Golden Week!

Well its the start of Golden Week, which means for me one weeks holiday. Unfortunately though I am completely skint so I would be better calling it charcoal week or something. Things are going pretty somoothly with my new job, my students seem in general to be a very nice bunch though in all honesty I would prefer to be doing 50/50 adults kids as teaching children tends to be pretty tiring, especially when you have three hour back to back lessons. Actually in all all honestly id lie to be doing less teaching in general and focusing on something else. This looked like the plan at the beginning of this year but rather disastrously floundered.

I am starting to become concerned over a SOHD, sense of humour deficiency. Is Japan knawing at my capacity to be funny and creative? Sometimes I have to wonder, coming back to the uk my brain went into witty mode, but having been back in Japan I feel like a beached whale, an island of sarcasm surrounded by an ocean of slapstick.

In Japan where trying to be dull and blend in like an inconspicious sweater from Marks and Spencers is a true virtue,has Japan has actually made me more boring.. When you are lauded as being cool or interesting because you have hobbies other than sleeping or for being ginger you have to wonder is Japan character building or character deconstructing?

I guess what im really looking for right now is a decent challenge. I have always been someone who reacts better to harder things than easier ones, I always did better in the harder maths test than the easier one and love the complexity and the high demand needed to learn kanji. Teaching can be a very challenging profession if not one of the most. But the problem is that if the shortcut is available for me I will take it, which is too often the case with my employment in Japan right now.

I love Japan and want to stay here for the forseeable future but ultimately if I cant get into any other kind of career mode I am going to have to leave because my brain is beginning to rot!

恥ずかしい！

So life roles on, I have just started working as an English teacher at the YMCA which seems to be going well. Its good to get a bit of financial stability after a turbulent few months.

I have been screwed around by a few people now, so have become a little bit hardier for it. Recently out of the blue I got into arguments with two of the largest and most intimidating people in Kumamoto for various reasons. This probably isnt a coincidence. I have met a few big guys out here who have become accusotmed to behaviour that I would find unnaceptable in the west, harassing people and generally being a bit bullish.

More than ever i find that standing by your principles is very important, its something that some people lack. In the christian west we are very much indoctrinated into this,for right or for wrong. In japan there is a clear concept of mataining harmony, and a culture of ganbantte! but these do not necessary infer any principles. A salaryman may work day and night for a comapny in Japan, devoted to the job in hand but that company may be the most immoral company in the planet seeking to destroy the worlds rainforests. That does not come into the mind of the salary man.

Some of my younger students I notice have a very difficult time in giving opinions about important isssues. Often the answer i get is "I dontknow" Of course this maybe because they might be nervous about revealing their opinion but I often think this is not the case. I do find this very very worrying.

I do thank my self that I was brought up with principles that I adhere to in my own life. Recently as my Japanese has improved I have encountered some rather snide remarks tantamoint to saying "oh yousilly gaijin" A lot of the people in my area are very very nice but i know that there is some right wing sentiment in my machi. I may do stupid things at times "and lose face" but I know im a good person. In japan however some of the biggest idiots may have impeccable manners and gleam on the outside but are totally unprincipled on the inside. Yet i am taunted because I have made a public gaffe and they havent.
ergo appearances and maintenance of harmony are more importnant than principles. Its this kind of logic that disturbs me and sends me up the wall with frustration.
Rant finish.

But things are very good otherwise apart from the fact that my bloody flies always comeUNDONE!! My trousers are cursed!!!!
My girlfriend is slowly but surely domesticating me. This week she gave me a lesson in folding my clothes properly, hopefully by the time a come back toengland i will be as ordered as mary poppins!

Mixi サイト　で　私　の　日本語　blog 読めます！

Now im of to teach 20 crazed 3 three year olds. さようなら！