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.
