back in Japan now for a little over two weeks. I haven't blogged in about 6. Not even my standard rant against unprofessionalism at a JET function, or about my trip to Japan, or my semi-whiney posts about how the Japanese school system/JET life/cold/whatever sucks.
So lets do all these in a knock-out post. Well, OK, probably not number 3, though I may be a little self-reflective.
During the second week of December (when my blogging stopped) I attended JIAM's Interpretation course. Now, while I might normally complain about the slovenly nature of JETs in general and ALTs in particular, I was pleasantly surprised that everyone was is jackets and ties. Not a single pair of flip-flops, Hawaiian shirt, or untucked Polo shirt crossed my view. CIRs, of which were the bulk of the participants, must hold to a different standard. That said, by mid-week the seminar had devolved to a summer-camp atmosphere, and as a result we were dressed down by one of the organizers for tardiness. Dress code was casual.
The seminar itself was incredibly informative. I truly haven't felt so challenged in a long while. And the most exciting aspect was that towards the end, I found that I COULD interpret (that is, act as an interpreter, as opposed to an analyzer) much better than I had. While I'm certain my Japanese ability didn't go up in any appreciable amount, the skills I learned allow me to better use that ability.
The only downer (aside from the good, but buffet-serviced food) was the fact that I was fighting a cold all week. This cold would accompany all the way to Canada, though by then it was mostly a non-issue.
Canada itself was...ordinary. By this I mean that, while I enjoyed myself in Canada, I didn't really do much that I couldn't have done here (except perhaps see the truly awful/awesome movie The Spirit). Most days I spent playing WoW on my laptop, or going shopping while my friends worked. At night, I would catch a movie, or go to a pub or have dinner, but even this was impaired by the inclement weather, with frigid temperatures unseen in Toronto for some years.
Perhaps it was the free time. Perhaps it was cabin fever. Perhaps it was my second visit back home, but all of this had me thinking about what I wanted to do post-JET. I recall with some amusement ex-Fukutsu ALT Kathy, who mentioned that while her first trip home elicited only a desire to get back to Japan, her second trip home provoked a deep homesickness in her. I can admit that I felt that to a degree, though a larger part of me was devoted to the idea that I wanted to get back to Japan and routine.
There are some ideas I am considering. Most clearly defined (though not necessarily desired) is a return to school, either to Teacher's College, or to pursue an MA in TESOL. While I know a bit more about Teacher's College than I do about getting an MA, the MA route holds more immediate appeal to me as it would allow me to continue to live in Japan.
Another, far less defined idea is to take the civil servant exam in Canada. This might be something to do in addition to everything else. A shot in the dark for who knows what.
There's also the possibility of staying in Japan despite it all and seeing what I can do. This is perhaps the least defined of my options, at least in terms of hard facts/numbers. There are some realities I would have to deal with: Visa issues (a work-about may exist in this area, but alters my career options), racism (still an issue, even for me), language (again, still a problem in the non-verbal forum). What can I do as a native speaker of English coupled with a conversationally fluent Japanese speaker? Possibly anything and possibly nothing. This option for me is still "Answer hazy. Try again later."
In the end, I'm not sure where my life is headed. I have submitted my papers for recontract, so assuming I get picked up again I can delay my decision for another year. While the decision came pretty easily this year, the growing doubts in my mind mean that next year's decision will be difficult.
Of course unless I decide to delay my decision again. There seems something poetically pathetic in that...
3 comments:
You keep hating on the Hawaiian shirts, and I'm gonna have to send some people to "talk" to you.
Besides, particularly for our Hawaii brethren, if part of the true purpose on JET is cross-cultural exchange, well, then, bear in mind [via the almighty Wikipedia] - "Aloha shirts [in Hawaii]... are considered formal wear in business and government, and thus are regarded as equivalent to a shirt, coat, and tie in all but the most formal of settings."
So there. You'll speak no more ill of them.
Ah, the future. The only bit of advice I'd deign to offer is this... follow what truly interests you. Life's too short to do otherwise.
Figure out if it's the teaching you enjoy, or the teaching *in Japan* you enjoy. That would, I think, give you at least a direction indicator.
As for the civil service, and this betrays nothing but my own bias, that sounds like a slow and painful mental death, to me. Of course I imagine that would depend on what you'd actually be doing in the civil service, but still...
Personally, I recommend the maxing out JET for as long as possible :)
Yeah, I'll probably do the whole 5. Really it's the whole TIME IS CREEPING UP ON ME (caps to simulate Voice of God narrative) thing which has me moody and bitchy, that probably a result of having been home for 2 weeks.
And yes, though I will accept Hawaiian shirts as an element of cross-culturalism, I still hold that in Japan, even long-time Hawaiian ex-pats trade them in for shirt and tie when going for a bank loan.
Yeah, time, it keeps on slippin'
I will continue to utilize my deeply honed powers of denial to consider the meaning, there...
Silly Mike! No Japanese bank is gonna give a gaijin a loan! That's a funny story!
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