Here or There?

I am now back in Japan after having been back in Winnipeg for two weeks during the winter break. The day after getting back to my little town of Shimizu, I had to go back to work. Not a lot of time to adjust back to things, yet not a big problem either. As students are still on holidays for another two weeks, I really don’t have a lot to do. Teachers are asked to stay at school during the holidays unless they want to take a paid leave. As I have already used up all but three days of paid holidays on my month long trip to South Asia this past summer, and two weeks in Winnipeg for the winter holidays, I have no choice but to stay put for a while. The first day back consisted of sitting at my desk, reading, listening to music, and staring at the wall. The next day was a little more eventful. One of the teachers that I teach with came back from his holiday also, and had told the students in the karate club, which he is in charge of, to come to school that morning. I have been part of the karate club for about a year-and-a-half now, and always have a good time talking with as well as bothering the students. All the students that are in any club activity, that being hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, ping-pong etc, are asked to come to school during their holidays and practice. Not much of a holiday I say. This particular club had to be at school by 9 o’clock and was asked to practice for three hours. This was a really good chance to get out of the office for a bit and socialize with the students again. I definitely feel more productive than just sitting in the office watching dried paint peel.
• That afternoon, the same teacher approached me with the question that I had prolonged to answer until after the holidays. He asked me if I was going to re-contract and stay another year in Japan. As I have been thinking about this question a lot, and wanted to go home and visit my family before answering this question, which I had just done, I felt it was time to give him an answer.
• In the two weeks that I was back in Winnipeg, I already began to miss life in Hokkaido. Although it felt really great being back at home with friends and family who I had missed a lot (a feeling that really grows after being away from home for a long time), I felt that I would really regret leaving my current position if I left at the end of my contract this coming summer. At the moment, I feel pretty established here with friends, a good job, sustainable lifestyle, and an environment which I can thrive in. From the snow-powdery mountains in the winter, perfect for snowboarding, skiing, and other winter related recreational sports, to the relatively deserted and well paved country roads, ideal for cycling in the summer and exploring surrounding areas, Hokkaido is a place that really caters to my outdoor needs.
• That being said, one challenge that continues are the many misunderstandings and difficulties that come with a language barrier. One thing that really felt refreshing when being back in Canada, is how easy it was talking with people, and being able to overhear and understand what groups of people in a coffee shop or on the bus for example, were saying. At times, I would rather not have understood, but I didn’t realize how much I missed being able to hear and understand what was going on around me, as well as being able to respond without having to really search my brain for the right words. I have always enjoyed the challenge of trying to speak in another language, and attempt to have full conversations with people. Its always interesting to discover more about a culture through a language. Since coming back to Japan, I feel a bit frustrated with my level of Japanese. I had always felt that a lack of vocabulary doesn’t have to be a barrier in communicating with someone. There are so many different ways to get a point across other than just speaking. I never felt a lack of confidence in trying to communicate in my limited Japanese with people before, until now. Lately I feel really discouraged to talk with people in Japanese, and half expect them to use any English they know. I can still understand just as much as I could before, and could have the same sorts of conversations that I have always had, but perhaps in going back to Canada, and being able to articulate exactly what I want to say, I feel discouraged to say anything at all. My attitude now is unless I can express myself exactly how I might express myself in English, I don’t want to speak in Japanese. I know this is absolutely the wrong attitude, as this is exactly what I am trying to teach my students not to do. My goal now is to continue to study Japanese with my friend Eiko, who has been helping me for the last year or so now, and to be fine with the fact that I can’t always express myself how I might like. This is one challenge that makes life here in Japan interesting, and I think that if I would leave this summer, I would be giving up after working so hard in studying this language.
• There are many other reasons that play into my answer, which if you haven’t figured it out by now is “YES! I’m staying!”, but what really helped is my friends advice.
• While back in Winnipeg, I had the chance to meet with my friend Takashi, who is actually from Shimizu! but is now living in Winnipeg, and has been for the last 10 years or so. It was really good to talk with him and get his advice on what I might do. His advice as well as several of my friends back here in Japan, is the same, in that one more year really can’t hurt. I am only 24 years old, and really don’t feel like it would be setting me back from what I would like to do later on. More opportunities may even present themselves in the next year. Especially after talking with Takashi who has been living in Winnipeg for such a long time and braving some of the coldest winters in Southern Canada, and probably struggled a bit at the beginning with a language barrier, I feel silly for even mentioning that I have been meandering back and forth about whether to stay or not.
• I have heard from several people here that in Japan, if you have worked at the same place for at least three years, you have really tried. After that you can move on to the next thing knowing that you had really made the effort at your last place.
• Sitting in the office when there are no classes and getting frustrated with often being misunderstood is a small price to pay when there are so many good things here that I know I would miss if I left this summer.

Christmas Time!

So, after being away from home living in Japan for almost a year and a half now, I have finally gotten the chance to go back to Winnipeg for a few weeks to catch up with family and friends. I really didn’t want to miss another Christmas with my family, as I’ve already missed three from being overseas. This was my chance to reunite with everyone. This entry is meant as a way for me to remember this Christmas, and the little changes that I’ve noticed in either myself, or being able to recognize some of the peculiarities of the place that I’ve lived all my life that can only be observed when you are fully removed from your own culture, and fully immersed in another. These peculiarities or differences is perhaps a good place to start this journal.

I have been living as an expat in Japan now for almost one and a half years, and have really gotten to experience a lot, see a lot, and learn a lot. I feel that change can be so gradual sometimes that you sometimes forget or don’t recognize that it’s happening this very moment. That is until you remove yourself from all you know and return to it, oh lets say, a year and a half later… December 16th, 2010, I caught my flight out of Hokkaido and flew to Tokyo, where I was able to spend a good afternoon walking and shopping around Tokyos Akihabara district. This was a nice time of walking around and observing the very nerdy and gadgety part of the city. Tokyo; a nice contrast to the small town that I’m currently living in. What I found to be even more of a contrast though was arriving in Vancouver nine hours after leaving Tokyo. I am always surprised at the differences that I notice first coming back home after having spent time overseas. Depending on where you’ve been, how long you’ve been there, and what experiences you may have had, coming back to a familiar place will always feel a little different for each person I would say. What always shocks me when coming back to North America is how large people are in comparison to a lot of other places. One thing that really shocked me this time is people’s mannerisms. Coming from a country where people are extremely polite to those they don’t know and to their superiors, using extra formalities, and polite gestures, I was really surprised with my ticket taker at the airport. I was ready to catch my flight to Winnipeg, when I found out that someone had mixed up my seat number on the plane with someone else’s. The ticket taker began joking with me casually and the person handed me my ticket with a new seat number over their shoulder as we were talking. The first thing that I noticed was that there were no formalities to the interaction, no real polite phrases said, and no apologies for the mix up for the time taken to fix the mistake. In Japan, it would have gone sooo differently. Both ways are fine, but it was a bit of a surprise. I’ve now been back in Winnipeg for a little over a week, and can’t stop listening to the way people talk here, how they talk, what they talk about, and how people react to how the other person had said something. Perhaps the reason I’m so observant right now is because I haven’t heard people speaking this much English to one another outside of my circle of friends in Hokkaido. My first thought was, “Wow, people really sound rude and blunt when talking”. It looked like no one cared about their work, and it sounded like a lot of people had no problem talking about how their date went last night when their customers were clearly in earshot. My current impression of people here is that everyone seems really laid back, or casual, not only in how they speak to one another, but how some people here dress. It seems as though almost every person in Japan really goes all out to present themselves very well everyday. Not to say that people here are slobs, but there are a few people… This Christmas is to be extra special in that my younger sister Alexis is back from a year of living in Mozambique. It sounded like last years Christmas was a little bit lonely without my sister and me around to eat all the food and throw wrapping paper at everyone.

Really happy to be with family right now, and just see what I’m missing in Winnipeg (so far, it doesn’t look as though I’ve missed much). That being said, family, friends, cousins, have all gotten a little bit older, having kids, gotten married or plans of getting married. These changes remind me that the rest of the world sill refuses to stay still when I want to go on a long adventure. Is asking time to stop for a little bit such a big request? I am already looking forward to going back to Hokkaido, start snowboarding again, continue to study Japanese, and have more awkward/broken conversations with people. Speaking English alone is just not challenging. For the time being, I am completely content hanging around in Winnipeg, catching up with old friends, and making travel plans with my younger sister for this upcoming summer.

Traveling India and Nepal

(From July 21^st to August 19^th, I was given the time off to travel in and around India and Nepal. For this journal entry, I decided not to do a day-to-day description of what I did, but rather wrote something of a reflection piece, meant to capture my first impressions)

India is a chaotic, loud, overpopulated, polluted, stinky, beautiful, colorful, non-hygienic, graceful, forceful, cleaver, kind, manipulative, funny, problematic, diverse, and ancient country. A country of many peoples living and working alongside each other in a chaotic yet somehow manageable way. The cities are like any other large city, but without rules, where traffic gets from A to B by any means necessary. The horn is key in communication when trying to get anywhere on the roads in India. Police are, as you might expect, corrupt, and the roads are like a fine Swiss cheese. Cows meander the streets, kids push carts, families pile into rickshaws and Tuk-tuks and the day ends, only to start again the next morning. The summer sun beats down on the people, who push on, work hard, and do what they know in order to survive another day. By the late afternoons, people slow down, but push on to make that final sale, or to finish that project before the sun hides once more. The men are always present, always working, always talking, always standing, always waiting. The women with their subtle presence, yet shocking beauty, appear and disappear without a word. Silent yet beautiful. Who are they? Their scarves and saris flow with the subtle breeze. They disappear behind the brick walls that create the narrow alleyways where children play, men pee, dogs fight, rickshaws and carts with fruit and flowers squeeze through. The smell of burning trash fills the air, to be replaced with perfumes, fried samosas, and cooked vegetables. Kids cluster together, friends sit together, shopkeepers laugh together. Disagreements, frustrations, laughter, excitement, disappointment, enjoyment, exhaustion, irritation; a mind-boggling exhibition of emotions and activities.

We are all human. There are so many ways to live and to act. I feel that India shows it all, has seen it all, has lived it all, and continues to do what they know despite the conditions. Nothing is a surprise to the people of India and yet there is mystery to this country, through their history and daily routines. They understand the human experience and live it to its full potential in every sense of the word. They see and observe everything, and learn from it. Some of the children learn languages by listening to the tourists. There are places in India where a large amount of people are fluent in Japanese just from the Japanese tourists that visit that area. India forces the shyest people out of their shells and inspires the uninspired through the people, architecture, history and culture. If you get the chance to go to India, do. Go there, get sick, get exhausted, get annoyed, and get inspired. India is waiting.

Cross the boarder from India into Nepal and find a relaxed atmosphere of easygoing, smiling, and curious people. A country of unfortunate circumstances, but a host to some of the most dramatic scenery on earth. A landscape of astonishing and remarkable beauty, from the stair cut rice terraces to the snowcapped Himalayas. A country where some of the poorest people in the world reside. Nepal, like India, is teeming with history and culture. There are many different tribal groups and castes within Nepal. Nepalese is the national language that connects the people of the country, like Hindi in India. English is also studied, used as the International language.

Taking a local bus through the mountains is an experience in and of itself. The winding roads throw you off balance at every turn. You half anticipate the bus to fall off the edge, get a flat tire, or to collide with oncoming traffic. Locals crowd onto the bus with their packages, bags of rice, and traditional doko baskets. The school children finish classes and make their way home. Seeing foreigners on their bus must be quite a site. They laugh and ask questions with the most curious and excited expressions on their faces. The children of Nepal are around every corner, playing simple hand games, soccer, NEPAL (a form of freeze tag) climbing trees, and being kids. They are the life of Nepal.

Everyday, several times a day, unpredictable power outages occur for long hours, and people are forced to cope; cooking by candlelight, playing shadow puppet games on the walls, and families talking with one another. People have no choice but to live simple for several hours a day, without the common distraction of television. Although there are ways around having no electricity, the majority of people in Nepal can’t afford alternatives. Sometimes I wish we would have our power cut out once in a while, just to make things a little simpler. The Nepalese people work hard, and earn very little, even with the numerous tourists making their way through the country in order to experience the Himalayas. Despite the conditions of Nepal, the people are still able to smile through their suffering. They are some of the strongest and kindest people I’ve met.

The Nepalese people always jump at the chance for a good conversation and a cup of chai. Short interactions and first time meetings turn into hour-long conversations and an exchange of life stories. There is not a constant pushiness to the people as in many parts of India. Walk into any shop in Pokhara or Kathmandu with ease, knowing that you can get out alive without having to buy something. Nepal deserves more time than a couple of weeks, which is all I had time for. It is a part of the world which never ceases to stimulate the senses. Once you’ve tasted that Himalayan air…

Check out the photo’s from this trip here:

http://joeygoertz.smugmug.com/Travel/India/13553773_p4WFk#988017965_UfZ5k

Teach Me Something New!

I always find it fascinating how our environments shape us; how we adapt to new situations, new people, and new ideas.

Living here in Japan, I feel that I have taken on certain traits and ways of doing things, unconsciously. The way I respond to a question, or the way I communicate with people here feels quite different than how I might communicate with most people back home. Humor, interests, and awkward moments, do not always share the same interpretations to those in the West. North American humor rarely translates well here. Poop jokes for example are just not funny. Rather, little rubber poop mascots with smiley faces are put on the end of pencils and are seen as cute. Awkward moments definitely exist in Japan. Trying to talk with someone for an hour who has nothing to say in return might feel incredibly awkward, but people here, I feel, remember the meeting with that person, rather than acknowledging how awkward the meeting was. Ideas of beauty also contrast from the North American standard. A big birthmark on the face, and crooked teeth are not necessarily considered ugly, but rather gives the persons face character. What I’ve heard from others is that because the physical features of Japanese people are quite similar to one another, small things like crooked teeth or a larger nose sets them apart, and looks cute or unique. I have never gotten so many complements on my ‘golden’ arm hair, long eyelashes, and pointy nose. Small features like this are the envy in this country, and are often replicated (especially the long eyelashes). I’m yet to see arm hair implants.

As mentioned in previous journals, the ways of getting things done here can be one really big adjustment for people who have not lived in Japan. The Japanese people take very roundabout, passive approaches to get things done, and what you think should be a simple two-second answer to a simple question, can take ten minutes and a third, fourth or even fifth party for a premium, assuring, yet time consuming answer.

As I come to the end of my first year here in Japan without having left the country since I came, I wonder what strange traits I’ve developed in this time without my knowing. Will these new traits and ways of doing things come in handy in other places, or will they be criticized or even ostracized? To put some of these traits to the test, I will be heading out to South Asia this summer, spending two weeks in India, and an additional two weeks in Nepal. South Asia is a melting pot of cultures; religions, languages, dress, and customs, which, by the sounds of it, do not have too much overlap with Japanese culture. Again, I find myself being thrown into a new place in order to experience a new way of life. Traveling: What I like to think of as my mental exercise, used for stretching the mind and used as a reminder that there are many people on this earth, each with a different interpretation of it. I think once you begin to realize that, you begin to develop a lot more patience for different types of people.

I am really looking forward to this trip, but worried that Japan has softened me a bit. Japan, or at least the part that I’m living in, feels like one of the safest places that I’ve lived. It rarely feels like people are trying to rip you off or trying to get something from you. People here are generally quite honest and seem pretty understanding of one another. I feel that once I get off the plane in India, I will be a money target. I have met people in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Cuba that have been incredibly sly in getting what they want, and before I know it, I’m broke. I really need to teach myself how to say No to all its different forms. This will be my next exercise. I hope it won’t be too painful.

It’s a start…

Kids say the darndest things. As an English instructor / educator person, I’ve always been discouraged to laugh at students or wrong answers presented in class, but sometimes students come up with the most ridiculous responses, you just can’t help but laugh.

Two weeks ago was the new Japanese school year. With this new school year came a trainload of new faces and names, and teaching at four different high schools, that’s a lot of new names. Last week, I was giving my routine self-introduction of who I am and where I come from. Just for kicks, I decided to quiz the students on their geography, (hey, got to put that degree to some use) asking them if they knew where Canada ranked on the top five largest countries according to landmass. They all knew Russia was first, Canada was second, and China third. When it came to the fourth, one student answered Africa, and before I could stop myself, a very audible but short lived laugh squired out of my mouth, and into the ears of the eager to please students, including the one brave enough to answer my question. Perhaps not a huge deal, but I do want to be careful, especially teaching in what must be one of the world’s shyest countries.

Last week a similar, shall we say incident, occurred. Tominaga Sensei, one of the English teachers, and I just began our new oral communication class with a grand total of eight students. Last year was about 27. Eight is actually a great number for doing a conversation class, so I have no complaints so far. One of the students is a bit slower in his English capabilities than the rest of the students, so some of the answers that he has come up with have been quite, shall we say unique, but have helped add a nice easy going element to the class. Tominaga Sensei and I were going over some basic English expressions and phrases, and Tominaga had asked this student how you might respond to “goodbye”. Rather than saying, “See you again” he replied, “See you forever.” This had all the students in an uproar of laughter.

Another student this morning was trying to describe himself to me for whatever reason. Rather than calling himself hansom, he chose the words, “hyper nice face.” I had to leave the class.

These kinds of mistakes don’t only occur with students, but also with teachers. Several months ago, one of the English teachers at my main high school wanted to ask me a personal question in front of the class. Rather than asking, “Can I touch on (or ask) a question about your private life?” He asked, “Can I touch your private area?” I had to find the nearest wall to support myself from falling over with laughter. All the students were looking at me like I was crazy! Sometimes I wonder.

I really feel the misuse of English words in Japan has become a subculture in itself. This is characteristic of the many signs, labels and warnings written in broken English placed throughout Japan. Part of me feels a tinge of frustration, “Why can’t they just get some native speakers and have them correct all this misused English?” But then I remember that basically all language is, is a way to communicate with one another. Even in Japans most broken English, it’s not too difficult to figure out what those signs and labels are telling you. I really try to convey this idea to my students. When it comes to conversation, the main thing is to communicate, even if tenses are used incorrectly, or a couple of words are misused. When students realize this, I think they begin to see how enjoyable it is to communicate in other languages. One student in the 11^th grade and I had a pretty good broken conversation last week about hobbies and the like. The next day, Tominaga sensei came up to my desk and told me that this student was really excited to have been able to speak to me in English. So that’s encouraging.

Dear Joey

Some days are better than others, but when one of your students writes you a song, you know it’s been a good day.

For the last several months, me along with Tominaga Sensei, one of the English teachers at my main high school, have been teaching an after school English class for the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders. We’ve managed to harness a couple of students from our karate circle, some from the oral communication class, and a couple of others just genuinely interested in studying English. We began near to the end of this school year. The school year in Japan is actually quite different from North American schools. The school year ends at the end of March, and the 12^th grade students graduate at the beginning of the month. What’s really cool is that the 12^th graders in my class who’ve just graduated are still coming to school only for this after school English class we created. One student has to drive about 30 minutes to the train station, ride the train for 45 minutes, and walk from the station to the school in order to come to our one-hour English class. She’s managed to come every time, regardless of the weather. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is!

Today was the last day that the 12^th graders will be able to come. Next month they will all be heading off to their new universities. At the end of the class, Ryouta, one of my12^th grade students, approached me with a CD in hand labeled, “Dear Joey”. He wrote me a song! Everything in the song was played, sung and synthesized by him. Very talented young fella. I’ve just listened to it, and it has to be my favorite song of all time…. mainly because its about me J… Check it out! http://joeygoertz.smugmug.com/Videos/Life-in-Japan/11304144_P43ao#813911867_jWt3t-A-LB

Here are the lyrics:

Dear Joey…

What should I talk

about with you?

While smiling a little as always.

Hey Joey…

Lower the black glasses to a nose.

You always said jokes and made me laugh.

Do you remember the hometown where

Wind of Canada blows to today?

And you are filled with tears

to see the sky of the good old town.

Hey!! You’ll write a letter….

To dear Joey

Hi Joey…

A favorite red tie

becomes you.

And the yellow shirt is the best, too.

Ya Joey…

There are a lot of questions to you.

I seem to already say goodbye.

Thank you for a lot of Christmas presents.

I was very glad.

I don’t forget it forever…

As for time that I spend with you, was short,

But was very happy.

Hey!! Let’s go to meet right now…

To Mr. Joey

You want it? You got it!

My car guy Ross, originally from Australia, calls Hokkaido “Fantasy Island”. Over the seven or so months that I’ve been here, I’ve really gotten to understand exactly what he means.

I feel that the Japanese people really like to be comfortable and in actual fact like to make others feel comfortable as well. This is evident through the greetings one receives when entering any store or restaurant in Japan, peoples over politenesses in traffic, or through the amazing hospitality that Japanese families show their guests. What always blows me away are the ways in which Japanese people will answer a question or request above and beyond, and that more often than not, people will go out of their way to help you the best way they know how. And if they don’t know how, they will literally run off and find someone who can do a better job. A couple of recent examples, this last week the music teacher asked me if I was watching the Olympic games. To be honest, I haven’t been too consistent with watching events and didn’t even know if I could watch the games on my TV, which only has basic Japanese farmer vision. I tried explaining that my TV only has 6 channels and didn’t know if I got the Olympics. The science teacher beside me of course overheard this and started explaining TV’s to me and offered to come to my house to check my cables and install an antenna. In the meantime, the music teacher ran off and brought back an assortment of printouts of final results from the games. This was totally appreciated and it looked as if most of the teachers didn’t have anything to do at the time, including myself, so I didn’t mind. These kinds of events happen quite frequently.

This Sunday, I was working on my computer, when my friend’s mom came to the door and told me about her friend who knows someone that’s been living in Winnipeg for the past eight years, who just returned, and lives several blocks from my house in Japan. She ended up phoning her friend and handed me the phone so that we could connect. My friend’s mom tried to phone her son in order for him to tell me this information, yet she couldn’t get a hold of him and she didn’t have my number. So, she ended up coming to my house, picked me up, and drove me to her friends house to have dinner with his family, who ended up feeding me about 6 different dishes, 2 of which I couldn’t finish, and sent me off with a bottle of orange juice and a couple of small wrapped cakes. Basically, I will never go hungry in this country.

Hokkaido is a really fun place to be. You mention to anyone that you are interested in trying something or doing anything, and someone will make things happen. I mentioned to the music teacher that I was interested in learning to play the guitar a couple of months ago. Last week, he approached me and invited me to his beginner class starting next month. I’ve mentioned that I love cycling to some of the teachers when they asked me what my hobbies are, and I think that I am now part of a cycling group? Going to go cycling on a frozen lake on Wednesday with a couple of the members by the way.

What really amazes me is how it seems everyone knows each other in Hokkaido. Japanese people love coming together. They love their groups, clubs, communities, and places of social interaction, karaoke being one example of many. Over all, Japanese people genuinely love getting to know one another, despite having to go through a few invisible walls to get there. With an island as small as Hokkaido, and a people as sociable as the Japanese, it seems as if everyone knows each other, or at the very least wants to know everyone, foreigners included. Although that’s not completely true, if true at all, for purposes of making this paragraph help me sound like an anthropologist, we will say that there is some truth to that assertion. In any case, Hokkaido does feel much smaller and more connected in comparison with other places that I’ve lived. I feel that this has affected my outgoingness as well, and having a car definitely helps. I really believe that the places one lives has an enormous affect on the ways in which people interact with one another and the way’s which people behave, despite language barriers. In Japans case, it seems as though you can find even the most looseriest foreigners become confident and more outgoing by the time that they leave Japan, a lot of the times with the most beautiful Japanese girls attached to their waist (cross my fingers!). So, perhaps there is some truth to my previous claim after all?

As most of my previous journals, I end up talking more about culture and my observations and opinions of them then I do about all the different things that I’ve experienced so far. I feel that if I only wrote about all the different things that “fantasy island” has conjured up for me to do, my hands would become burnt out from typing so much. My hope for people reading these journals is that they get a glimpse of one persons perspective and observations on the very large and complex topic of culture. As one person did not create all the elements of a single culture such as the Japanese’s own, one person can’t possibly be expected to give full incite to it. Take these observations as a grain of salt. That being said, one thing that I think most people will agree on, is how overwhelmingly hospitable Japan’s people are.