so… i was thinking… with my complaints and stuff with the japanese way….talking about how i think this and that is wrong… and what is right. i know i dont have choice and i dont have right to judge… cause it works for them. for the most part… i judge… to myself. meaning i dont think they should change… just… i dont want their way in my world. in my country and other places it would not work. 90 % of the world… could not do their way. so… i feel it must not be right way…. but its NOT wrong. its just their way.

so here is the dilemma. i come from a capitalist minded background… the end of any situation is who gains from something. and how much is gained. not money. but whatever they value. energy, knowledge, education, peace, health… money… etc. many things. thus.. when i came to here… i first thought and often expressed… that wheni am being paid for ajob… like here… then i am providing a service. thus… those paying me are my customers. in this situation… my salary comes from tax money. so the people of the city are my customers. thus i should provide them with a service.

i think i have found… correct me if i am wrong… the kink in the plan with this whole JET thing… at least for me. there is no… expressly written or explained expectation of us. see… 30% of the things i think have value… people here dont. 30% they value i think is meaningless… and another 30% is just mixed all over the radar with some being passinate, and some being indifferent. that leaves 10 %. that 10% we agree on… and is in the contract and we all agree its important. like drugs. and drunk driving… and speaking english to the kids. etc. its that other 90% that is an issue. thats what causes the problems.

so who do i make happy? i think i still believe in i should service the customer. so… the taxpayers of the city pay for me to come here and… what? that is the problem. some say… teach english. ok. how? some say… just be there… let them see things a foreigner does. let them be comfortable with american/canadian/british/australian ways… then they complain about those ways. others say teach the book… ok… but then they complain about the pronounciation or how we are not following their teaching plan. ok… follow their teaching plan… then there are no results… cause the kids dont really listen to the plan or follow the book anyway. some say… follow the contract… ok… but… that pretty much gets ignored by the city hall and peers here. i doubt they have even read the contract. the parents don’t take much energy to leran what the kids are learning… so… what do the parents value from the foreigners in the JET program? what do they want from us? not an angry question… but a genuinely curious thought.

so… i have a belief… that the reason we are not expressly explained what we are expected to do… (of course no oen can explain everything… but… much much less here than in western culture)… is because they do their jobs more of as a way of life. they think the whole world is that way. theydont seem to really UNDERSTAND that we are different about that. a teacher here has to be and act and breath like a teacher even at home on the toilet. so they assume we know that and will do that. however… the western world makes a much greater distinction between work life and home life.

here is the kicker… with this whole… pleasing the customer thing… what do we do… when we dont know what the customer wants… and very possibly… the customer doesnt know EXACTLY what they want?? someone has to make a judgement call. hard to do when the community believes that all judgements should be debated and agreed on. so… do we just put our foot forward… and do what we feel is best for them? do we sell our ideas to them ? are we just stupid? do we demand more of an explanation for what thye want? do we just ignore them and do what we want and what we are happy to give? i think this is definitely an issue i need to think more on…..