Back to the old grind.

After a long 3-day weekend thanks to Umi no Hi (海の日), it is back to work. At length, this experience has been enlightening for a number of reasons. Japanese corporate life is all about social intricacy, and you find yourself lost in this dense network of mores and subtleties that you have to learn through experience. I have been trying to keep up, but in a culture of unspoken rules, it is often just easier to make a mistake and learn from it. The company has been open to me as an intern, and I think my co-workers have not held me to the standard of a fellow nihon-jin, but I certainly believe Japan is not always going to be Western-friendly... at least not without a steep learning curve.

It has been a long time since we were all together. We have come so far.

Corporate life is a taste of the 9-5 lifestyle, and I find myself adjusting slowly. I am still not used to being in an office environment, which can be at times stifling. The college bubble is deceiving, but when burst, I suppose reality sets in. Completing small tasks and research projects can be rewarding in its own way, but I know I could do more. But I have to respect the fact that I am an intern at this company, and based on the imbedded social hierachy, I am literally at the bottom. And we are made well-aware of that in the way the business functions from meetings to interaction on a daily basis. However, I feel respected by my fellow co-workers and supervisor, so I really could not ask for more. I need to work harder on assimilating the little things like greeting others or expressing myself.

I have been teaching English for the past week and interacting with customers interested in studying abroad. I feel this is where the learning really takes place, and I am learning more and more everyday about the Japanese experience, especially in terms of English education. It is my first time teaching non-native speakers, and I have had to adjust to this shift in ability. I cannot rely on English to explain English, and I have to oversimplify many concepts and slow my speech. Thankully, my supervisor was present to serve as a translator and guide in case I get into a bind with teaching. It has been an honor to even receive the opportunity to teach clients and offer them whatever experience I can give them. Japanese students are naturally quite shy, fearful of losing face in public. English, which students tend to know in the written form over the speaking form, dread communication. They have to be called on or spoken to directly for their to be any greater interaction beyond some body language or one-word responses. It speaks a lot about Japanese education in English, which could use some work, particularly in communication practice and education outside of textbooks. 
 

My special little corner of the office. I speak to students here on Tuesdays as part of their conversation English practice.

My view from the office. I'm not a stalker, really. Note the clocks on the top right. LA time is up there. I miss LA! 

I think the other interns would agree that this is really a valuable experience in that Japanese companies seldom offer internships in the first place, which makes this opportunity that much more rare. We, as interns, are here to learn through the work we do. I have come to really value the work I do given that so many graduates are without jobs in the current economic state. I am lucky to be doing any tasks, big or small. Though I am not paid for what I do, the rewards are in the cultural exchange as well as the corporate experience in the long term.