These are my compiled field notes for the month of October up to the 24th. These notes were hand written, and I just now decided to use a blog so, after this, I will post each note as an individual blog entry. All names have been changed.
October 15th (Dada),
Vacation, not mine but my guide Dada (this is the pseudonym that he chose) he's in India until October 31st. I have some e-mail from him today... I really think that I have to eexpand my idea of what this project is. It is too difficult to pin down "Indian culture" in Japan as there are people from all different parts od India and no guarantee that thay have made a community beyond a few friends and immediate family here. Ithink I must expand into looking at foreigners living in Japan on general. This may prove too vague. I have negotiated my way into a Japanese language school for the 614 project and s, I will use that as my springboard. Foreigner's studying Japanese and living in Japan.
As for Dada, he says by e-mail "Daily life in Japan: On weekdays, I am busy working in office while my wife also keeps herself busy by teaching simple English conversation to Japanese kids in a couple of KinderGartens. On weekends, we normally go for outing, visit Indian/Japanese friends, invite them to our place etc." He seems to have mostly Indian or Japanese friends. I am happy to be going into his world.
October 15 (Negotiations),
I have gotten permission to observe a Japanese Language Class (JSL) that teaches foreigners here in the Tokyo area. It is an evening class. The students are mostly working professionals though some are actually students during the day too.
It was a bit of fun negotiating permission to observe. There is always formal procedure that must be followed but it is always more difficult when it isn't in your native language. They did agree to let me observe and ask questions of the students. Many new potential guides to my expanded culture of foreigners living in Japan.
As a note, I also was a student at this school though I am now on hieatus during this observation period. I am observing the lowest level class. Others at the school, in higher levels, have also expressesed interest. There is an Indian dinner party on the 31st that I was invited to and this will provide many opportunities. What fun!
October 21st (Class observation, getting to know you)
The teacher Mrs. Oozato is a really interesting lady. She used to live in the US and said that she wants to help foreigners in Japan because she had the same kind of "stranger in a strange land" experience.
The class students are all interesting. Three people from the Philippines (Two women and one man) The two women I had met before at a social function for the school but I forgot (my faulty memory) I was embarassed and well I hope they can forgive me. One of them (Judy) was also an English Teacher at an international school. Here english is nearly native. The man works as a cleaner in an Embasy (Eastern European Country) and seems to have had little education. His name is Brian too. I think he is kind.
There are four students from China, today one was absent. the three present were all young 13-18 years old. They speak little Japanese and seemingly less English. The one boy, Zhang, I had met at the same social outing (picking Japanese pears in a local orchard). He has a friendly demeanor but is quite shy. The others, both girls, were quite shy too with friendly looking faces.
One student from Vietman was absent.
A lovely lady from Costa Rica, Rosa, was quite friendly and loved to spaek English. Her husband works here as an English teacher though he is also from Costa Rica (i think he may have been born or lived in the US)
Mona from Brazil was quick to ask me for help with her Japanese as I was sitting next to her. She is married to a Japanese man. She's a full time student had a hello kitty notepad.
The last class member was from France. PHD in computers. Brilliant and super tall but Just came to japan 2 months agp and can't speak a word of it. THe class has been underway for months so he was struggling.
During the class the teacher would periodically stop and explain someting in English, it was quite striking to think that none of these folks are native English speakers. There was a natural sort of separation that occurred in the class. The Chinese students had things periodically explained to them with Kanji (Chinese/Japanese Characters) while the otheres were still working on learning the phonetic alphabet and had no knowledge of Kanji. But the Chinese students, being young, had probably had little exposure to Engllish.
I asked the students to stay after class and answer some questions...
October 21st (After Class)
When class finished, some of the students stayed to answer some questions entered above but then the real fun began. I stated talking to the Spanish/Portuguese speaking members of the class and some of their frinds form the upper level classes came by.
There is a rather short, charming and kind Indian man named Q (his pseudonym will come later) he invited everyone in the school to a dinner at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo on October 31st. He also agreed to be another one of my guides. I am meeting him for dinner on the 25th as well.
We started walking to the train staion together. One of them, a woman named Marlena, was from Bolivia and a comluter programmer here studying now as she says it is difficult to find work without good Japanese skills. She invited me to a party that sould provide ample opportunities to greater explore the non-English-teaching community of foreigneres here in Japan.
