26 November 2008

Still doing that stuff

Hey, it's your boy here on this island.

It's finally starting to get a little cooler around here. Diving is still possible, but if this past weekend is any indication, I'm going to need a thicker wetsuit. I haven't been that cold since experiencing a morning in Fukuoka, which, by most accounts, is not cold.

Lately I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my post-Japan plans. This isn't to say that I don't have a sufficient incentive for staying on the program for a couple of years, but the things I want to do are of the sort that requires planning. This ALT gig via the JET Programme is a pretty good job, all things considered-- the pay is decent (not copious, but quite comfortable), I enjoy the work itself, work hours are highly agreeable, etc. At the same time, outside of Japanese language skills (which, for the most part, one needs to make a non-trivial effort to acquire-- it doesn't just 'happen' for most people just by being there), one doesn't get a whole lot of out of the experience. And, at the same time, one's given skills, such as actual teaching ability, capacity for writing, or technical/scientific skills, tend to atrophy. yabai

That sounds more cutting than I intended-- allow me to clarify. I am trying to describe (or simply elaborate for my own benefit) the real, practical skills that can be developed by being an ALT. I don't think that there are many, and I would love to be wrong. There is an appreciable case to be made (and one that I will be making, future employers) that what makes the experience worthwhile is the intercultural exchange-- namely, what you bring to the table (the table that is Japan, or another foreign country) as a cultural envoy and, more significantly, what happens to you as a result of being transplanted into another society. It seems that many people believe this ability to adapt to another culture is a valuable skill of sorts, believing that it is a hard thing to do.

You might be thiking 'So, ZT, what's the hangup? Why can't you sincerely appreciate this aspect of being an ALT?' The hangup is this: in light of what has brought me here, that whole experience, it is hard for me to consider 'adapting to another culture' to be a significant thing. I mean, I'm not the cosmopolitan child of a foreign service officer and I'm not a descendant of recently arrived immigrants. I've never 'summered in Europe' or colonized India while wearing khaki. I'm just a dude from the southeastern United States who, by most accounts, ought to be a rather...culturally insular sort. But, somewhere along the line I got this crazy idea that the meaning of life is to see the world, and now I'm going at it. It hasn't been all that tough. Cultural adaptation, for me, boils down to simply making a conscious effort to go with the flow-- you suspend everyday judgment, you stop having to be right. Practicing sincere philosophy helps with it. Sure, there are tough times, but I still have my guitar, Plato, and XBOX Live.

As I write this, it's becoming apparent that I want to do this cultural immersion stuff. I get a kick out of it. That's probably why it's not a big deal to me, or why I find it easy (USUALLY easy-- the East Asian disavowal of Western logic is...trying). I mean, it makes sense. Before coming out here, many of my friends said 'you're going WHERE to teach English?' (it's more a declaration of my recklessness than a question). Perhaps they say this because they simply have no desire to be elsewhere. That's cool. And I guess that is the sort of person you wouldn't be keen on sending overseas on behalf of your organization. Maybe I am of the sort you would send. Still, I'd like to have more practical skills than simply being able to live in a foreign country, and I'm not terribly keen on being an English teacher until I die (not that one learns much about education simply by being an ALT-- again, it's that non-trivial effort thing).

I guess the true test of my 'adaptive skill' would be me being sent somewhere I don't want to go, like Michigan. More exotically, I also don't want to go to wherever in Africa the tsetese fly is. That shit freaks me out.

Anyway, the significance of adapting to another culture and location is a discussion I'll continue to pursue. Also, it is fun to write when no one is grading my work. I can use excessive parentheticals with impunity.

09 November 2008

Snorkeling


We had a good dive this past Saturday. Early in the morning we headed out to a small beach next to the fishing harbor near the eastern cape. Visibility was excellent and the surface was extremely calm. With that, we were able to stay out for a long time and see a lot of good stuff. Watching a few sea turtles lazily glide around was the highlight of the morning. Maybe we'll see some sharks next time.