John Stupart.com

This weekend saw the departure of Heather, an ALT in Wakkanai and one of the few foreigners working in Japan that I could tolerate. As I was going to Sapporo regardless we made a bit of a road trip of it, but man oh man am I tired of driving now! Japan doesn’t know what Easter is, so there was no super long weekend that I normally get to enjoy. This meant that I effectively spent most of this weekend behind the wheel, driving all over the country. Nonetheless, the countryside on the way back (about a 5 hour drive) was pretty as usual and I got to see some new tiny little Japanese farming villages on the way back.

Due to a total breakdown in communication with the only person I knew in Sapporo, we stayed with a friend of Heather’s in Iwamizawa, which was also an unknown town to me before then. Aside from a ridiculously overpriced theme park, I didn’t really stay around long enough to explore it adequately, as the weekend was mostly spent just getting to Sapporo and doing some shopping for clothes, books and replacing my camera charger which has so far eluded my every efforts at locating.

One of the big things I wanted to get were a new pair of glasses, an endeavour which resulted in eventual success, but only thanks to one extremely helpful law student who offered to help me translate the kanji on the optometrist’s form. I was really battling through, so when she appeared out of nowhere offering to help, it was quite amazing to see. Normally public waiting rooms, subways and similar areas are occupied with politely indifferent occupants, much like anywhere in the world. Finding help in such a place was a miracle, and it certainly sped up the process. As a result I now have some new glasses, and a new eye prescription, which I think indicates that my eyes are only slightly worse than they were three years ago. A good sign, I think, considering how much time I spend in front of a computer screen.

But it was sad to see Heather go. We generally hung out quite a lot on the weekends with the other person whose company I actually enjoy, Chris, so her presence shall certainly be missed! Living this far out in the middle of nowhere doesn’t really allow for an abundance in friends, so losing even one is a bit… crap. Likewise driving past towns like Nayoro, Otoineppu and roadside convenience stores that we’d been to many times before just reminded me of how alone I ultimately am. There’s still Chris, thank goodness, so I shouldn’t whine too much, but when you have only 3 friends in a country, losing even one is quite significant.

No matter! With April just around the corner, and a 2 week office imprisonment ahead, my time in the JET organisation is fast approaching its end. I have to start brushing off that CV and start collecting application papers in anticipation of a glorious return to Africaland. In the meantime, however, I at least have some new books to keep me busy, as well as some glasses to read them with!

PS

Below is a photo I got from the Chiraibetsu Elementary School after their last English lesson for the year.

Sitting at the office with no classes to attend to, I am sometimes left with virtually nothing to do for an entire workday. Normally I’m not one to complain for an abundance of idleness, but too much idleness can get excruciatingly, mind-sappingly boring! Nonetheless, I found myself reading up on some local Japanese political shenanigans, and realised that it, much like office days, is just as horrendously grey and boring.

I suppose it’s a good thing when the largest debate being held in parliamentary chambers is whether to raise or lower the petrol price, or whether to send the refuelling ship (note the singular) back to the Persian Gulf to provide free fuel for the coalition fleet, but it kinda takes all the fun out of politics. I think that if I had studied in Japan instead of SA, I would not have chosen Political Science, much less Strategic Studies, as a major. There’s none of the controversy over big issues, like rape trials, chiefs of police being arrested or rolling blackouts. To be certain there’s all the fuss made. Last week’s fracas over the upper and lower house of the Diet caused uproar in local media circles, but much like my elementary students, it’s a lot of tears over nothing in particular!

Being a student of politics makes one dull and uninteresting almost by default, and it takes a lot of noise and beer to be anything otherwise, but I must wonder what on earth kind of human being would willingly subject themselves to such a god-awfully boring career. There must be a hell of a lot of money being made by these politicians, or else they truly do relish sitting in endless debates about redundant policies. When ten people got food poisoning after eating some Chinese-imported dumplings, an emergency session was called, TV stations went into overdrive and the nation shook and trembled at this national crisis. Meanwhile, back in reality, I sat in front of my TV munching aforementioned dumplings (not the Chinese ones, according to what little lettering on the package I could read) shaking my head. I wonder how a Japanese MP would handle being dumped into Pretoria, forced to fend of corruption, rape and fraud allegations while simultaneously figuring out how on earth to lower the highest murder rate in the world. Black and white, methinks.

At last week’s graduation ceremony, for example, the village mayor was given his traditional seat of honour (next to the town policeman, deputy-mayor and town-elder), and proceeded to nod off while the principal gave his traditionally HUGE speech. Then it was the Mayor’s turn. A man of almost emaciated frame, the mayor shuffled up to the podium and delivered an even longer-winded speech to the hundred or so students and parents (mostly tearful mothers, watching their cherubs graduate from what is essentially primary school), and shuffled back down. His head constantly shakes (I think he suffers from Parkinson’s or some such) unless he tilts it at an angle, making for a rather odd, yet entirely dull experience. Imagine then a Japanese government full of pensioners eagerly awaiting their turn to out-do each other at the speech-Olympics, delivering round after round of over-dramatic drivel about poisonous dumplings and the complete lack of Chinese oversight into the matter (well, duh).

And then it was my turn, at the post-graduation party, to deliver a speech, to which I tried for the first time to do in Japanese. I said something roughly along the lines of this being the first ceremony of the kind I had ever seen, that it was great, and that the teachers can be proud of their efforts. Arigatou Gozaimasu, and a quick Kampai (cheers!), and I had left my audience stunned at my amazing ability! Well, they were more amazed that I could even say anything in Japanese, given my complete ignorance 8 months ago, but it was a good feeling, and I think I notched up a few more levels of respect after that!

So boring politics aside, not much is happening at the moment. The schools are winding down after the 3rd graders went on holiday and I plan to go to Sapporo this weekend to get some new glasses, replace my awesome cap which was stolen by some no-good louts on a train in Thailand, and buy some liquorice. In that order, I think.

The snow is melting, and I get sad! By this time next month all the snow will likely be completely gone, and my snowboarding sojourn will be at its end. It’s probably a good thing, as I was starting to become rather single-tracked, as pointed out by my good friend Lauren. I really have nothing to talk about these days except snowboarding and snowboarding-related activities. It’s great in my head, but utterly mundane to everyone else. I’m beginning to see how skaters, surfers and other similar sports enthusiasts can become obsessed with the lifestyle, slowly becoming incapable of functioning like a normal human being.

But no matter! With the coming of spring comes the possibility for broader travel through Hokkaido, as well as finally getting around to hiking around the islands near Wakkanai. With just about four months left in Japan, I had better start getting around to this soon, lest I never get to see the inactive volcano and Japanese edelweiss.

But on more work-related issues, it seems there’s a good chance that I am more or less done with elementary school teaching in my village until June! I couldn’t believe my ears when my supervisor politely told me that it’s standard procedure to resume their English education later on in the year. This in effect means that the elementary schools receive a paltry 6 months education, split between 6 schools and utterly ineffective in achieving any meaningful level of preparation for Junior High School. While I absolutely love teaching the elementary schools, I really don’t see the point of it all if I only get to teach them once a month for six months each! Heather recently attended a seminar thing in Wakkanai where the topic of just what the objective of it all was. She raised the very valid point of whether educators in Japan want to help students understand English or simply pick up a few handy phrases. Given the increasingly prominent role Japan plays in the world economically and socially, one would think the answer would be of the former, but it isn’t…

…But I am mostly just grumpy because it means long days at the Junior High, where the students are teenagers and, thus, are significantly less-eager to learn anything (because they know everything! Duh!). Lots of coffee shall be drunk and I think I’m going to be reading at least two electronic books per week. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot more I could be doing in the schools, but it seems everyone here neither wants, nor is legislated for, extra usage of the Gaijin. I asked my supervisor to send a fax to all the elementary schools, offering my services to anyone who wants extra English lessons, but knowing the rigid protocol of Japanese curricula – even in the lower grades – I’m not holding my breath.

Bah! An old-timer ALT in Nayoro who knew my predecessor mentioned that he’d also expressed similar dissatisfaction in his two year stay here, and was one of the primary reasons of his electing not to re-contract for a third year. To be honest I’m amazed he managed two years of the frustration. It’s sad, as this is the really the only problem with the village. It’s not unique to Sarufutsu, as most have similar experiences, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.

Pessimism aside, I am quite looking forward to some spring weather. After -15 degree weather, even this relatively sweltering 2-5 degree weather has me feeling hot. Spring soars to 15 degrees, the average winter temperature in Jo’burg! I just hope the giant mosquitos stay away until well into July!