Redacted version of a letter to a friend

So, Japan is going well. I am winding down my first year as an ALT-assistant language teacher. At my schools (I teach at 5) there is no language teacher, so really I am an English Teacher, but since I don’t hold a teachers certificate I am not licensed and so am “only an assistant.” That kind of thing happens in the states too sometimes. I am planning to staying put for one more year doing this. The pay is OK, the hours are good, and I get to study at least an hour a day at work.

However, I am bored out of my mind. Since I went to university, I have become a bit of a geek about what I studied-basically international relations in Asia. I like reading and talking about it, but basically, I like using my head now as much as possible; thinking about things. As you can imagine, being an elementary school ALT is a whole bunch of fun; I play games with kids everyday, but it is also very simple. I don’t need to think at all. It is mind numbingly easy. In general, I hate teaching English. However, as I said, I can study, often as much as two hours or so, at work.

Speaking of Japanese, I am getting better, but I still suck. It pisses me off because I keep thinking that if I had studied Spanish, for the two years or so that I have been studying Japanese and living in country for a year, I would be fluent by now. Instead, I study Japanese, and I can barely order food. It can really make you feel dumb for having started this in the first place. In response, I decided to study Spanish as well when I finish with Japanese.

I mostly just work here. I have two jobs, both English teaching. One is full time, as mentioned above, and one is two nights a week at a company that makes plastics in my town. I teach their employees. Good work; it pays like 45 an hour, but I only get 3 hours a week-enough for me! Two more days a week I take Japanese classes in Nagoya-which is my nearest big city at about 25 minutes and 4 bucks on the train from here. Four nights a week I am not home until between 8 and 10 at night. Its not bad though. I get lonely here in my empty apartment during the week, and so it keeps me sane to do stuff.

My plan is to get a Microsoft certification, and find a tech job here in Japan in 08. Then I can keep studying the language and work out my next stop. I have been considering going to a crappy law school-my grades are VERY average, or perhaps even a Japanese law school. I want to study Asia on the front lines where decisions are made, and that would be a great way to get there. Or, I will not, and just do something else. Who knows? First stop, a better job in Japan for 08!

I have a lot of friends here, mostly Australians, but some US folk, some Brazilians, and of course, Japanese. We all meet up in Nagoya and usually we karaoke.

I am also a member of an online hiking club, and so I go hiking here about once a month. I would like to go more, but I don’t have any real friends who want to go with me! I also started an online club patterned after an online club in Seattle. It is called the Nagoya International Club. I consider it volunteer work. Once a month, I host a gathering for people to meet in Nagoya and do something. Today for example, I hosted a trip to a flea market in Osu, but since no one wanted to go I am home writing you. The Seattle club of the same name has over 1000 members, and is very active. My club has about 60, and I have only met 10. I am working harder this year to advertise more, and am hoping to get that it will really take off soon. Now, mostly, I host events that maybe one person will show up at. It is kind of annoying, but many people here are in schools in the country with no foreign friends at all-it gets really lonely out there. Also, Japanese people want to meet foreign people, but they are too shy to talk to them. So, I created this, in hopes of creating a physical community through a virtual one. It is exciting to think about, and boring to implement.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nagoya_international_club/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seattle_international_club/

Open Source

Well, it is monday morning; here we go again. One more week until the weekend, and chill out time. This weekend was cool, Mike dropped in and we drank, as usual, copious amounts of booze, ate kaiten sushi, and generally made a nuisance of ourselves. We also tried to go to Gifu Castle, but that didn't work out. We got up too late, had lunch too late, and arrived (wait for it) too late. Oh well, it isnt that far of a drive. This week; figure out the best way to get my Microsoft coursework, and hit the Japanese book as always. I am at Hotei this week; the largest school in the disctrict. They usually throw me out of the staff room by 3, so I will likely get off early all week. That is good, but I still have to work in the evening. I like the cash I get from that job, but I am really tired of doing it. I have better things to do with my time than work!

Dennis Prager

Hump day again. I gotta work tonight after work. I hope I get fired from that part time gig soon. I am tired of it. The fact is I hate teaching English. It bores the shit out of me. Kids are fun to teach, if still really easy, but adults just suck. I hate entertaining them, and listening to them ramble incoherently is such a chore. I need to hurry up and improve my Japanese so I can do something else. Maki stopped calling; I am down to one. One down, one to go!

Early morning train

Well, I am back in Japan. Odd, but when I left the states I didn't feel ready to go, but when I got back here I felt relieved. It has been hard to get back into the swing of things though. I have been suffering the worst jet lag I have ever had, and am only just getting over it. On Monday night I couldn't go to my Japanese class because I was too tired to get back up-at 530. I managed to stay awake until 830, and then I got up at 5. That was a productive morning though! Last night I was awake until 1030 or so, and then I got up at 6 today.

It is frickin cold here (Mr. Bigglesworth)! I am still confused as to which is colder, Seattle or Nagoya. One thing I can say is that niether is a tropical paradise in winter.

My trip was expensive, but after I returned I realized how much I needed to get home and recharge; reinvigorate!

I think I put my concerns for my general plan to rest. I think I will put off grad school, and try and focus on my technology skills as the way forward. After another year of teaching, I will try and find a technology job here somewhere, and keep working. Although I had previously decided that IT was not my path, I am not worried about stepping back onto it. I realized that keeping that skill is going to be broadly useful, and shouldn’t be left to wither; also, bilingual IT jobs pay rather well. Once I go that direction, it’s possible that I will find more interesting work at a software or computer company in a business oriented capacity. There are plenty of IT companies in Seattle, and not that many people really speak Japanese.

So, I am feeling a lot more comfortable with the next four years, now that I have a "thought" on what I want to do.

For anyone who is interested, here are my resolutions for the year;

Improve my Japanese to a solid level 3. (がんばれ！）
Improve the condition of my temple. (get in better shape!)
Improve my understanding of financial matters.
"Catch up" on IT related materials.
Read more.
Drink less
Work harder on the Nagoya International Club

I have decided that some friend of mine were in fact correct; I am an intellectual. After about the fifth set of blank, glazed looks I got at home I realized that my interests are really specific, and my study of them is quite in depth. People should stop asking my queustions about Japan; they are nearly gaurenteed an answer much longer than they were looking for.

On that note; the Japanese Defense Agency became the J Defense Ministry yesterday. This is big and exciting news! (For me anyway)

See this article;

Asahi.com