Busy week! April 24-28
PLEASE NOTE: I have not had the chance to watermark all of my photos, and it will take me a great deal of time, as I published this and my other blogs between 2010-2017. I ask you to respect my property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me as follows: Photo by Jody McBrien, learningtheworld.org. Thank you.
I taught my third class on Monday. Six out of nine students were there - none of the male students. I think the women felt a bit more free to speak, though it is still a bit of a challenge to get them to talk.
I had hoped to create a make-up class (the students would not have had to read or write anything for it) later this week, and we agreed on a date. However, this did not seem to go over well with the office, so I chose to just teach my class next Monday and scramble to get near Narita late before flying to Hong Kong on Tuesday. I also ended up cancelling my airbnb arrangement for next Monday as the host seemed pretty inflexible about times and helping to pick us up outside his normal hours. Luckily, I found a hotel very near the airport for the same price.
The azaleas are beginning to bloom. Soka easily has over a thousand planted, and when they are in full bloom, they will be nearly as beautiful as the sakura.
On Thursday, I found my way into Tokyo for an interview with a woman working for Japan for UNHCR. From there, I made my way to Kameido Tenjin Shrine, known for its wisteria planted during the Edo period. When I started out from the train station, I asked a group of women if they could direct me. They did more than that, as they were going there as well! The wisteria were so beautiful. It is hard to choose favorite photos.
On Friday (today as I write), I again went to Tokyo for two more interviews - AJALT (Teachers of Japanese Language) and RHQ (Refugee Headquarters), both working with refugees. I have learned a great deal about Japanese resettlement. It began in 1980 for Indo-Chinese resettlement
(Vietnam War era). Japan signed the Convention related to the status of Refugees in 1981. They define "Convention Refugees" as people who arrive as asylum seekers and complete the process of applying in Japan for refugee status, a process that typically takes 2-3 years and that almost always results in a denial of the application. They also accept refugees for humanitarian reasons. And since 2010, they have been accepting "third country resettlement refugees" (what New Zealand would call "Convention refugees").
Some have criticized Japan for not taking more refugees in recent years. As a researcher, I do not judge that. However, given my personal observations, I understand it. Bringing in refugees from other cultures is a big deal for Japan. Unlike the US, Japan is a monocultural society. Its people are not used to people from other regions and cultures, unlike the US. Japan is an expensive place to live. Cities, where many refugees tend to reside, are challenging to navigate. I compare myself. I am a Westerner with sufficient funds to make mistakes and be able to recover from them. I have housing and a job. Even though most Japanese do not know much English, it is better than if I spoke Burmese or Portuguese (Brazilian-Japanese) or Arabic.
And it is very tiring for me. One of the women I interviewed today said that the stress of city life is even difficult for the Japanese people. This morning, to get to Tokyo, I stood for over an hour on a train (while adolescent boys grabbed the seats on the train). From there I had to take two subway trains where people were literally pressed into the trains. I found that I needed to do many meditation techniques to lower my aggravation and my temperature (it was very hot on the crowded trains, but meditation helped to lower my temperature). I did my best to notice anything of beauty outside the train to concentrate on something positive. It would be so easy to be angry, but that simply does not help the situation. I typically takes me about two hours to get into Tokyo.
I think people often think this kind of travel is just a fun add-on of my work. Certainly I love seeing the amazing international sites, and I add in trips outside the range of my research for enjoyment on my own dime. But this work is HARD. Trying to find locations for my interviews is challenging. If only I knew which exit to leave from the trains or subways! It would be so much easier! Over and over, I rely on the kindness of the Japanese people, who are often so kind that they literally take me to where I need to go. I have never been that kind in the US, but when I return, I plan to do the same when the circumstance arises, because I am so grateful to the Japanese for this kindness. Without remarkable help from locals, those who are foreigners in countries can really struggle. We all need to keep this in mind to help people in our country.
I had about three hours between my two interviews today. My first interviewee suggested that I visit a refugee-owned restaurant, Yellow Bamboo (Vietnamese), for lunch. I tried to find it, but did not. However, I did find the Imperial Palace (Edo Castle), so I enjoyed about an hour of walking the grounds outside the palace.
I taught my third class on Monday. Six out of nine students were there - none of the male students. I think the women felt a bit more free to speak, though it is still a bit of a challenge to get them to talk.
I had hoped to create a make-up class (the students would not have had to read or write anything for it) later this week, and we agreed on a date. However, this did not seem to go over well with the office, so I chose to just teach my class next Monday and scramble to get near Narita late before flying to Hong Kong on Tuesday. I also ended up cancelling my airbnb arrangement for next Monday as the host seemed pretty inflexible about times and helping to pick us up outside his normal hours. Luckily, I found a hotel very near the airport for the same price.
The azaleas are beginning to bloom. Soka easily has over a thousand planted, and when they are in full bloom, they will be nearly as beautiful as the sakura.
On Thursday, I found my way into Tokyo for an interview with a woman working for Japan for UNHCR. From there, I made my way to Kameido Tenjin Shrine, known for its wisteria planted during the Edo period. When I started out from the train station, I asked a group of women if they could direct me. They did more than that, as they were going there as well! The wisteria were so beautiful. It is hard to choose favorite photos.
On Friday (today as I write), I again went to Tokyo for two more interviews - AJALT (Teachers of Japanese Language) and RHQ (Refugee Headquarters), both working with refugees. I have learned a great deal about Japanese resettlement. It began in 1980 for Indo-Chinese resettlement
(Vietnam War era). Japan signed the Convention related to the status of Refugees in 1981. They define "Convention Refugees" as people who arrive as asylum seekers and complete the process of applying in Japan for refugee status, a process that typically takes 2-3 years and that almost always results in a denial of the application. They also accept refugees for humanitarian reasons. And since 2010, they have been accepting "third country resettlement refugees" (what New Zealand would call "Convention refugees").
Some have criticized Japan for not taking more refugees in recent years. As a researcher, I do not judge that. However, given my personal observations, I understand it. Bringing in refugees from other cultures is a big deal for Japan. Unlike the US, Japan is a monocultural society. Its people are not used to people from other regions and cultures, unlike the US. Japan is an expensive place to live. Cities, where many refugees tend to reside, are challenging to navigate. I compare myself. I am a Westerner with sufficient funds to make mistakes and be able to recover from them. I have housing and a job. Even though most Japanese do not know much English, it is better than if I spoke Burmese or Portuguese (Brazilian-Japanese) or Arabic.
And it is very tiring for me. One of the women I interviewed today said that the stress of city life is even difficult for the Japanese people. This morning, to get to Tokyo, I stood for over an hour on a train (while adolescent boys grabbed the seats on the train). From there I had to take two subway trains where people were literally pressed into the trains. I found that I needed to do many meditation techniques to lower my aggravation and my temperature (it was very hot on the crowded trains, but meditation helped to lower my temperature). I did my best to notice anything of beauty outside the train to concentrate on something positive. It would be so easy to be angry, but that simply does not help the situation. I typically takes me about two hours to get into Tokyo.
I think people often think this kind of travel is just a fun add-on of my work. Certainly I love seeing the amazing international sites, and I add in trips outside the range of my research for enjoyment on my own dime. But this work is HARD. Trying to find locations for my interviews is challenging. If only I knew which exit to leave from the trains or subways! It would be so much easier! Over and over, I rely on the kindness of the Japanese people, who are often so kind that they literally take me to where I need to go. I have never been that kind in the US, but when I return, I plan to do the same when the circumstance arises, because I am so grateful to the Japanese for this kindness. Without remarkable help from locals, those who are foreigners in countries can really struggle. We all need to keep this in mind to help people in our country.
I had about three hours between my two interviews today. My first interviewee suggested that I visit a refugee-owned restaurant, Yellow Bamboo (Vietnamese), for lunch. I tried to find it, but did not. However, I did find the Imperial Palace (Edo Castle), so I enjoyed about an hour of walking the grounds outside the palace.
Nijubashi (Double Bridge)
NOTE: July 2018 date on post is republish date, not date of the event.
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