| With regards to my life in Japan, because my Japanese ability is quite poor, working and living in foreign culture and a foreign language presents quite a challenge for me. To my Japanese friends, I can't really describe what it is like except to say that it might be equivalent to having about 40 points knocked off one's IQ score. In my case, this leaves just enough brain power to maintain basic bodily function (heart rate, body temperature, bowel movement, etc.) and that is about all. I never really know what is going on unless someone explains it to me. My ability to communicate is well below that of the special needs students but somewhat better than the potted plants. The subtelties of non-verbal communication, complex office hierarchies and de- | cision making are all well beyond my reach. There is a true story of an Assistant Language Teacher not being told about a fire drill and being abandoned in the office only to later wave to the crowd of students assembled in front of the school. The students thought this was hilarious but apparantly, it was not to the amusement of either the fire department officials nor the school staff. Although this kind of event has never happened to me personally, it is fair to say that the communication barrier is probably the most significant problem faced by the Assistant Language Teacher in the workplace and in life in general in Japan. |
— Hokkaido Yearly Assessment of the JET Program 2000, Comments by an anonymous Assistant Language Teacher |