I recently attended a local JALT (Japanese Association of Language Teaching) meeting and the program was given by Diane Hawley Nagatomo, speaking about her recently published book, Identity, Gender and Teaching English in Japan. The book tells the stories of ten non-Japanese women who teach English in Japan and are married to Japanese men. She conducted extensive research and interviews to write this book and is herself a non-Japanese woman and a university professor who is married to a Japanese man. She highlighted several of the stories in her talk. How interesting to be part of the Japanese world and an outsider at the same time. I want to read the book now!
My experience and observation is that as a foreign female teacher and wife to a Japanese, you can be treated as a highly valued attractive exotic bird and status symbol, OR an outspoken demanding incompetent scary oddball of low moral standard! Life in Japan can be a roller coaster!
As living in different cultures is a big richness and sometimes it is also so hard. Many times I am asked from the local ones the questions they never make to the natives! The good point is that when we call friends for the food and if something goes wrong with the cooking I say that the recipe is Finnish one :) ( I am Finnish living in Greece) I am sure you will enjoy the book!
That sounds like a wonderful book to read.
ReplyDeleteHi Pamela,i agree with Sue ,i think its a must read for you,enjoy .
ReplyDeleteI too would like to read that book. I wonder if Amazon would be able to supply?
ReplyDeleteMy experience and observation is that as a foreign female teacher and wife to a Japanese, you can be treated as a highly valued attractive exotic bird and status symbol, OR an outspoken demanding incompetent scary oddball of low moral standard!
ReplyDeleteLife in Japan can be a roller coaster!
As living in different cultures is a big richness and sometimes it is also so hard. Many times I am asked from the local ones the questions they never make to the natives! The good point is that when we call friends for the food and if something goes wrong with the cooking I say that the recipe is Finnish one :) ( I am Finnish living in Greece) I am sure you will enjoy the book!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a good read for you. I'd be interested in knowing what you think after you read it...if you could relate to the stories.
ReplyDeletexx, Carol
Sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDelete