3 Month Aniversary

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I can hardly believe how fast time is passing in Japan. Jeremy and I are quickly approaching upon four months here. And our entry about “first impressions” is long overdue.

I was shocked at just how incredibly different Japan and Korea are. Although the physical difference between the two is miniscule, the psychological differences are vast. Apparently most of the countries’ frictions are rooted in Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945. Over 50 years later, the differences really show. The most shocking difference was the way foreigners are treated. In Korea we were like a sideshow. Every time I walked through the streets I was whispered about, pointed to, and often photographed. I felt like the abominable snowman or big foot walking through town. In Japan no one notices me. And after living in Korea for six months, I have to say that I am thankful for it. Koreans have no social qualms about pointing or photographing with out the courtesy of asking. At first I found it funny, but it wore on me very quickly. Some days you want to be left alone and this never happened in Korea. Children would wreck their bikes or stand still in shock when they saw us. Koreans also appear to be much more ethnocentric. Perhaps it is just an inferiority complex. In Japan I am just another foreigner living and working in their country.

The second greatest difference I have found is the children. Leaving Tampa, I was ill prepared for the shock of Korea I would soon experience. Teaching elementary school students in Korea was easily the most tiring job I ever had. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my students and thought they were adorable. However, most of them were out of control. At first I thought that it was just kids being kids, but after teaching in Japan I can say with certainty that the kids were crazy! When I entered the classroom they would all scream at the top of their lungs, run to me, and grab me. I was literally tackled to the ground on a daily basis by a team of twelve 4-year olds. I no longer own a sweater with sleeves the same length. They would tug on my sleeves and attempt to stick their heads between my undershirt and my sweater. They would scream incessantly at the top of their lungs, “Teacher, teacher, teacher!” whenever they had a question or needed help with their work. I took Tylenol like it was a daily vitamin or supplement. In Japan they refer to me simply as Jennifer Sensei and I like it. Even the 3-year olds I teach sit politely in their seats and actively participate in class. This is a nice change from my 3-year old class in Korea where I was urinated on, handed boogers, and bitten. Now this may sound like I was a horrible teacher and they hated me. Sadly, it was just the opposite. I was urinated on because they insisted on sitting in my lap and their biting was not vicious. Oddly, they enjoyed pretending that they were tigers, lions, or sharks and would bite just like their animal counterparts. Often, their biting was followed up by them “kissing” me, which usually meant they sucked on my face for a few seconds before leaving behind drool and bruising. I am terrified to think how things might have been had they not “liked” me. They were very sweet though. Everyday they would bring me snacks. Most of them I was unable to eat because they were squid flavored, but it’s the thought that counts! Jeremy and I also received more socks and handkerchiefs than we can handle.

Next would be their pronunciation. In Korea every word ended with long e and they transposed their f's and p's. In Japan everything ends with a long o and they have difficulties with l vs. r. In Korea we had to order “cheese-e” pizza and often enjoyed trips to the “beach-e”. The students (young and old) called me Jenniper. Recently another teacher’s student sat in on my class. Here is an example of what she told me about her weekend, “ I went-o to shopping with my friend-o and-o we bought-o many things-o. I spent-o all of my money and it was bad-o”. One thing that amuses me greatly though is Jeremy’s new nickname; “Licketts”. Japanese students also have a hilarious way of asking the question, “Me?” They point to themselves touching the end of their noses and look at their finger making them appear cross-eyed. I told Jeremy about this a while back and he has finally gotten to experience it. Another quirk I have found with my students is their response to negative questions. For example, if I say, “You didn’t go to Tokyo this weekend?”, their response is yes. At first this perplexed me. Yes you did go or yes I am correct, you didn’t go? Well, it turns out they always mean yes I didn’t.

Overall, my experience in Japan has been much superior to that of Korea. I am really glad we had our time in Korea, but six months was more than enough for one lifetime. For the first time in my life I am considered tall. But I didn’t truly realize the height difference until recently. I have many adult students now and we had a group photo taken. I was shocked to see that the tallest person in the class reached my shoulders. I will savor this because every one loves to joke about how short I am in the U.S. Another thing I love about Japan is the amount of National Holidays they have. The Japanese have a knack for being able to celebrate anything and everything! Spring is finally approaching and everyone goes to the park to see the plum blossoms. Usually the group will bring a picnic and spent the day drinking sake underneath the falling blossoms. Often people get really into it and by evening they are singing karaoke for the entire park. There are 16 National holidays per year and everyone receives three weeks of vacation. They have a holiday in October that is for viewing the moon. They also celebrate separate girls days and boys days. The girls are dressed up in kimonos and given dolls. The boys are dressed in samurai gear and given candy. They celebrate boquet nuveau, which is the week where the first wines of the year are ready to be sampled. My favorite holiday though comes in July. It is during the summer festival and basically translates as the one night a year where a prince and princess meet in the stars of the Milky Way for a date. Of course, the cherry blossoms are also a huge celebration and I am told the parks are insanely crowded and entertaining. The smell of sake is so strong that you can’t smell the cherry blossoms.

One advantage Korea has over Japan is the cost analysis. In Japan the cost to have one large pizza delivered is $30. Yikes! Travel in Korea was also extremely cheap, which is the only reason we saw so much of it. Also, our apartment definitely had the upper hand. We now live in the world’s smallest apartment (especially the bathroom). Of course I will have to list the differences between my bosses as well. We have already written about our “boss” in Korea and all of his shortcomings. Instead I will talk about my new boss. It is a family operation and everyone is extremely nice and laid back. Everyone works together and treats each other kindly. Often everyone will go out for drinks together. I hit it off immediately with my boss for the following reason: music. He is hilarious. He loves Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, etc. When I first arrived in Japan we were all taken out to dinner and then onto karaoke, which is the quintessential Japanese experience. It had been a long day and we all relaxed together with a few drinks. My boss was not drunk, but he did put his tie around his head and proceeded to dance and sing to lots of American classics. It was such a nice change from Korea, where we always worried what was coming next.

My students are also much better. I really enjoy my adult classes and have learned a lot from them. It is great to be able to learn so much about traditional Japanese lives and their customs. They also bring me lots of Japanese food to sample. They are also always eager to learn more about us. They work really hard and when they have time off they make sure to enjoy it. I can really appreciate their out view of family and life. They celebrate everything and have an unparalleled love of life.

All of this aside, the thing I love most about being in Japan, is that on a clear day I can see Mt. Fuji from where we live. Soon we will have a chance to travel throughout the country and I am sure my appreciation of this experience will only continue to grow.

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