Yet More Christmas Cake...
David recently made a reference about my old "Christmas Cake" post and it set me thinking again.
So, I admit I am feeling a bit suffocated by the social structure here in the countryside. Lately I am very conscious of the values and judgements people make about me based on my nationality, age, gender, hobbies, image, profession, etc. Not all of them are bad, and actually a lot of them attribute me with more credit than I deserve. But all the same, they don't reflect reality.
Before I write specifics, I want to pose some questions to those of you with experience in the Japanese inaka. You can post your answers here or email me privately (as most of you prefer to do)...
1) What, if any, is the biggest change to your behavior since arriving in Japan? Do you view this change as a negative or positive thing?
2) Do you feel that you relate to people of the opposite sex differently than you would at home? In what ways? Do you feel that people here have different expectations of you specifically because you are a man or woman? How? [This is not just a "youngest office girl serves the tea" kind of question, although that is important too. But recently I've talked with some male JETS who have expressed dissatisfaction with the social pressures to be or do certain things just because they are guys. The whole issue is incredibly complicated, I think.]
3) If you were a parent, would you put your children through the Japanese school system? Why or why not?
Thats it for now. I'll post my thoughts about it all in a few days. Thanks!
posted by Angie @ 8:50 PM
1 Comments:
At 5:31 AM,
Full Metal Lunchbox said…
I never lived in the countryside of Japan, and I've been back so long now that I've forgotten many of the details I'd need to answer your questions (such as regarding gender expectations). So maybe these aren't the kinds of answers you are looking for, but here goes:
>1) What, if any, is the biggest
>change to your behavior since
>arriving in Japan?
Lost weight, gained aerobic endurance (from bike riding everywhere), drank tons of beer, ate fish, spoke modestly (rarely in the 1st person)
>Do you view this change as a
>negative or positive thing?
I suppose all of the above was positive.
>2) Do you feel that you relate to
>people of the opposite sex
>differently than you would at
>home? In what ways? Do you feel
>that people here have different
>expectations of you specifically
>because you are a man or woman?
I wish I could remember! The one thing I can recall is that long-term resident male english teachers always had Japanese wives, whereas I only met one or two long-term woman english teachers with Japanese boyfriends. Everyone seemed to think I was unusual for having a gaijin girlfriend.
>3) If you were a parent, would
>you put your children through the
>Japanese school system? Why or
>why not?
Good God, no.
I taught in a number of schools, both public and private, kindergarten through junior college, and I remember only one that treated their students like human beings. Perhaps the situation is better in inaka.
If I had a family in Japan I would have to live near a major city so I could send my offspring to an American or British school.
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