my benefit, you can lead a horse to water, but you can`t make him drink. I feel like I have failed at the grass-roots diplomacy thing. One town in Japan at least, will continue to think that all foreigners are hooligans (or in Japanese: Fooligans). Sigh.
And I have failed you, too. Please forgive me if, one day, a little cherubic Japanese man comes running up to you. Forgive me if he tears off your shirt and licks your nipple. Please, please forgive me, for he will not think that anything is wrong with what he does. He will merely be thinking that he is practicing his inter-cultural communication skills....
Sabine . 11:22 PM . Comments
Monday, August 05, 2002
Japanese Bureaucracy at its Best
It all started about 2 weeks ago. I got a fax in Japanese telling me that the law had now changed - as of June first, no one holding an International Driver`s Licence could drive after one year of residing in Japan. The law used to be that it was one year from your last point of entry into Japan, which meant that as long as you went home once a year, you`d be OK.
My teachers started to call around to get information for me, and all was looking well until they asked when my last BC Driver`s licence was. My old licence was due to expire while I was here in Japan, so I had gotten a new licence when I went home at Christmas. However, there is a law here that says that one must have been residing in one`s home country for three months after the issue date of one`s home country licence. One week of phone calling passed, and I was finally told that if I could get a licence record from Canada, I would be accepted to take the driving test. There is no such thing in Canada, though. After a few international and local phone calls, they were able to accept my driving abstract and a cover letter detailing every licence I had ever been given in British Columbia.
Next, I had to go to Himeji to get the "official" translation of my licence. Since the International Driver`s licence is supposed to be just that, I was confused. Soon, I realized that the "official" translation wouild cost me about $45 dollars and understood - it is about the money. I also needed to take a written and driving test (just like when I was 16). I calculated that it would take about three days. I had heard rumours that the driving test wasn`t on normal streets, like back home, but it was a privately run business. Hence, they fail everyone many times so that you give them more money. Or they will recommend to you some very expensive driving lessons.
In any case, my principal had decided that I would have to take vacation days. I was not impressed, as I need a car just to get to all the different schools at which I teach. My Board of Education eventually intervened and I finally didn`t have to take vacation days to get my licence.
So, I went to Himeji, an hour and a half away, to get the expensive translation done. It was a pretty piece of paper with my name and licence number on it. I also got a book in English on the rules of the road here in Japan - which of course cost money.
A few days later I went down to take the test. They only accept appointments between the hours of 9:30 and 10:30 on weekdays - one must get there early enough to get a place in line. Apparently they can only take up to 5 foreigners a day. So, I arrived at 8am and was the first in line. After waiting for an eternity, they were finally ready to see me. I was questioned on every aspect of everything. In my passport, I had stamps for my trip to Australia. The man said that that made it difficult, and asked me if I had ever travelled to any other places. I have no idea why. He wanted to know where the other copies of my passport were, since this was not my first passport. He was suspicious about why I even needed a passport before this trip to Japan. And, where were my other, expired Driver`s Licences? Why was my Date of Birth on my licence larger than on the sample he had in his 5-year old book? Can he photocopy my licence to tape to his book for the next time someone from BC came in? Forty minutes later, I was sent to the place to buy an "official" photograph for my application. Then I had to by a $35 stamp for my application. When I returned, I had to take the paper test. It was available in English - pretty bad English. However, I managed to get a perfect score. Next, I had to take the eye test. He wanted to test me both with and without my glasses. The results were that I am too blind to drive a car without my glasses, but I am completely able to drive a motorcycle without them. !?!
Next, I was shuffled off down to the basement to wait for another couple of hours. Here, I was handed a map of the course. I studied it as I ate my lunch.
At 1pm, all of us were shuffled outside to walk the course and memorize where we would be turning and such - there were 50 possible routes - I got number 18. Diligently, I walked around in the 30 plus temperature. All the foreigners were placed in the same group and we then had to wait for our examiner and our car. One is not allowed to use one`s own car. Instead, we have to use a large former taxi in which one feels like one is driving a tank. There was a woman before me, and I had to sit in the back while she took her test. Up we went, around the corners, through the traffic lights, down the fast street and through the merge. Then we had to navigate quick lane changes and finally we got to the most difficult part. Streets in Japan tend to be curvy and tiny, so they made a section of the course have some really tight s-curves and 90 degree turns. The roads were only maybe a foot wider than the car in total, and very short, so you had to do some immediate and tricky navigation. Apparently, it is impossible to do without repositioning or hitting the curb at least once - one is allowed to do it 3 times without failing. This poor woman - it was her third time doing the test - she got to the 90 degree turns, and ended up parked with two wheels on the curb - unable to move backwards or forwards. She was very upset, as she isn`t even 5 feet tall and she really can`t drive such a big car - her own car is a mini car and it suits her fine. But this is the test, and everyone must drive the beast! The examiner didn`t let her finish the course - she failed automatically. Next it was my turn. I had heard the examiner ream out another driver for taking the course too slowly - you must simulate natural driving conditions and go fast when you can, and slow when you must. I was very careful and had no problems. Then I got to the tight curves section, and went through without even bumping the tire on the curve. I did have to reposition myself once though. Finally I was out, and since he let me finish the course, I was super happy - I had aced the most difficult part! I was approaching the final turn into the waiting zone - there was a yield sign. I slowed right down, looked carefully and turned right (the equivalent of a left turn back home). The power steering was sensitive, so I ended up doing more of a tight turn than I normally would have, and went back to the waiting examinees.
The examiner looked at me and told me that I am an excellent driver. He said that he has no doubts that I am a really safe driver on the road and back home. I felt proud - maybe I would be lucky enough to pass on the first try! Then he told me that I wobbled on the last turn so he would have to fail me. He said that maybe in America, one can wobble on the roads, but that is not allowed here in Japan. I was a bit upset, and unsure quite what he meant by "wobble". I assume it was on that last turn, when I didn`t execute it quite wide enough. This is fine, I thought, but don`t tell me that I am an excellent driver and then fail me! I have been driving for 11 years, one of those in Japan. No, he wouldn`t hear it. I had failed. He felt personally responsible for our well being on the road, and every time anyone had a fatal accident, he felt nauseous and thought to himself that he should have failed that person. They take their jobs very seriously here, I thought. So, I went in and paid my fee, and got an appointment to go in and pay my fee again the next week. Ironically, I hopped into my car and drove home, as my International Driver`s License is still valid until I`ve been here exactly a year. I waved at my examiner and shouted to him "See you next week!"
Next time, I promise you I will not "wobble"...
Sabine . 12:40 AM . Comments
Sunday, August 04, 2002
Mushi Here, Mushi There, Mushi, Mushi, Everywhere!
For those of you not in the know, "mushi" is Japanese for "bug". I tell you, there are LOTS, of bugs here. Now I am no stranger to bugs, not after having spent a total of 8 months in Australia, but here, they only have a short season for bug growing, and these critters tend to come out with a certain ferocity that I haven`t witnessed elsewhere.
First there are the spiders. These tend to take over every outdoor nook and cranny. Most of them are OK - they know their place is waaay up high away from my curly hair. But there are the few cheeky ones who like to dangle just above my head - this genus tends to be big and hairy and loves to dwell in the space directly above my door. There was the one spider who, unbeknownst to me, liked to hide at my kominkan (community centre) in the hood of the squat toilets. One day, just before I was to teach my adult class, I went to attend to nature`s call. I squatted down, careful as always to hold my pants away from the line of fire, and proceeded to do my business. I don`t like squat toilets - there is always the risk of peeing on oneself. Spiders evidently don`t like to be peed upon either. As I was in this compromising situation, the sudden splash must have surprised this spider, causing him to take flight from his hiding place. He was about the size of a saucer and very hairy (oddly, he looked just like the Australian Huntsman spider), and he came running right up through my precariously perched legs and started to take flight by running in circles around the narrow cubicle. I also decided to take flight and was forced to frantically stop mid-stream, try to pull up my pants, open the door and get out of there - all without stepping into the toilet. Somehow, I managed to do just that, all the while politely shrieking my head off. The males in my class (one, a man I teach with and the other an older man) came running, just in time to see me holding up my unzipped pants and running in my toilet slippers screaming through the lobby. Shinano sensei, my hero, came to the rescue, and removed the offending spider with none other than a piece of toilet paper. He admitted later that, though it wasn`t a poisonous spider, it was quite large.
Then there is my kitten. Well, the kitten I am cat-sitting at least. He loves to chomp on the beetles that are everywhere - big, toonie-sized (for non-canucks - two dollar coin) horned beasts which tend to crunch loudly when he eats them. Poor things - the kids here keep them as pets! He also loves Kamemushi (turtle bugs). To the un-initiated, these look pretty harmless - they are small and dumb and docile, though they have a tendency to get caught in my curly hair. Poor kitten! He bit into one and jumped 10 feet into the air, clear across my kitchen and living room! You see, these bugs are stink bugs. It was difficult for me to forgive the poor kitten, for my kitchen still smells one week later of the stupid bug. However, watching him spend about 2 hours gagging and drinking from his water dish had me giggling too hard to reprimand him.
Here in Japan, we also have the most fascinatingly large cockroaches - of the same genus as is found in Australia. Annoying though they are, I really don`t have any fear of them. These are perhaps the most creative of all the Japanese mushi though. As I was having dinner in my apartment with a friend one night, one gokiburi (cockroach) came running from out of my stove fan, skittled across the ceiling, stopped, and performed a nose dive clear into my wine glass sitting on the table below! I was laughing too hard to care that I now had red wine stains all over my pants... I decided that the most humane thing to do would be to let him drown in wine. If only we could all die that way, in a lovely pool of chianti!
Now for the piece de resistance though...the mukade. You perhaps have already read the mukade story on this site, so you know that they are large, poisonous centipedes. Two nights ago, I dropped off one of the new English teachers at her house. I heard a kafuffle coming from the kitchen, where the poor inexperienced girl was nudging one of these mukade across the floor wit her sandaled foot. I shouted "STOP!" and she looked at me puzzled. It turns out that she thought it was a kind of grasshopper (?!) and had no idea of its danger. I calmly asked her if she had any bug spray. Nope. The only chemical that was in her house was dish detergent. Then I spotted a hammer on a shelf nearby. Slooowly I reached for it, never letting the mukade out of my sight. I still didn`t want to alarm the poor girl. I stretched.....and could feel the hammer`s handle reach my fingertips. Gently I raised it, poised for action. I knew I only had one chance. BAM! smack down on top of the creature the hammer landed. Half of it was still squirming - BAM! BAM! BAM! (I`m sure her neighbours were wondering why there was hammering coming from her house at midnight). Rage filled my face, no doubt from my previous mukade encounters, and I mashed it into a pulp. The poor new teacher, Auggie (short for Augusta) looked on in horror. When I was finished, I gently explained to her that they are poisonous creatures, sometimes fatal, and I think she just about fainted - this was the third one she saw in her house in two days! I began to console her when I saw conspicuous movement coming from the sink. I told her not to go near the sink, in fact, not to move at all. I ran out to my car where I had the only weapon (other than the hammer, which still had mukade legs stuck to it) we possessed - a can of OFF mosquito repellant. I went back into the house, walked straight to the sink, and continued to dump half the can on the poor three-inch long cockroach which was hiding there. OFF worked surprisingly well - I usually use cockroach spray, and they are still twitching after a couple of hours after I spray them - this one was dead in under 30 seconds! Needless to say, poor Auggie was unconsolable. After staying with her for a while, I decided the best course of action was for me to leave her the can of OFF, my cell phone number, and a note in Japanese to her school asking them to please come and fumigate her house ASAP. I don`t know how much sleep she managed to get that night...
:)
Sabine . 11:35 PM . Comments
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