Work
Ξ August 12th, 2007 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |
I never know how I can respond to a basic question what I do for a living; I just do not know where to start… I have no full-time job, instead I several part-time job and positions. I enjoy juggling various activities and I love the fact that my hours are so flexible, however, I obviously got sucked into a Japanese workaholic routine, which seems inevitable in this country. Partly because this country is cursed/blessed with perfectionism, punctuality, effectiveness, and a high sense of responsibility, and partly because I am greedy for experiences, activities, and travel opportunities. Anyway, here is a list of basic things that I do:
1. Russian language instructor at Kansai University (Kandai)
http://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/index.html
I teach Russian at Kandai twice a week (3 classes on Mondays at the Faculty of Letters and Economics Faculty and 1 class on Thursdays at Sports Frontier (Judo) Faculty). Students are very much fun and I love teaching. They, however, obviously enjoy the fact (sometimes too much) that I am a young teacher – I have a stable reputation of a “yasashii” – that is, kind sensei, so they are more playful or relaxed at my lessons than they would be with older and/or stricter teachers. We watch movies, talk about Russian culture and life-style, they write papers about what they watched and understood about Russia, and so it is a lot of fun. I believe my mission there is more than giving them the basics of Russian grammar, it is more about breaking stereotypes about Russia (some of them think that we drink vodka with tea in the morning, that Lenin is a famous tennis-player, and that we have MINUS 2 degrees Celsius in July). My current dilemma is how to keep discipline in class, because even when I shush them I cannot stop smiling, because I think that they are just adorable kids. I also get a lot of “Sensei, how old are you?” “Do you have a significant other?” “Can we meet you in private?” “You are very cute” and so on – which at 32 years old is not even flattering. Kandai is a very prestigious university, so they have got to have a high IQ to be there, and they are very well-read and knowledgeable for the most part, but some of them are not socialized enough for their age, which is often the case in Japan, where life is so easy and young people are infantile until they actually start working in society. But overall, my Kandai experience is very good, though I feel sometimes like a kindergarten teacher. Importantly, Kandai’s tape library is excellent and I borrow a lot of good movies to watch (note to my friends who teach at Japanese Universities – make sure to check out their tape libraries!!)
2. Research associate at Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture
http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/
It is basically a professional affiliation which allows me to do my research there and helps build my resume. They have a wonderful library in the field of comparative religion and many other great resources. I am most interested in their Templeton-funded project, Japanese Perspectives on Science and Spirituality (that is a part of the world-wide project Global Perspectives on Science and Spirituality): they are having colloquia bringing together scientists and scholars of religion in Japan. This project is in the beginning stages in Japan and it is interesting to watch it unfold. I did some Japanese-English translations for them on the topics covering issues in science vs. religion, medical engineering, robotics, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, bioethics, organ transplantation and such. Loved it. I am learning so much hot information in the field of religious studies just by doing translations. I have been digging seriously into Buddhism during the past couple of year and I am getting more and more interested in Buddhist spirituality (academically). Nanzan University is in Nagoya, so I cannot go there often but I wish I could do more research there.
3. Tour guide/interpreter
For several years now I have been working as a tour guide and an interpreter for (nouveau-rich) Russian tourists who come to Japan for vacation. It is a great job because it allows me to travel for free around Japan, stay at the most beautiful Japanese-style hotels, enjoy great food, hot springs and various attractions, and have interesting conversations with my clients who for the most part are well-educated (with some exceptions) and are interested in Buddhism and/or Christianity in Japan. I have traveled for tour guide job all prefectures of Kushu island; some of Shikoku, and Honshu and have seen the most beautiful spots of Japan.
4. English/Russian language teaching
All foreigners in Japan, regardless of nationality, teach eikaiwa (English conversation), and I am not an exception, obviously. I have been doing it for at least 8 years here. I love this job so much, because my students are the most funny, brilliant people and I have developed some good friendships with Japanese people due to eikaiwa. Currently I teach on a regular basis at two companies: “Sky” Co., LTD and “Daikan” Co., LTD. “Sky” is a soft-ware engineering company, they are mostly computer programmers. And “Daikan” makes signs. I also teach Russian at the Russo-Japanese Relationship Society, and I have many private Russian and English language students. I also work for ABCkara company, which introduces new students to me sometimes.
Note for eikaiwa teachers in Japan: if you want new students
you can check out
OR contact them at:
TO SUM UP, my activities include teaching, research, interpreting, translation, touring, etc. I love all my jobs, because they are so diverse, flexible, fun and allow me to take long vacations to travel. However, my dream job is a full-time university position, ideally in the field of comparative religion, philosophy of religion or cultural studies. I am applying for post-docs and positions in these fields. Wish me luck (or let me know about position openings if you know any)!
