Diary of a JET #7: In which I expound upon the weirdness of ALTs in Japan

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What you are about to read is probably going to be an unpopular opinion. You have been warned.

8.10 am and morning meeting begins as the school bell chimes, just like clockwork. The vice-principal bids the staff room a good morning. “Ohayo Gozaimasu,” we chorus back at him. The regular principal does nothing, sometimes he doesn’t even attend morning meeting. He is just a figurehead.

As usual, I understand nothing that transpires; the meeting is carried out in Japanese in hurried, urgent tones. A few staff members stand to deliver small announcements. I sit in my chair in the corner checking my emails, reading other blogs about Japan, googling nonsensical things like how to utilize neon accessories for spring and then pinning it all to Pinterest.

It’s a day like any other. Life here can become so uniform, so regimented, that days start to blend together, becoming just another link in life’s impenetrably-armoured succession of days. This is something that has come to my attention recently, the endless monotonous onslaught of routine. Sometimes I think each day is just a step closer to getting out of here. And then I get depressed because I’m probably not utilizing my time here effectively.

  

Why have I been lingering over this lately? Well, I hit a boiling point this past Golden Week: I realized that not only was I not utilizing my time in Japan effectively, but that I had not really done so since I had arrived here. Part of the problem is that I still haven’t really made any close friendships or travel-buddies here with which to do awesome travels in Japan. And instead of blaming myself for my bone-idleness and general social awkwardness, I’ve decided to blame everyone around me instead. You see, when ALTs come to Japan to teach, they are normally organized into groups by their contracting organizations and receive both pre-departure and post-arrival training and orientation. Oh, to be that lucky. Some of you may know about the unusual circumstances surrounding my contracting into the JET Programme but let me just bring the rest of you up to speed: they called me and said “Get over here immediately.” So I arrived in Japan in March, by myself, when in a normal perfect world (where I was not born with the worst luck) I would have arrived in July with a group of fellow noobs. 

 

Me

The lack of training and orientation aside, I also missed out on a very integral experience for many new ALTs, one that many probably take for granted. I was not able to meet and bond with fellow noobs whilst en route to Japan. Not a big deal you are probably thinking, well, there have been some larger ramifications for me. The first of which was that the rest of the JETs refused to accept me into their herd, like I had some unusual stink on me. I also noticed a distinct grouping pattern of ALTs. All the first years together, all the second years together, etc… So where does that leave me who came by myself? Screwed. Mostly I just hang out with the Interac people, a couple of whom arrived in March too but we all know JETs and Interacs are sworn enemies. 

Better post this before someone else suggests it.

Okay, so we have established that I am ‘Nigella No-Friends.’ My point is that I don’t feel it is for want of action on my part. I have done everything in my power to make friends here. Why is it that ALTs are just not interested in setting down roots? I guess I can understand it; if you only plan to teach in Japan for a year, why get attached? I knew an ALT who was returning to their home country after a one-year stint in Japan. We were both members of a small group who had (I felt) gotten close during our time in Japan. I had offered to help him out with packing, etc. because I was his friend (I thought). When I asked if he was looking forward to going home, this was his exact reply: “Of course! It won’t be so bad. That is where my real friends are.” I just kind of struck me as odd that maybe he might not realize that his ‘real’ friends were right here, offering help and fare-welling him fondly. But at the same time, this kind of mentality seems to sum up a lot of ALTs: my real friends and family are back home, I’m just in Japan for the travel opportunities and the super-kawaii-desu-desu novelty of it all. After all, all the awesome stuff I’m doing in Japan makes for great posts on my Facebook wall (for all my real friends back home) and that’s about it. I'm not here to expand my cultural awareness through international friendships or anything.

The other problem with JET Programme participants is that a small percentage of them, I have found, are incredibly inexperienced with regards to interacting with people from other countries and this also inhibits their ability to do basic human things, like make friends with these people from other countries. This is their first time outside of their home country and it shows. Generally, my interaction with this strain of ALT results in them treating me as though I have sub-level human intelligence once they find out that I am from Australia and me deciding to never interact with their childish, ignorant arses every again. Or sometimes they just shout “mate” at me repeatedly. Or mimic my accent like its some kind of novelty. Every single time I run into them. Once I was told my opinion didn’t matter during a discussion because I was Australian and a “convict”. Once I was accused by another ALT publicly (on Facebook) of being a racist and that I had failed in my “responsibility to [Australian] aboriginal people.” Why? Because I posted this (unabridged) comment on my own Facebook wall: “Happy Australia Day!” I was attacked, insulted and accused of being racially biased for the simple act of being Australian. I feel like there is some hypocrisy to be found somewhere in all of this…

Really, the immaturity and offensive racial stereotyping around here can boggle the mind. I have read a lot of blog entries (not just here, but many many places) and articles on Japan Times which take time to discuss and analyze the way the Japanese people and government are racially biased against non-Japanese. But in my experience, I haven't had so much of a problem in this department, but conversely, it is with the non-Japanese (especially the aforementioned culturally inexperienced ALT) that I have seen these distasteful attitudes. If you are planning to join the JET Programme, you had better come prepared for some really ignorant behavior. 

Oh, and to set the record straight for the people who think Australian = unintelligent; I’m Australian and I just received my diploma for my Masters degree at the University of Adelaide, which is a Group of Eight university (one of the top eight universities in Australia) and globally ranked at #92 at the time of my graduation (out of thousands of universities worldwide). At least my university ranked.

#First world problems

The thing is, none of this really makes me that furious. Because, honestly, this whole experience has allowed me to test of the mettle of those around me. Should I be disappointed that these people didn’t pass that test? No. THEY should be disappointed in themselves. I have been the target of a lot of personal attacks lately. If you want to spread false rumours about people; fine. If you choose to believe those rumours about someone who you yourself know little about; that’s even worse. But I’m not mad about any of this. I’m an adult and the JET Programme isn’t high school despite the fact that I constantly find myself surrounding by some amazingly immature people (and I’m not talking about my students). Like I said; you didn’t pass the test. So now I don’t care what you say about me. I don’t care about you at all, darling.

I’ve poured out a lot of hurt into this post today and hey, you’re probably either incensed or thinking I’m the world’s biggest whiner, but if you feel like discussing some of this with me, I’m up for it. Maybe people just don't want to be friends with me, fine, okay, maybe I whinge too much. But I find it difficult to believe that in all my time living in Japan I have yet to make one friend who I will likely stay in touch with after I leave.  I'm not trying to be morally superior here, either. Maybe we are all guilty of poking fun at someone who is different in (what we believe to be) an innocuous sought of way; maybe you have made a distasteful “joke” about someone based on their gender, racial, or sexual background without realizing the gravity of what you have said and played it off as “just kidding” (and maybe this is how I get back at people like that, by posting passive-aggressive comments on my blog). I’m certainly not innocent myself. It is truly saddening to me that we still live in world where this happens. My question is, is this what the world has come to? Is it really this hard to make lasting friendships in this day and age? Leave a comment below.

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