Today was the last day at the Elementary school where I work. In Japan, they finish around March and start the new school year in April after only a week for Spring Break. I've decided not to renew my contract since I really don't need the money like I did before (this was a part-time job btw), and my pay at my main job is set to increase this fiscal year.Plus, I have a lot of studying to do for GREs, Japanese, etc so I would rather have more than a few hours of free time. But even though I was stretched very thin and absolutely exhausted doing this job along with my others, I think it was a great experience. I DEFINATELY can say I learned what hard work was...but I think it was enough to make me realize that 15 hour days were not for me....
Teaching in an Elementary school was a wonderful experience, because it really made me remember alot about what I had forgotten was important to children. I suppose that in five years or so I'll be having my own, so it was good to work with all these kids and relate to them. I think it prepared me well for what's to come. Also, the Elementary school was a great experience in terms of learning about Japanese culture. Elementary school in Japan is very different from American elementary school in terms of the teaching style, values they instill, ceremonies, etc...though it's definately not a perfect system, I think I can say with confidence that I perfer the Japanese elementary school to the American ones in a number of ways, and I would be comfortable sending my kids there if they are born in Japan. It really feels like a big community, and I love the way each grade is encouraged to help out the others. In fact, while I couldn't name more than 3 people from Elementary school, in Japan, most people seem to introduce me to their friends saying, "This is my friend_______________. We went to the same elementary school!". I feel like in America, we tend to have friends more from high school or college.
There were a lot of different ceremonies and parties for the kids today and it's crazy to see how much everyone has grown. I taught over 700 kids, and I although I still feel much more like a big sister than a mother, I think this experience will be a very important one to help me make the transition.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Ran Ragged
I haven't uploaded this blog in months! I actually forgot about it while I was in the throws of working and everything.I just finished approving comments that have been on here since like...November? I'm so sorry!
I feel that ever since I've gotten to Okinawa I have not had a bit of "stablity"...it's one transition to another...I know that it's basically my fault. I actually feel that I have commitment issues...not necessarily relationship type ones, but in terms of working, living in a certain place etc...Change is stressful for me, but if it's not happening CONSTANTLY I feel like I'm in some sort of standstill and my life isn't progressing at all...does that make sense? I don't like stillness for whatever reason. So I (stupidly) decided to work 3 jobs....translating/radio, teaching and another part-time teaching. I enjoy all of the jobs to a certain extent I guess, but doing them all at once is running me ragged.There was a time when we really needed this extra income...new car, plane tickets, loans, etc...but now that everything has been paid off, I am really questioning my need to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I don't do well with silence, which makes me think I have some kind of psychological issues I need to work on. Anyway, I am having a hard time deciding which jobs I will drop since I will miss everyone so much...And for whatever reason, I feel like having so much free time makes me "lazy" in a way, as I have always done a lot at once, (jobs, club activities, etc) but I think I need to take more time to reflect on my life and the direction and I want it to go. To-ki is very supportive and tolerant of my craziness so I'm thankful for that.
All that to say, I've been busy...sorry for the LONG absence...and hopefully I will be more consistent with writing. I doubt it, but we'll see...And I'm writing this while I'm at work so I guess I really am addicted to doing two things at once.
I feel that ever since I've gotten to Okinawa I have not had a bit of "stablity"...it's one transition to another...I know that it's basically my fault. I actually feel that I have commitment issues...not necessarily relationship type ones, but in terms of working, living in a certain place etc...Change is stressful for me, but if it's not happening CONSTANTLY I feel like I'm in some sort of standstill and my life isn't progressing at all...does that make sense? I don't like stillness for whatever reason. So I (stupidly) decided to work 3 jobs....translating/radio, teaching and another part-time teaching. I enjoy all of the jobs to a certain extent I guess, but doing them all at once is running me ragged.There was a time when we really needed this extra income...new car, plane tickets, loans, etc...but now that everything has been paid off, I am really questioning my need to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I don't do well with silence, which makes me think I have some kind of psychological issues I need to work on. Anyway, I am having a hard time deciding which jobs I will drop since I will miss everyone so much...And for whatever reason, I feel like having so much free time makes me "lazy" in a way, as I have always done a lot at once, (jobs, club activities, etc) but I think I need to take more time to reflect on my life and the direction and I want it to go. To-ki is very supportive and tolerant of my craziness so I'm thankful for that.
All that to say, I've been busy...sorry for the LONG absence...and hopefully I will be more consistent with writing. I doubt it, but we'll see...And I'm writing this while I'm at work so I guess I really am addicted to doing two things at once.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Home Sweet Home
I'm currently on vacation at home which has given me some time to reflect on life. It's been about a year since I started living in Japan full time and as I've said before it's been pretty tough at times. I think just starting out as a young person and a young married couple in general is hard, so I guess I should keep that in mind too.
It's interesting how much can change in a year. Seems like BB creams and crazy short shorts have migrated from asia over to the states. I swear when I was working in the states last year people didn't dress like this. But I will say I just appreciate America so much ever since living there. I really hope everyone has a chance to travel abroad someday so they can get a renewed view of where they're from.
I love the variety of foods in America! I think Japan has better restaurants to be honest, but when it comes to frozen/instant foods, America is king. Some people might say that's nothing to be proud of but when you don't feel like cooking and your only microwave options are basically noodles and rice, your opinion changes. It's funny, when I walked through the airport in Tokyo, I was walking around forever to find something I wanted to eat. There were lots of designer goods and souvenir shops though. In America, it seemed like I couldn't go one minute without running into a food option. And on TV, there are so many more food commercials in America than in Japan. I feel like I'm constantly hungry over here.
Ahh how I missed it here. I don't HATE Japan, but it's become "the place I live". And anywhere that becomes "the place you live" rather than the "place you play" gets to be kind of "blah" after a while. So I'm happy to be back for this short bit of time.
It's the first time I've been away from To-Ki this long since we've been married though. That feels weird, but I think it also gives us a chance to miss each other, you know? I think every couple needs that once in a while. I'll be back in time for our first month anniversary though :) My, how time flies.
It's interesting how much can change in a year. Seems like BB creams and crazy short shorts have migrated from asia over to the states. I swear when I was working in the states last year people didn't dress like this. But I will say I just appreciate America so much ever since living there. I really hope everyone has a chance to travel abroad someday so they can get a renewed view of where they're from.
I love the variety of foods in America! I think Japan has better restaurants to be honest, but when it comes to frozen/instant foods, America is king. Some people might say that's nothing to be proud of but when you don't feel like cooking and your only microwave options are basically noodles and rice, your opinion changes. It's funny, when I walked through the airport in Tokyo, I was walking around forever to find something I wanted to eat. There were lots of designer goods and souvenir shops though. In America, it seemed like I couldn't go one minute without running into a food option. And on TV, there are so many more food commercials in America than in Japan. I feel like I'm constantly hungry over here.
Ahh how I missed it here. I don't HATE Japan, but it's become "the place I live". And anywhere that becomes "the place you live" rather than the "place you play" gets to be kind of "blah" after a while. So I'm happy to be back for this short bit of time.
It's the first time I've been away from To-Ki this long since we've been married though. That feels weird, but I think it also gives us a chance to miss each other, you know? I think every couple needs that once in a while. I'll be back in time for our first month anniversary though :) My, how time flies.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
It Can't Be Helped
Japan is somewhat infamous for the ridiculous levels of bureaucracy that seem to permeate many facets of work life. I never realized how very true this was until I started working at this Japanese school.
As I've mentioned, I have two jobs at the moment. Ironically, working in the office is not nearly as steeped in bureaucratic nonsense as the school where I teach.
When you are an AET/ALT at a public school, (at least in my case) you are essentially separate from the other teachers. So you don't have to go through all the things that they go through. Lately, I'm becoming good friends with the Music teacher there, and she tells me all about what she does. Essentially, there are the homeroom teachers and then everyone else. In Japan, the teachers don't get the summer vacation off. They are allowed to take 5 days off, but that's it (as opposed to the 10 days paid vacation I get and the month unpaid vacation I get in the summer). "What will you be doing all summer while the kids are gone?" I asked her. "Preparing for the second semester...and next year." she said.
This made absolutely no sense to me. For one, everyone makes lesson plans every week...so why would you spend the summer doing something you already do every week anyway? Also, the school year in Japan starts in April...not September. So they will have already had the same class for about 4 months...and you're telling me you have to be there for the whole month to prepare for the next 7? The other thing is, in Japan, the teachers move from school to school every 3-5 years. So...a good number of these teacher's won't even be at the school next year. Also, not only do the teachers change SCHOOLS regularly, but they also change grade levels EVERY YEAR. And when do they find out what school they're going to or what class they'll teach next year? THE MONTH BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS...How does this make any sense? How can you plan for next year when you don't know where you'll be (thus, you don't know the policies at that particular school), or when you don't know what you'll teach (because there is a HUGE difference between 1st grade and 6th grade...which are the grade levels in Japanese Elementary school).
So I asked her these questions...and she said, the truth is, they will basically just be sitting there from 7 to 5:30 everyday doing nothing, but pretending to be busy. Yeah...that makes a lot of sense. Why not just give the teachers the month off (or at least 2 weeks, or a half-work day or something) to help them feel refreshed and appreciated? That is just my American thinking though.
The other thing is, one of the 4th grade classes (There are 3) has two extremely misbehaved kids. These kids are not only majorly disruptive talking, walking around during class, and randomly leaving to roam the halls, but they also get physically violent with the other students at the drop of a hat. Sometimes, their homeroom teacher has something going on (an observation, a particularly difficult activity, etc) where she cannot handle them both being in the class, so one of the two goes to another 4th grade class. When the two are split up, it's so much better. While neither becomes a perfect little angel, without each's bad energy other to feed on, they pretty much leave the other kids alone and are much much more manageable. So, I suggested "Why don't they just split those two kids up?"
Everyone looked at me like I was the craziest person they had ever seen.
"It's already been decided. They are in 4-3 class" my music teacher explained.
"But the teacher is practically pulling her hair out everyday...other kids are getting hurt...and it all stops if those two aren't together." I shot back.
"Well...it's already been decided. It can't change. But next year they will be split up." she said.
"So...it's okay for the kids to go another 7 months feeling physically threatened and constantly disrupted during their class?" I asked, bewildered.
"Of course, it's not okay....but it's already been decided. It can't be helped" she said simply.
Does this make sense to anyone?
I don't want to disrespect cultural beliefs but it's just hard for me to wrap my head around these kinds of situations. Why not make things easier for everyone? This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. Now I know why my husband says he doesn't want to work for a traditional/big Japanese company. Trying to help when "it can't be helped" and being considered radical must be stifling for a lot of people here.
As I've mentioned, I have two jobs at the moment. Ironically, working in the office is not nearly as steeped in bureaucratic nonsense as the school where I teach.
When you are an AET/ALT at a public school, (at least in my case) you are essentially separate from the other teachers. So you don't have to go through all the things that they go through. Lately, I'm becoming good friends with the Music teacher there, and she tells me all about what she does. Essentially, there are the homeroom teachers and then everyone else. In Japan, the teachers don't get the summer vacation off. They are allowed to take 5 days off, but that's it (as opposed to the 10 days paid vacation I get and the month unpaid vacation I get in the summer). "What will you be doing all summer while the kids are gone?" I asked her. "Preparing for the second semester...and next year." she said.
This made absolutely no sense to me. For one, everyone makes lesson plans every week...so why would you spend the summer doing something you already do every week anyway? Also, the school year in Japan starts in April...not September. So they will have already had the same class for about 4 months...and you're telling me you have to be there for the whole month to prepare for the next 7? The other thing is, in Japan, the teachers move from school to school every 3-5 years. So...a good number of these teacher's won't even be at the school next year. Also, not only do the teachers change SCHOOLS regularly, but they also change grade levels EVERY YEAR. And when do they find out what school they're going to or what class they'll teach next year? THE MONTH BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS...How does this make any sense? How can you plan for next year when you don't know where you'll be (thus, you don't know the policies at that particular school), or when you don't know what you'll teach (because there is a HUGE difference between 1st grade and 6th grade...which are the grade levels in Japanese Elementary school).
So I asked her these questions...and she said, the truth is, they will basically just be sitting there from 7 to 5:30 everyday doing nothing, but pretending to be busy. Yeah...that makes a lot of sense. Why not just give the teachers the month off (or at least 2 weeks, or a half-work day or something) to help them feel refreshed and appreciated? That is just my American thinking though.
The other thing is, one of the 4th grade classes (There are 3) has two extremely misbehaved kids. These kids are not only majorly disruptive talking, walking around during class, and randomly leaving to roam the halls, but they also get physically violent with the other students at the drop of a hat. Sometimes, their homeroom teacher has something going on (an observation, a particularly difficult activity, etc) where she cannot handle them both being in the class, so one of the two goes to another 4th grade class. When the two are split up, it's so much better. While neither becomes a perfect little angel, without each's bad energy other to feed on, they pretty much leave the other kids alone and are much much more manageable. So, I suggested "Why don't they just split those two kids up?"
Everyone looked at me like I was the craziest person they had ever seen.
"It's already been decided. They are in 4-3 class" my music teacher explained.
"But the teacher is practically pulling her hair out everyday...other kids are getting hurt...and it all stops if those two aren't together." I shot back.
"Well...it's already been decided. It can't change. But next year they will be split up." she said.
"So...it's okay for the kids to go another 7 months feeling physically threatened and constantly disrupted during their class?" I asked, bewildered.
"Of course, it's not okay....but it's already been decided. It can't be helped" she said simply.
Does this make sense to anyone?
I don't want to disrespect cultural beliefs but it's just hard for me to wrap my head around these kinds of situations. Why not make things easier for everyone? This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. Now I know why my husband says he doesn't want to work for a traditional/big Japanese company. Trying to help when "it can't be helped" and being considered radical must be stifling for a lot of people here.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Help To-ki and I Win a Honeymoon!
Since I've written before about how To-Ki and I are still saving up for a marriage ceremony, you can probably guess that we haven't been on a proper honeymoon yet either...but we heard about this contest on Facebook and it's a long shot of course, but we thought we'd give it a try. If you have a facebook profile, please vote for To-Ki's page here: http://www.onthegotours.com/facebook/winatrip2/index.php?s=profile&u=1026657963
This would seriously be a dream come true, and we would be SO GRATEFUL if you all could vote for us! And of course we would share pictures, videos and movies of the trip if we were lucky enough to win!!!
Thank you!!!!
This would seriously be a dream come true, and we would be SO GRATEFUL if you all could vote for us! And of course we would share pictures, videos and movies of the trip if we were lucky enough to win!!!
Thank you!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Poor Babies
Everyone is always asking To-Ki and I when we're going to have kids. It's so funny to me, because we are both so young. He's 25 and I'm 24...I never even thought I'd be married this early to be honest. But when I say "everyone" I mean the people in Okinawa...except for his mom and dad because they both know how poor we are :(
None of my friends and contacts in Tokyo ever ask me when I'm having babies. Actually, it's a well known fact that Japan's population is in generally in decline. The main exceptions are Tokyo and Okinawa prefectures. I haven't really looked into it that much, but I guess Tokyo's birthrate is pretty good for the basic reason that it has the largest population...so I guess it would have the largest population of married (and single) people, and and people giving birth (and not). In Okinawa, the joke is that's nothing to do here BUT make babies...which is kind of true. It's pretty boring here and there isn't much in the way of attractions except for the beach. It's changing I guess, but even Naha, the capital of the prefecture, is a ghost town compared to most wards in Tokyo. Okinawa is also really behind in terms of development; it seems like the minute a space is cleared out, all that ever gets built are inkan shops or convenient stores, neither of which are particularly useful for employing people in positions that would allow them to provide for their families. Okinawa is the poorest prefecture in all of Japan and to be honest, I don't see that changing soon. I've spent time in Tokyo and Okinawa and it seems to me that difference in priorities and among the average person seem to be worlds apart. Many grown men and women here not only work at supermarkets, bars, and as clerks in hotels, but they ASPIRE to it. Now, there's nothing wrong with providing for your family any way you can, with any honest job you can. But I will say that I have never met anyone in Tokyo who said it was their dream to work at a hotel..not OWN or MANAGE the hotel mind you, but simply work the front counter or be a bell hop. Of course Okinawa has it's doctors, lawyers, engineers etc...but it seems to be a very small, very elite circle of people occupying those highbrow jobs here. Anyway, I guess there is far more pressure in mainland to focus on a career rather than babies whereas I really feel the opposite is true sometimes.
I wish I could say that I could see Okinawa getting better in terms of economics in the near future, but I really don't see that happening at all, especially since Japan as a whole is on a steep economic decline. Anyway, I know I can't stay here much longer-the opportunities for the future are just so limited. And if we do have kids someday, I will let them be their own person, but I will be hoping really really hard that they dream bigger than working the night shift at Family Mart.
None of my friends and contacts in Tokyo ever ask me when I'm having babies. Actually, it's a well known fact that Japan's population is in generally in decline. The main exceptions are Tokyo and Okinawa prefectures. I haven't really looked into it that much, but I guess Tokyo's birthrate is pretty good for the basic reason that it has the largest population...so I guess it would have the largest population of married (and single) people, and and people giving birth (and not). In Okinawa, the joke is that's nothing to do here BUT make babies...which is kind of true. It's pretty boring here and there isn't much in the way of attractions except for the beach. It's changing I guess, but even Naha, the capital of the prefecture, is a ghost town compared to most wards in Tokyo. Okinawa is also really behind in terms of development; it seems like the minute a space is cleared out, all that ever gets built are inkan shops or convenient stores, neither of which are particularly useful for employing people in positions that would allow them to provide for their families. Okinawa is the poorest prefecture in all of Japan and to be honest, I don't see that changing soon. I've spent time in Tokyo and Okinawa and it seems to me that difference in priorities and among the average person seem to be worlds apart. Many grown men and women here not only work at supermarkets, bars, and as clerks in hotels, but they ASPIRE to it. Now, there's nothing wrong with providing for your family any way you can, with any honest job you can. But I will say that I have never met anyone in Tokyo who said it was their dream to work at a hotel..not OWN or MANAGE the hotel mind you, but simply work the front counter or be a bell hop. Of course Okinawa has it's doctors, lawyers, engineers etc...but it seems to be a very small, very elite circle of people occupying those highbrow jobs here. Anyway, I guess there is far more pressure in mainland to focus on a career rather than babies whereas I really feel the opposite is true sometimes.
I wish I could say that I could see Okinawa getting better in terms of economics in the near future, but I really don't see that happening at all, especially since Japan as a whole is on a steep economic decline. Anyway, I know I can't stay here much longer-the opportunities for the future are just so limited. And if we do have kids someday, I will let them be their own person, but I will be hoping really really hard that they dream bigger than working the night shift at Family Mart.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Rant on Work Privacy
It's said that people in Japan really value their privacy. For some reason though, it seems like my bosses in Japan don't value mine.
At my first job (which was absolutely HORRIFIC, but that's a story for another day...) people from my company would randomly come into my house when I wasn't there, just to drop something off. And if I was there, they wouldn't even knock on the door! They'd just let themselves in...it was very irritating and I really can't imagine this would be normal behavior ANYWHERE let alone Japan. So for those of you looking to come here, be wary of company housing...people may have the key and you might end up working for psychos like I did...Luckily I was only there for 3 months or so before I bounced and came to Okinawa.
But even in Okinawa, I get a lot of nosy questions. Okinawa is really, really small so literally everyone seems to be connected in some way. My one job is connected to my old part-time job and is also connected my new part-time job. Every job I go to asks me where I'm working now, what I'm doing now etc...my question is, why does it matter as long as I'm at this job on time, and you have nothing to complain about?
I was especially irritated today when one of my jobs called me while I was at my other job telling them to call them. WHAT? Why would you leave a message at my job, when they knew I was obviously working at that time? Of course I'm not going to call you back...I'M WORKING! Plus, they found the number to that job on their own...it's not like I gave them the contact information. Stalker much?
The problem with working in Japan as a woman is that a lot of times, they don't understand the concept that women need to work a full-time job with benefits and whatever else...even though there more and more households with 2 workers, it is still widely assumed that the women's income is just a secondary, non-essential thing used for fun things like trips, frivolous purchases and what-not. But what about single women? Oh, it's the same thing. They stay with their parents who provide most things for them until they get married and then it's back to the husband to do all of the heavy duty provision. However, since I have my own student loans to pay, a car (a necessity in Okinawa) I need to save for, moving costs, and a million other things, obviously, my situation isn't like that. And even if it was, so what? Whatever happened to equal work, equal pay? Japan is still light years behind the States in that respect.
I'm not a doctor-I'm not on call! If they wanted me to be at their beck and call, they should give me a higher salary and better benefits...so I DON'T have to work somewhere else!
I have tried explaining that concept to them on more than one occasion but it doesn't seem to register. This is one of those occasions where definitely feel a disconnect in cultures when it comes to this point. I understand that Japanese working culture is a lot more rigorous and demanding than it's American counterpart but sorry-without full-time pay, you won't get full-time (ie extra) work out of me. END OF STORY.
At my first job (which was absolutely HORRIFIC, but that's a story for another day...) people from my company would randomly come into my house when I wasn't there, just to drop something off. And if I was there, they wouldn't even knock on the door! They'd just let themselves in...it was very irritating and I really can't imagine this would be normal behavior ANYWHERE let alone Japan. So for those of you looking to come here, be wary of company housing...people may have the key and you might end up working for psychos like I did...Luckily I was only there for 3 months or so before I bounced and came to Okinawa.
But even in Okinawa, I get a lot of nosy questions. Okinawa is really, really small so literally everyone seems to be connected in some way. My one job is connected to my old part-time job and is also connected my new part-time job. Every job I go to asks me where I'm working now, what I'm doing now etc...my question is, why does it matter as long as I'm at this job on time, and you have nothing to complain about?
I was especially irritated today when one of my jobs called me while I was at my other job telling them to call them. WHAT? Why would you leave a message at my job, when they knew I was obviously working at that time? Of course I'm not going to call you back...I'M WORKING! Plus, they found the number to that job on their own...it's not like I gave them the contact information. Stalker much?
The problem with working in Japan as a woman is that a lot of times, they don't understand the concept that women need to work a full-time job with benefits and whatever else...even though there more and more households with 2 workers, it is still widely assumed that the women's income is just a secondary, non-essential thing used for fun things like trips, frivolous purchases and what-not. But what about single women? Oh, it's the same thing. They stay with their parents who provide most things for them until they get married and then it's back to the husband to do all of the heavy duty provision. However, since I have my own student loans to pay, a car (a necessity in Okinawa) I need to save for, moving costs, and a million other things, obviously, my situation isn't like that. And even if it was, so what? Whatever happened to equal work, equal pay? Japan is still light years behind the States in that respect.
I'm not a doctor-I'm not on call! If they wanted me to be at their beck and call, they should give me a higher salary and better benefits...so I DON'T have to work somewhere else!
I have tried explaining that concept to them on more than one occasion but it doesn't seem to register. This is one of those occasions where definitely feel a disconnect in cultures when it comes to this point. I understand that Japanese working culture is a lot more rigorous and demanding than it's American counterpart but sorry-without full-time pay, you won't get full-time (ie extra) work out of me. END OF STORY.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)