The Citizen, 1998-10-28, Page 10Home again
Carrie Fortune is back in Huron County having
spent over two years teaching English in Japan.
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PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1998.
Teaching in Japan an awakening
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
A teaching experience that also
gave the teacher a chance to learn.
Carrie Fortune of Belgrave
returned recently from a two-and-a-
halt' year stint in Japan teaching
English.
Having graduated from Guelph
with a degree in history in 1993,
Carrie took one year off before
attending Lakehead in Thunder
Bay, from which she graduated with
her Bachelor of Education in 1995.
Shortly after, considering the
depressed job market here, Carrie
began thinking about teaching
outside the country. Her research
concluded that Japan was the safest,
most stable and had the best pay,
comparable to that of home.
Getting there required less
paperwork than she had originally
presumed. While anyone can get a
job with a working visa, teaching
English on a full-time visa requires
a university degree. That in hand,
Carrie decided that she also would
benefit from a course on teaching
English as a second language so
attended one in Toronto. However,
she notes now, "Given the company
I worked for it wasn't particularly
useful."
Carrie then signed on at a
recruiting office in Toronto. She
provided them with a copy of her
passport, and signed a contract. It
took three months for the Japanese
government and the company to
process her application, after which
she got her visa, through the
consulate.
A position was offered to her in
November and she left in March of
1996.
Arriving there that same day was
intimidating. Landing at the airport,
Carrie contacted the head office,
which she had originally been told
to attend personally. "By the time I
arrived I had been up 30 hours, my
flight was delayed by two hours,
and I told my supervisor I wasn't
going there, he could come to me."
Carrie adds that the policy of
having no one at the airport to meet
the new teachers has since been
changed. "A couple of the others
and myself explained to the
supervisor that that system didn't
work. He was a good person, a real
people person. He listened."
The place where
Carrie was working was
in a small city south of
Nagoya, located in
central Japan and
"hotter than Hell in the
summer."
While originally
Carrie was to teach
English to adults, it
ended up that there were
students ranging in age
from five to 75, with the
majority being between
the ages of 13 to 45.
Their reasons for
learning were as diverse
as their ages. "For the
housewives it's a hobby,
an expensive one, but a
hobby," says Carrie.
"Businesspeople were
studying to help them
get a promotion or as a
job requirement."
Teens were involved
for a number of reasons.
because their parents
wanted them to be, or
because they wanted to
study university in an
English-speaking
country.
Within seven months
Carrie had been
promoted to assistant
trainer, which
essentially put her in a
supervisory position
over the other teachers.
Her duties included
paperwork, mediation
and some training.
But not everything
was work. Though she
put in eight-hour days
five days a week, with
Friday and Saturdays
off, she enjoyed the
company of new friends
'while experiencing
Japanese culture and
seeing the sights.
She describes Japan
as an interesting country
of diversity. "I don't think any
foreigner could ever really
understand it. In many ways it is
quite contradictory."
Carrie describes what she
perceived as a love/hate relationship
the Japanese have with foreigners.
"Until recently. Japan was an
isolated country, which really only
started inter-acting in the late 1800s.
They are still naive, sometimes even
xenophobic."
For example she notes the
Japanese infatuation with American
music and sports. Yet, she says in
talking to many of them they will
say they don't like Americans. A lot
of that feeling, however, seems to
be more with the
older generation who
remember Hiroshima
and resent the
intrusion of the
American military
base at Okinawa, she
adds.
"Younger people
are much more in
awe of foreigners.
Knowing or
befriending a
foreigner is a status
symbol."
Yet, Carrie adds,
"The Japanese are
easily the friendliest
and most helpful
people on Earth."
The country's
landscape is also a
study in
contradiction, she
says. "Its beauty
depends on where
you are. Just as
some would disagree
with my opinions on
the people, I would
imagine there will be
those who disagree
on my images of the
country. But I find
the cities quite
unattractive, very
brown and grey,
though there are
pockets of beauty."
And those
"pockets" are
stunning. Two places
she "absolutely
loved" were
Takayama and
Kiyomizu.
The former is a
small city in which
the old buildings
have been
maintained despite
expansion and
tourism growth. The
latter is a temple
surrounded by trees
and green. "It's an absolutely
beautiful, relaxing, wonderful place
to be."
Travelling was the highlight of
her time there, Carrie says. 'There
are so many interesting places,
depressing places, as well, but still
interesting. Hiroshima is truly a sad
city, but I felt it's as important a
place to see as the more picturesque
spots."
Sumo wrestling, Mount Fuji and
the kite festival were some of the
attractions Carrie took in. Another,
was a little more familiar to the
western world — karaoke.
"If you spend any time in Japan,
you will have to go to karaoke," she
says. "A lot of establishments even
have little private booths for you
and your friends to go in and do
karaoke and enjoy a meal in
private."
On the home side of things,
Carrie's apartment was arranged by
the company. The majority of time
she shared it with two male
roommates. She also, immediately
following her promotion worked
exclusively with men. "It was not a
politically correct working
environment."
"Women going there have to be
prepared to deal with another
culture," she says, adding, "But
there was always respect for
feelings and boundaries were not
crossed."
Though Carrie could have stayed
indefinitely, she decided this year
that the time had come personally
and professionally to come home.
"The job was becoming less of a
challenge. I had seen many things,
and my family was beginning to ask
me, "When?".
Now Carrie is taking a little time
to regroup then will be scouring the
job market once again. "I would like
to teach in Canada, however, should
I be unable to find a job here, I now
know there are many jobs around
the world. "
And the experiences she has
already enjoyed have enriched her.
"It was extremely beneficial to me. I
am more confident in myself. I took
part in more activities than I did
before. I have friends all over the
world, literally. I know people from
five different continents."
Also, Carrie says, she has
developed a greater understanding
of cultural differences. "I am more
perceptive to body language when
dealing with people who come from
different cultural backgrounds."
And finally, something, perhaps
everyone should learn. "I am more
sympathetic to the entire
immigration experience. I know
what it's like to be the new face in a
new country."
Joining the pack
Two new Cubs joined the pack at Brussels this year.
From left: Jeremy Kresky and Evan Wilkinson. (Ashley Gropp
photo)