John Stupart.com

In most of my entries I realize I haven’t made much mention of the little thing called ‘my job’ which sustains me here in Japan, but I assure it’s not out of any sort of loathing. Instead, it’s rather that it’s the ‘thing’ I do during the week that is usually overshadowed by what I get up to on the weekends. But I suppose, six months in, an explanation would probably be in order.

I am termed, in JET-lingo, as a ‘base-school’ ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). This basically means that majority of my time is spent at one school, in this case the town’s ONLY Junior High School, Takushin. Additionally, I teach at five elementary schools spread out around Sarufutsu. Now bear in mind that this is a small village, so the elementary schools average in total population of four to seventy-four. Every school in SA that I’d attended averaged around one thousand students, so these tiny class sizes are a mind screw in their own right. I think it was my supervisor who explained that this can be attributed to the policy that every student should be within close proximity to a school. Easy enough in the cities, expensive to implement in the countryside. But this is Japan, and it must be done, for the greatness of the emperor, or something…

… my roles in the respective schools differ along two broad lines. At the Junior High School, I take a firm second role to the main English teacher, or JTE, and this is most probably for the better. My JTE, Eizo Katsura, speaks excellent (near fluent) English, having studied in Ireland for a spell as well as extensively in Japan. As a result he’s a very capable teacher, who would likely not need me at all really should Sarufutsu decline to have an ALT here. In the classes with him, I am simply there to help out with pronunciation, intonation and the other verbal nuances of the language that cannot really be taught so much as heard and absorbed. So aside from the occasional subtlety of the English language which I can expound upon, I am effectively a human voice recorder. It gets terribly boring sometimes, but then again, were I to take a more instructive role in class, I think it would disrupt their education far more than it would benefit them.

In the elementary schools, however, I am effectively ‘the’ English teacher. Because of Japan’s hopelessly inadequate educational budgetary restraints (as a result of equally hopeless legislation), all but one of the some twenty-odd elementary ‘homeroom teachers’ I teach with don’t speak a lick of English. It makes for entertaining meeting sessions, but it also gives me a far greater freedom to shape the lessons as I am comfortable with. In almost every single class, I am the effect ‘JTE’ rather than the other way round, and the truth of the matter is, it’s awesome! In the elementary schools, the kids are under far less pressure, respond way more positively to the language, and are generally less blasé about the whole second language thing. By the time they are ready to leave the Junior High, however, those who are not so great (ie BAD) at English have essentially given up at trying to do better, while those with promise leap aheap. In Elementary schools, because the class sizes range from two to twenty, the students carry each other along.

The lessons are active and full of language-related games aiming to build a solid notion of what they’re learning, and I try as much as possible to encourage the kids to be unafraid to speak English as loudly as possible. For the most part, it’s far more rewarding than the JHS. It’s just a pity I am ultimately allocated far more time at the latter than the former, because where I can do the most positive work is precisely where my time is limited. Severely! I visit each elementary school roughly once or twice a month, with the max being weekly visits, which is just plainly not enough. These kids likely get rigid, textbook-based English classes (about once a week with or without an ALT) and enter Junior High School with a crippled ability in English. If I could have my way, I’d be far more oriented around the Elementary schools, and provide weekly ‘oral’ classes with the JHS students. But that’s not the way it’s done, and I’m but a piddly 1st year JET person, so what do I know!?!

Nonetheless it’s an enjoyable job, if somewhat boring after a while. The elementary classes, while fun, hardly tax my well-versed knowledge in Plato’s Republic or the intricacies of Marxist theory. But for anyone reading this wishing to embark on the JET programme, this is likely what you can expect! I know several folks around Japan who can speak decent Japanese and are still relegated to second-fiddle gaijin voice recorders, which is a shameful waste of a rather expensive resource. I suspect the native teachers don’t really know what to do with us, and that only exacerbates the waste. Why spend all that money flying in a foreigner with native-level command of the English language if they’re going to simply be ‘helping out’? This problem hints at my own suspicions that the JET programme, while delightful, is a colossal waste of resources that could be streamlined far more effectively. Course, nobody wants to hear that, so I’ll be the good JET employee and shut up about that :p Japanese educators are taking close to a 9% pay cut next year, the third year running, and yet us gaijin get ferried in by the thousands to ‘internationalise’ and help unmotivated Junior and Senior high school students pronounce English words correctly! It’s a criminal waste!

Thankfully, many Elementary schools are beginning to see the need for English instructors in their classrooms from an early age, and thus the demand for elementary-focused ALT’s increases. Although by now there is no budget for it in the over-burdened education ministry. It’s a pity, because it’s at those very young ages where the problem of teaching a seriously difficult language can be dealt with effectively with the correct training and legislation. Yet instead us JET’s are stuffed like the pale white sewer rats we are into senior high school classes to teach to those who are already far beyond what little contributions the ALT can possibly make. Even the most enthusiastic, fluent Japanese-speaking ALT of English can hope to achieve so much. Extra-mural ‘language clubs’ and all that wonderful fluffy stuff might help a select few gain mastery of the English language, but I can almost assuredly say off-hand that these are the minority, and that the rest of the students are doomed to ESL failure for the rest of their educational existence!

Nay! I say it should be the elementary schools that receive us ALT’s first, instead of the other way round! They learn more, respond better to instruction, and quite simply need it more than their senior counterparts. Also, for a gaijin like me, I have way more fun with them anyway!

Living in the rural north of Japan can lend a certain air of idealism. With virtually zero crime and an almost utopian village society that I thought only existed in Disney movies, I often catch myself thinking about just how awesome life is here, and indeed how even better it would be if I were able to speak fluent Japanese. The quality of life here is pretty high for virtually everyone, including myself, who would never be able to come straight out of university and expect a lekker 4WD car, snowboard trips every weekend and Sushi for dinner! Indeed even Sapporo, Hokkaido’s principle city, is inhabited by a mere 3 million citizens, yet spans the size of Johannesburg easily, replete with a functioning subway and rail system. It’s a city populated by mostly middle class folks. People who are thus relatively well-off. And the atmosphere of the city oozes this out of every pore. So why on earth should I live in South Africa?

I should probably explain that this post stems from a hectic week at the other blog that I write for, where pessimism towards SA has advanced into active cynicism by many of the site’s contributors, not the least of which includes me. To be certain up until now I’ve held what I thought to be a relatively upbeat view of SA. I could shrug off the rampant crime and corruption in government, together with the suffocating monopolies of Eskom and Telkom collectively, because I had always hoped that after the transitional birthing pains of a newly-liberated country, these things would start to fall away. Instead, they’ve only compounded upon themselves… exponentially. And it’s depressing, especially when reading from abroad, to have become so disenchanted with the country I’ve lived in my entire life up until now. It has given me everything that has contributed to my current well-being. My education, upbringing, friends and family as well as many other less-obvious factors have all resulted from the experience of living in South Africa. But what now?

It’s easy to assault the many educated elite who are streaming out of SA for their lack of patriotism, as well as their ungrateful attitudes at the country and government that has raised them from sniveling toddlers to educated professionals, but the brain drain is not the heart of the problem. I don’t think anyone chooses to leave SA lightly. Nobody wants to hate their country, and indeed only the most ardent of verkrampte old-school Afrikaner would leave simply because of the race of their president. But when you look at the antics going on now (that is, if you can. Often the power cuts out and the TV/Computer is inaccessible), the crippling forces in SA is becoming endemic, rather than temporary. So I no longer frown upon the many friends and acquaintances leaving SA right out of university for London, Australia or Canada, because I believe that SA has eroded to the point where even the most patient of optimists has to draw the line and start thinking about their futures.

But I shall not follow suit. I could theoretically prolong my stay in the JET programme for another three years if I so choose, but that would only erode the positively glowing impression I have of Japan as well as make me watch my country decline from afar, as well as stagnate intellectually and socially from all the remote isolation from my voluntary braai embargo. But like some friends of mine, I have decided to give it five years. Five years of living in SA to see if things will turn around. That’s enough time to begin a noticeable turnaround from the dark precipice towards which our faithful comrades are steadfastly hurtling us at. It’s enough time for me to finish my university education and perhaps get some field-related work experience, but most importantly, it’ll allow me to become a nuisance to the hordes of apologists rooting for JZ and his ilk to dismantle the very freedoms they fought so hard to attain.

I am in the rather unique position, as a post-graduate in the political field, to actually do something about my country’s decline. I’m not, of course, talking about reaching for the AK47 and going underground, but rather I am capable of helping wage the intellectual war against the bafoonery we witness on a daily basis in SA. Through the blogosphere and other mediums it is possible to write a convincing commentary against the forces that wish to self-destruct SA. I’m not talking about mere propaganda here, as that would simply be a matter of lowering myself to the idiocy as the same people who believe Zuma is a great choice for president, but rather helping other like-minded individuals write substantiated and rational argument to stand up against the torrent of drivel issued from the ANC and government’s collective mouthpieces in the foreseeable future.

Sounds grandiose, as I am wont to posturing at the best of times, but the reality is that what little I am able to do about the situation will likely never amount to a hill of beans, but at least it’s something. So I shall try for five years, and then perhaps think about making another country my new home. I’ve recently fallen in love with snow, so perhaps Alaska has need for my extensive talents and skillset! Anywhere that lets me snowboard can have me! What can I say, I’m cheap!

So other than a creeping pessimism, what’s news? Not much! It snows a crapload now, and a blizzard came through Hokkaido last week which made it particularly frigid. Otherwise I have spent most of my time on the weekend either snowboarding or recovering from snowboarding! I don’t fall over nearly as much now and it’s become seriously enjoyable. I expect most of my time this winter will be spent on a board in the snow, enjoying the winter while I can, as it’ll be quite sometime before I can experience a comparable winter again. Tiffendale is a tad expensive to consider in SA!

PS
For those non-South Africans wondering what on earth a braai is, observe the following instruction video on braai etiquette for an introduction.

A gentle snow storm in Hokkaido.

After returning from an awesome trip to South East Asia with sibling and friends, the now-fully winterized Hokkaido was a stark reminder as to the rather different weather we experience here. On speaking with several JET folks both in Hokkaido and further afield on the mainland, it seems the January post-holiday blues are in full effect. Nonetheless, myself and my neighbouring colleague Chris had long-ago planned to do as much skiing (Chris) and snowboarding (me) as possible in order to avoid said depressions! And let me now say, it’s freaking awesome!

Ok, to be fair, the first day is a bastard. I don’t think I have ever fallen over as much in such a small timeframe in my life. Oddly, I was reminded of when I started to learn golf and experienced a similar level of frustration and humiliation. Nothing says ‘you suck’ quite like falling down a slope like a ragdoll while eight year old Japanese kids zoom past me laughing their asses off at the gaijin strugglging to get back onto his feet and down the hill. It’s a pain, and it’s difficult, and my body doesn’t know how to lean right against the board without catching the edge and falling over like a clown. And there‘s the physical pain as well. Ice hurts. It reaaaally hurts. On one particularly bad wipeout I could’ve sworn I’d broken my bum. Twisted knee, stiff and sore muscles and being perpetually cold and wet and covered in snow from head to toe. The first day, much like the Normandy invasion, was tricky. Needless to say, I slept well that night!

The second time, however, is when snowboarding becomes fun. I don’t quite know how I did it, but at some point your body pretty much gets sick and tired of you falling down like an ass and kinda switches into ‘boarding mode’. Once this physiological switch turned on, I found myself carving back an forth down the slope in utter childish glee. Whereas before I had absolutely no control over my descent, I found myself heading for the lumpy bits of snow that aren’t ploughed at breakneck speed, creating a fountain of powder behind me. Truly snowboarding is fantastically enjoyable once the basics sink in and some balance is achieved. Not to mention what great exercise it is. Even now, 2 days later, my legs are stiff from the exertion. If anything, snowboarding has reminded me how important sport is to me and how much I enjoy it. This is the first time in 15 years that I haven’t played hockey for a club or team, and I think I’d actually forgotten what fun it is to play sport! SO! If you live in a winter snowland and find yourself getting cabin fever, go rent a board and play outside. It’ll do you the world of good!

Aside from snowboarding, the past week or so has been spent reacclimatizing to Japan, enjoying the comforts of home but missing the enjoyment of an overseas holiday, and seeing sea lions! Yes indeed, near Wakkanai there is a small dock that plays host to a gaggle (herd?) of sea lions, who seem to think the -15 degree weather up north is preferable to wherever the hell it is they come from. Their fat and lazy demeanor was quite hilarious, and watching them ‘playing’ in the frigid ocean water was amusing right up until I lost all feeling in my face thanks to the cold and opted to retreat back into the car. It also turns out Wakkanai has the world’s most depressing aquarium which, after the bitter-sweet experience of Cambodia, should be a blast in the coming weeks!

Sea lions!

So, in summary:
#1 Snowboarding breaks your bum and associated ligaments
#2 Snowboarding is AWESOME!
#3 Skiers are annoying, with their poles and lame thin instruments and dorky pants
#4 Sea lions are as funny as they look.