I write this article the wake of a queasy evening. For dinner, Bunny and I had gyu-don, a dish made with beef, scrambled eggs, and onions over a bowl of rice. As we were talking about this it sounded as if it would be a very good idea. Bunny and I can't have beef that often because it's about three times as expensive as it is back home, so we were looking forward to a little splurge in our diet. The only problem was that we went a little overboard in the amount of beef we bought on sale at the local supermarket. After Bunny had made dinner we each had a pile of beef mixed in with our rice and mushrooms (not a traditional ingredient in gyu-don but we had to do something with them). Neither of us could finish, in fact, neither of us ate even half of the rice. We both pushed our bowls away.
Bunny: Oh my god, I'm so full.
KC: I feel as if I've got a rock in my stomach.
Bunny: My head hurts.
We eventually crawled onto a futon in the bedroom and moaned with stomachaches and lightheadedness. Neither of us had had that much beef in all of the time we had come to Japan, even when we went to Mos Burger (one of the few authentic burger and fry chains in Japan).
Bunny: I don't think you'll want a pastrami burger the first thing when you get back.
KC: Stop talking about the b-word. *Groans*
We felt better after a half an hour or so, but neither of us is going to be eating a big steak on our return home: we'd both had less than 4 ounces of the offending stuff at dinner.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
An Announcement
For many of you this update will come as quite a shock and a bit of a disappointment. Yesterday, KC and I resigned from NOVA and will be returning to America on the 30th. As it turns out the problems described to us just before we left were much greater than we were lead to believe and they show no signs of changing.
A few days before we left, NOVA's recruiting office called to tell us that there had been a problem with the payment of the teacher's salaries for September and we were given a choice to come as we had planned or to delay until October. Obviously, we decided to continue with our plans and arrive in September. Before we left we did make a stop at the San Francisco recruiting office and asked a few pointed questions about the current state of NOVA. We asked if the delayed salary payments had anything to do with NOVA's previous financial problems from earlier in the year and we were told, "no, it's just because of a mix up due to the bank holiday." NOVA had been suspended from selling long term contracts due to their illegal refunding (or lack thereof) practices back in March and had been falling into debt since then.
So we decided to go to Japan and see how things went. Within the first week of training and work we discovered that the reason teacher's hadn't been paid was not because of the bank holiday, but because the company didn't have the money to pay them. The Japanese hasn't been on time in three months and at the time of this update their September paycheck is 23 days late. When asked why they are staying and when enough is enough, the Japanese staff replied, "We're here for the students." Since we started, two Area Managers for the teachers have resigned as well as another of our trainers. Our paychecks for October were delayed as well and not paid until four after the appointed time. Advances promised to new intstructors were also not paid.
And then there have been the evictions. Before we left we found out that a few teachers had been evicted from their apartments due to NOVA's inability to pay rent. We had been told that these evictions were illegal and that we shouldn't worry. We were also told that only a few apartments' rents hadn't been paid. This was not true. Despite the fact that teachers have been paying rent to NOVA for NOVA managed apartments, NOVA itself has not been paying rent to the landlords... for months. Eviction notices have been sent to NOVA, who failed to act upon them, leaving some instructors quite literally out on the street. This happened to one of the girls that we had done some training with in our first week. Carol, who lived alone in a NOVA apartment in Kyoto had the day off and was at home when her landlord and the Japanese manager of her branch showed up and told her that she had a few hours to clear out and go somewhere else. She's now sleeping on the floor of a friend's apartment waiting for her flight home.
But the evictions don't stop at just the teachers' accommodations, they extend to the branches themselves. NOVA had announced in September that it was going to close 200 branches as part of a consolidation scheme to aid in the company's recovery. Again, this is untrue. The reason 200 schools are closing is because NOVA branches are being evicted due to the inability to pay rent. This is happening at the school I'm currently working at in Kyotanabe City. At the end of the month, the school will be gone and students have a choice between going to one of two other schools or quitting NOVA. Surprisingly, many are quitting, because they believe that the other two school are no good and would rather try and find a different school all together. In that, I wish them luck.
So, as you can see, we came to Japan at entirely the wrong time. In the end things will turn out fine and KC and I have managed to stuff a lot of sightseeing into our few weeks here and plan to do some more before we have to return home. Once home, we'll find jobs and in September I'll continue on to grad school just as planned... perhaps with more money to pay for it than I would have coming from Japan. No worries, right?
A few days before we left, NOVA's recruiting office called to tell us that there had been a problem with the payment of the teacher's salaries for September and we were given a choice to come as we had planned or to delay until October. Obviously, we decided to continue with our plans and arrive in September. Before we left we did make a stop at the San Francisco recruiting office and asked a few pointed questions about the current state of NOVA. We asked if the delayed salary payments had anything to do with NOVA's previous financial problems from earlier in the year and we were told, "no, it's just because of a mix up due to the bank holiday." NOVA had been suspended from selling long term contracts due to their illegal refunding (or lack thereof) practices back in March and had been falling into debt since then.
So we decided to go to Japan and see how things went. Within the first week of training and work we discovered that the reason teacher's hadn't been paid was not because of the bank holiday, but because the company didn't have the money to pay them. The Japanese hasn't been on time in three months and at the time of this update their September paycheck is 23 days late. When asked why they are staying and when enough is enough, the Japanese staff replied, "We're here for the students." Since we started, two Area Managers for the teachers have resigned as well as another of our trainers. Our paychecks for October were delayed as well and not paid until four after the appointed time. Advances promised to new intstructors were also not paid.
And then there have been the evictions. Before we left we found out that a few teachers had been evicted from their apartments due to NOVA's inability to pay rent. We had been told that these evictions were illegal and that we shouldn't worry. We were also told that only a few apartments' rents hadn't been paid. This was not true. Despite the fact that teachers have been paying rent to NOVA for NOVA managed apartments, NOVA itself has not been paying rent to the landlords... for months. Eviction notices have been sent to NOVA, who failed to act upon them, leaving some instructors quite literally out on the street. This happened to one of the girls that we had done some training with in our first week. Carol, who lived alone in a NOVA apartment in Kyoto had the day off and was at home when her landlord and the Japanese manager of her branch showed up and told her that she had a few hours to clear out and go somewhere else. She's now sleeping on the floor of a friend's apartment waiting for her flight home.
But the evictions don't stop at just the teachers' accommodations, they extend to the branches themselves. NOVA had announced in September that it was going to close 200 branches as part of a consolidation scheme to aid in the company's recovery. Again, this is untrue. The reason 200 schools are closing is because NOVA branches are being evicted due to the inability to pay rent. This is happening at the school I'm currently working at in Kyotanabe City. At the end of the month, the school will be gone and students have a choice between going to one of two other schools or quitting NOVA. Surprisingly, many are quitting, because they believe that the other two school are no good and would rather try and find a different school all together. In that, I wish them luck.
So, as you can see, we came to Japan at entirely the wrong time. In the end things will turn out fine and KC and I have managed to stuff a lot of sightseeing into our few weeks here and plan to do some more before we have to return home. Once home, we'll find jobs and in September I'll continue on to grad school just as planned... perhaps with more money to pay for it than I would have coming from Japan. No worries, right?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Horyuji and the Mass of School Kids
Yesterday we went to Horyuji Temple near Nara. It's a truly amazing place, the oldest temple in Japan with some of the oldest wooden structures in the world. Founded in 607 CE, the temple was the work of Prince Shotoku at the request of his father Emperor Yomei. In 670, the temple succumbed to a fire and was burnt to the ground. There is, however, some discrepancy as to the verity of the inscriptions which give us this information and some scholars are inclined to believe that the fire never really happened. Either way, the temple was the first built in Japan as well as the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan.
The complex itself is very impressive, you walk up a tree lined path, through a gate and can immediately see the main temple complex and the five story pagoda. there are several smaller temple within the grounds as well and both are quite impressive in that they are unlike any other temples I've seen... they're round. Well, not round round, but roundish.
Probably the most impressive thing about the temple was the vast numbers of school children that it could hold. There was tour group after tour group shuffling through the temple. There must have been a couple thousand kids there. Some were pretty funny and repeatedly said "hello" to KC... others looked like they'd rather have been somewhere else entirely... a typical school field trip, I guess.
There was also a museum in the temple that displayed 1,400 years worth of treasures dedicated to the worship of Buddha. Included in the treasures is a sword called "Sword of Seven Stars." KC tells me that it's a extremely famous sword that he never expected to ever see... but that's about all I can tell you about it. You'd have to pester him for more information.
In the next few days we'll be finishing up most of our sightseeing in Nara, with the Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Naramachi, the old part of Nara, and then we'll be going to Kyoto again to see the Heian Shrine, Sanjusangendo Temple, and Nishi Honganji Temple. Hopefully, within that time I'll be able to procure myself a Japanese-English electronic dictionary. That way I'll be able to work on my Japanese with greater efficiency, which is always a good thing.
PS. There are more photos up, but I haven't had time to label any of them.
The complex itself is very impressive, you walk up a tree lined path, through a gate and can immediately see the main temple complex and the five story pagoda. there are several smaller temple within the grounds as well and both are quite impressive in that they are unlike any other temples I've seen... they're round. Well, not round round, but roundish.
Probably the most impressive thing about the temple was the vast numbers of school children that it could hold. There was tour group after tour group shuffling through the temple. There must have been a couple thousand kids there. Some were pretty funny and repeatedly said "hello" to KC... others looked like they'd rather have been somewhere else entirely... a typical school field trip, I guess.
There was also a museum in the temple that displayed 1,400 years worth of treasures dedicated to the worship of Buddha. Included in the treasures is a sword called "Sword of Seven Stars." KC tells me that it's a extremely famous sword that he never expected to ever see... but that's about all I can tell you about it. You'd have to pester him for more information.
In the next few days we'll be finishing up most of our sightseeing in Nara, with the Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Naramachi, the old part of Nara, and then we'll be going to Kyoto again to see the Heian Shrine, Sanjusangendo Temple, and Nishi Honganji Temple. Hopefully, within that time I'll be able to procure myself a Japanese-English electronic dictionary. That way I'll be able to work on my Japanese with greater efficiency, which is always a good thing.
PS. There are more photos up, but I haven't had time to label any of them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Kyoto and TV Pt 2
Kyoto was just as spectacular the second time around, I've never seen a city like it. The heart of Kyoto is unremarkably urban. But a short bus ride can take you to so many fascinating places. Kinkakuji with its shining goldleaf walls stands in sharp contrast to ginkakuji. Ginkakuji is accidentally wabi sabi. It was intended to be the silver version of kinkakuji. . . but they ran out of money. It's almost funny, but the mountain views and incredible works in sand is enough to stop your mirth. Ryoanji has a very odd Zen garden, with 15 rocks that can't all be seen at once. No matter what angle you set yourself at, you can only see 14. . . contemplate this, my dedicated readers.
Japanese television continues to be mind-numbingly boring, but we managed to find a few gems hidden within the um. . . excrement. The first was a pretty funny comedy show called The God of Entertainment; short performances by all the major Japanese comedians. The only ones of real note to Bunny and I are Kojima Yoshio and these physical comedians who might be known as the Ninja (we were unable to read their names). Kojima. . . well I could describe him but you wouldn't understand. http://youtube.com/watch?v=H49FapieZ1I Just click the link. The Ninja were extremely gifted at physical comedy, doing short jokes such as sumo wrestlers on trampolines and the dangers of falling asleep in a car.
Similarly interesting was a cowboy play that we saw on television the other night. We tuned in around a duel that was an obvious rip off of For a Few Dollars More. They had the music from the watch playing and they drew when it ended. But the duel was between two heroes, and rather than shoot each other they shot the bad guys standing nearby. After this was the resurrection of some character who we think was assumed shot to death earlier in the play but turned out to be faking it. He was scary. Not in any normal way but. . . he was a Japanese Kevin Klein. Now I want to make this clear, it wasn't like he was the Japanese equivalent of Kevin Klein but more like a clone given some Japanese DNA. Imagine Kevin Klein in any comedy. He has very distinctive way of gesturing and talking. This guy not only looked like a Japanese Kevin Klein but had all of his mannerisms. It was scary enough to have Bunny and I in stitches watching him. Japanese television is proof that enough monkeys at a typewriter will eventually produce something watchable, if not intentionally entertaining.
Japanese television continues to be mind-numbingly boring, but we managed to find a few gems hidden within the um. . . excrement. The first was a pretty funny comedy show called The God of Entertainment; short performances by all the major Japanese comedians. The only ones of real note to Bunny and I are Kojima Yoshio and these physical comedians who might be known as the Ninja (we were unable to read their names). Kojima. . . well I could describe him but you wouldn't understand. http://youtube.com/watch?v=H49FapieZ1I Just click the link. The Ninja were extremely gifted at physical comedy, doing short jokes such as sumo wrestlers on trampolines and the dangers of falling asleep in a car.
Similarly interesting was a cowboy play that we saw on television the other night. We tuned in around a duel that was an obvious rip off of For a Few Dollars More. They had the music from the watch playing and they drew when it ended. But the duel was between two heroes, and rather than shoot each other they shot the bad guys standing nearby. After this was the resurrection of some character who we think was assumed shot to death earlier in the play but turned out to be faking it. He was scary. Not in any normal way but. . . he was a Japanese Kevin Klein. Now I want to make this clear, it wasn't like he was the Japanese equivalent of Kevin Klein but more like a clone given some Japanese DNA. Imagine Kevin Klein in any comedy. He has very distinctive way of gesturing and talking. This guy not only looked like a Japanese Kevin Klein but had all of his mannerisms. It was scary enough to have Bunny and I in stitches watching him. Japanese television is proof that enough monkeys at a typewriter will eventually produce something watchable, if not intentionally entertaining.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Pictures Up!
I managed to get a whopping 83 pictures up on Flickr. Not all of them have titles yet, but they do have descriptions. I'll work on getting titles for all of them eventually. Enjoy!
Monday, October 1, 2007
We Teach Engrish
"A rolling stone gathers no moss."
~American and Japanese Proverb
With only a few days of teaching under our belt, it`s safe to say our experience with teaching has been rather varied. NOVA divides it`s students into 9 categories of English ability. 7C is a complete newbie; for some reason they have no experience with English at all. This level is less common than you might think because to make it through the Japanese school system you typically take about 6 years of English classes. For this reason, most new students are 7B, people able to say basic things like, "Hello, My Name is Keiko". 7A is slightly better, a 6 even better, all the way up to a 1 who is practically indistinguishable from a native speaker. For reference, I'm a 7B in Japanese (after two years of study) and Bunny is either a high 7A or low 6 (after 2 years and a semester abroad).
At least, that's the theory.
In practice you get much more variety. Someone who has been a level 5 for a year might be better than some of your 4s. One of the best students I have had was a level 6, if I weren't a new teacher, I would've recommended her for a level up. It's hard to pinpoint what makes some students better than others. Obviously some people learn faster than others, but why? Is it nature or nuture? Some innate ability to learn languages or a developed strategy of study? Whatever the case, teaching English has some strange side effects.
For one you start thinking about the language a lot more. If I handed something to you, I might say "Here you are" or "There you go". What do those phrases even mean? They certainly aren't literal and they don't appear to be shortened versions of actual sentences. What's the difference between several and many? Is there some overlap there? Should you teach the literal meaning of a "couple" or the meaning people use more often? In short, think kindly of your language teachers, they have/had a hard job. The second side effect is that you slowly begin talking like your students. First you start dropping articles. Then you add more pauses and gaps. Eventually you may even switch an l and an r (Do you rike this?).
Relating to the students can be one of the hardest parts, Japan is a modern country with a lot of exposure to foreign media, but it's definitely very different. The proverb at the top of the page is the perfect example. The proverb was developed independently in two countries and means two different things. To an American this is a positive quote lauding mobility and warning against stagnation. To a Japanese moss on a rock represents interest and beauty, hence a rock that does not stay still will never develop these qualities. To the Japanese, this quotation encourages it's listeneres to put down roots. I referenced James Bond the other day and one of my students didn't know who I was talking about. I tried to explain raising money to another student as a charity dinner. He had no idea what I meant. I changed the metaphor to a high school sports club bake sale and the light went on immediately. The trick appears to be seeing how close you can skirt Japanese cultural references without using any actual Japanese words in class (which is forbidden outside of loan words like "karaoke" or "samurai"). This is an area that will require a lot of studｙ.
~American and Japanese Proverb
With only a few days of teaching under our belt, it`s safe to say our experience with teaching has been rather varied. NOVA divides it`s students into 9 categories of English ability. 7C is a complete newbie; for some reason they have no experience with English at all. This level is less common than you might think because to make it through the Japanese school system you typically take about 6 years of English classes. For this reason, most new students are 7B, people able to say basic things like, "Hello, My Name is Keiko". 7A is slightly better, a 6 even better, all the way up to a 1 who is practically indistinguishable from a native speaker. For reference, I'm a 7B in Japanese (after two years of study) and Bunny is either a high 7A or low 6 (after 2 years and a semester abroad).
At least, that's the theory.
In practice you get much more variety. Someone who has been a level 5 for a year might be better than some of your 4s. One of the best students I have had was a level 6, if I weren't a new teacher, I would've recommended her for a level up. It's hard to pinpoint what makes some students better than others. Obviously some people learn faster than others, but why? Is it nature or nuture? Some innate ability to learn languages or a developed strategy of study? Whatever the case, teaching English has some strange side effects.
For one you start thinking about the language a lot more. If I handed something to you, I might say "Here you are" or "There you go". What do those phrases even mean? They certainly aren't literal and they don't appear to be shortened versions of actual sentences. What's the difference between several and many? Is there some overlap there? Should you teach the literal meaning of a "couple" or the meaning people use more often? In short, think kindly of your language teachers, they have/had a hard job. The second side effect is that you slowly begin talking like your students. First you start dropping articles. Then you add more pauses and gaps. Eventually you may even switch an l and an r (Do you rike this?).
Relating to the students can be one of the hardest parts, Japan is a modern country with a lot of exposure to foreign media, but it's definitely very different. The proverb at the top of the page is the perfect example. The proverb was developed independently in two countries and means two different things. To an American this is a positive quote lauding mobility and warning against stagnation. To a Japanese moss on a rock represents interest and beauty, hence a rock that does not stay still will never develop these qualities. To the Japanese, this quotation encourages it's listeneres to put down roots. I referenced James Bond the other day and one of my students didn't know who I was talking about. I tried to explain raising money to another student as a charity dinner. He had no idea what I meant. I changed the metaphor to a high school sports club bake sale and the light went on immediately. The trick appears to be seeing how close you can skirt Japanese cultural references without using any actual Japanese words in class (which is forbidden outside of loan words like "karaoke" or "samurai"). This is an area that will require a lot of studｙ.
Kyoto and TV
"The only English words I saw in Japan were Sony and Mitsubishi."
~Bill Gullickson
Today, our first real day off, Bunny and I decided to go into Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan before Tokyo (but after Nara). It is modeled after the Chinese style of cities which means it has streets laid out in a grid pattern with actual names. This differs from the usual Japanese system of part of the city and building number. We visited Nijo Castle, the old seat of the Shogun and the Shrine of Pure Waters. On the way up to the shrine we spotted an actual geisha getting into a car. Contrary to popular belief, even seeing a geisha walking down the street is exceedingly rare. Thanks to the polite insistence of an old lady who happened to see us admiring the geisha, Bunny and I got our picture taken with her. As we were just reaching the shrine, we saw a pair of maiko (another type of geisha) walking down the hill. They were wearing wooden sandals that were about three inches tall. Bunny and I couldn't figure out how they didn't go sliding down the hill like they were skiing. The shrine itself gets its name from a spring which pours clean water into a pool. There are three spouts representing wealth, health and wisdom. Bunny and I drank from the wealth spout.
In our off time, Bunny and I enjoy watching movies on her computer, reading books, and occasionally watching Japanese television. Japanese television can basically be divided into three categories.
1. Programs about food: Generally Japanese food. The hosts go out and try things that we could never afford so they rub it in our face by telling us how delicious it is.
2. Programs about the greatness of Japan: Also very common. This would be considered propoganda in a police state, but here everyone actually believes it.
3. Programs you'd actually want to watch: You think I exaggerate, but these are the rarest, and are chiefly shows and movies imported from other countries.
~Bill Gullickson
Today, our first real day off, Bunny and I decided to go into Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan before Tokyo (but after Nara). It is modeled after the Chinese style of cities which means it has streets laid out in a grid pattern with actual names. This differs from the usual Japanese system of part of the city and building number. We visited Nijo Castle, the old seat of the Shogun and the Shrine of Pure Waters. On the way up to the shrine we spotted an actual geisha getting into a car. Contrary to popular belief, even seeing a geisha walking down the street is exceedingly rare. Thanks to the polite insistence of an old lady who happened to see us admiring the geisha, Bunny and I got our picture taken with her. As we were just reaching the shrine, we saw a pair of maiko (another type of geisha) walking down the hill. They were wearing wooden sandals that were about three inches tall. Bunny and I couldn't figure out how they didn't go sliding down the hill like they were skiing. The shrine itself gets its name from a spring which pours clean water into a pool. There are three spouts representing wealth, health and wisdom. Bunny and I drank from the wealth spout.
In our off time, Bunny and I enjoy watching movies on her computer, reading books, and occasionally watching Japanese television. Japanese television can basically be divided into three categories.
1. Programs about food: Generally Japanese food. The hosts go out and try things that we could never afford so they rub it in our face by telling us how delicious it is.
2. Programs about the greatness of Japan: Also very common. This would be considered propoganda in a police state, but here everyone actually believes it.
3. Programs you'd actually want to watch: You think I exaggerate, but these are the rarest, and are chiefly shows and movies imported from other countries.
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