New Agora School Update

After a long break I am happy to start up blogging again about life in Japan. I do look forward to your comments!!

The following is my answer to a question on our Japanese site:

Esperanto was a good idea when it was created in 1887 at the height of European influence. It never really caught on, though, for several reasons;

(i) It's cultural base was very limited.
One thing that makes studying a foreign language enjoyable is learning about the culture of the country where it is used. When stydying the Japanese language, for example, I doubt that I could have continued for long without Japanese food, onsen, matsuri, origami, etc. as added motivation. Without a clear interest in a language's culture it is very difficult to maintain the commitment required for learning it.

(ii) English has become the defacto language for international communication.
During the last 60 years the United States has had a strong influence on world affairs (as have had other countries through out world history) but during this time communication between peoples has become extremely widespread. Esperanto was taking root among the elite or highly educated but was quickly overtaken by English. The American connection was a driving force among the masses the world over. Whether it be the "American Dream" or desire to do business with the US English has naturally become the language of choice for most.

(iii) Do not forget the Chinese.
"China is a sleeping giant. When she wakes up we should be prepared!" - Napoleon
As momentum is quickly turning towards Asia more and more people are compelled to learn Chinese. Even though it may be possible to communicate in English (many Chinese want to learn from Uncle Sam) it is always nice to understand what others around us are saying. And, for added motivation there is always Chinese food! :-)

At AGORA we are proud to be the only school in Fukushima to emphasize culture as we teach our students English, French and Spanish. This being said, I was at a loss the other day when I was approached by a total stranger in a grocery store. A women (mid 40's) asked me, as if I were her teacher, if she should buy the granolla-type cereal muesli 'with fruit' for her German guest's breakfast. She explained that she had no idea what to prepare for her over-night guest as it was her first time to receive a foreigner in her home. Thinking about it now, the answer was obvious; "Just prepare a traditional Japanese breakfast and don't worry about it!" At the time, though, I was at a loss for words and mumbled something about possible alergies.

The next time this happens I will be sure to swiftly present my business card (with a smile) and offer to help with bridging the cultural gap on any future occasion!!

Seasons greetings (or as we say in Japan: Merry Christmas!). Unlike in the West, and most of the world for that matter, people here do not worry too much about being politically incorrect with regards to religion. The Japanese (less than 1% are Christian) have adopted Christmas as a type of children's festival where it has become the custom to eat at KFC followed by strawberry shortcake at home! They are oblivious to its religious significance.

The Japanese New Year, however, is a lot like Christmas back home in that families get together to eat traditional food and also visit their local shrine or temple. It is also a time when parents and grandparents give little envelopes of money known as "toshidama" to the children. This, of course, is followed by a trip to the nearest TOYS R US!!

Below are photos of Santa's visit to our kindergarten Christmas party on December 22nd. And YES, what you see on the ground is snow!!

The following are a few photos taken during the Shinto Blessing. In Japan, there are basically two religions: Buddhism and Shintoism. They live side by side in almost perfect harmony as while one celebrates death & ancestry the other celebrates birth & new life.

Here are a few photos that were taken yesterday, a day before the official deadline.

In order, from top to bottom; stairs leading up from the main lobby. On the second floor there are five classrooms;
looking down the stairs to main entrance (I couldn't resist the wine cases below the stain glass window!);
entrance to two classrooms on the second floor;
classroom "France";
world's largest commercial wall map in the kindergarten (1st floor); "Agora Loft" on the 3rd floor (aside for two classrooms on this floor this is a multipurpose space); another view of the "Agora Loft".

Construction is nearing completion but it is quite chaotic at the present school as we are in the process of packing everything all awhile maintaining a full class schedule. Large items including the white boards, airconditioners and heaters have already been moved to the new school as their installation require special attention. Looking back, after everything is up and running, I'm sure we will all laugh and say, "How did we do it?!?"

On a different note there have been mistakes during contruction (not many but a few) which I pointed out and had fixed. This was actually refreshing. Why? Well, having lived in Japan for fifteen years I have seen first hand how society operates here. Of course, every country has its challenges and problems but Japan is a VERY advanced society, compared to others, and the Japanese are very diligent at what they do. So much so, that it can almost have a negative effect on one's self esteem if we think too much about it.

In owning and running a business here I have experienced how it is extremely competetive. It may be one the the most difficult places to do business in. The Japanese, as a whole, are highly educated and are very good at analysis and problem solving. As a westerner, we may have an edge regarding creativity and looking at a problem in a global way but that alone is far from enough.

During constuction of the new school I couldn't be but impressed with the quality of the work being done. When mistakes were made they were quickly resolved. These mistakes, however, reminded me that the Japanese are still human like everyone else. Despite being perfectionists they too make mistakes, thank god!

Almost all the scaffolding has come down and the school has emerged looking very good. For the final stretch, the electricians, carpenters, massons, wall paper workers, painters, and other technicians are all working hard to complete the building ahead of schedule. This is definately not Provence!!

In Japan, interior walls are almost never painted. Instead, they wall-paper everything including the ceilings! As a result, the choice of wall paper is mind boggling. It has been a real challenge maintaining a certain style and harmony throughout the building. Of course, the classrooms will be simple with nothing extreme but where possible it would be interesting to accentuate the AGORA culture in an original way. We will see if I have a chance of making it as an interior designer!!

The three samples you see here, for example, are quite interesting and will be used in the new school. "But where?", you may ask. Stay tuned to find out!

The long awaited roof is finally completed. Looking at it up close it seems a little odd but from the distance it gives off the desired effect. Roof tiles like I used on my home would have been nice but as we say in French, "C'est toujours une question d'argent!"
Since this photo was taken (yesterday) all exterior walls were finished and window panes installed.

Not much wood can be seen here. Instead of 2 x 4 studs all wall and ceiling supports are in aluminum. Everything is proceeding very quickly and the estimated date of completion remains November 30th. I tend to stop by the site at least twice a day and it is quite exciting to see everything unfold as planned.
Plans, though, sometimes need to be changed and last week I was able to fix a major design error. Looking outside through the studs in one of the classrooms there was a nice view on the school yard/playground below with lots of afternoon sun pouring in. To my horror I realized that I was looking through studs with no opening for a window!! Rushing back to the office to check the blueprints, I saw that no window had been planned for this 5m wide wall facing the nicest part of the school grounds. I cheched with the contractor to see if there was anyway to add a window but he pointed out that the window manufacturer needed two weeks to fill an order. This wasn't a possibility as all interior and exterior walls were being completed within the week. As a last ditch effort I asked him to check if the window supplier had any suitable windows in stock. I got a call back that evening saying that there was a (2m x 2m) window available! And, it was of the same dimensions as the ones used on an adjacent wall. "YES!!"

This assembly was quite straight forward with every piece coming together perfectly. There didn't seem to be any major adjustments with the actual frame taking only a few days to go up. Securing all the bolts, however, took over a week.

On the next photo you can see the roof covering which was completed last Friday (9/30/2005). As my budget didn't allow for roof tiles I decided to uses metal sheeting, but in four tones. I got the idea from a friend's restaurant "Chez le Ragoût. This is the same place, by the way, where I have all my wine and cheese parties!

When I first arrived in Japan, 15 years ago, one thing that struck me was how in most construction concrete pumps always seemed to be used. Even on a new home's foundation the contraption was there making the wheelbarrow obsolete.

Yesterday, however, it was the technology that caught my eye. In the second photo notice the fellow in blue looking down at his belt. He is operating, by remote control, the concrete mixer, the pump, and its speed of flow. The ten, or so, men around him are all working in harmony without saying a word. Quite impressive! Oh, and eight cement trucks later the work was completed by lunch time!!

While I watched the men work (they occasionally looked up amused to see a westerner looking at them - I probably looked totally out of place) I realized how my new school and the 20 year investment was contributing to so many workers' salaries and their families' welfare. It was a nice feeling.

A cement slab from 6 to 10 cm thick will cover the 2nd and 3rd floors. Although it's a metal frame structure I didn't realize so much concrete was being used. I did a walk around today with the contractor indicating where I wanted the floor electrical outlets (10 total). Jean-Paul once mentioned, many years ago, how a conference center (or hotel) had done so on a whim and how useful it was during events. With using laptops, projectors, etc. during class it will definately come in useful.