Jason. Krause was a 199] . graduate of Caledonia Senior Secondary. Jason was the recipi- ent of a Pacific Rim scholarship (among many other prestigious awards) which has entitled him to spend one year in Kobe, Japan, living with a Japanese family and attending Japanese Language School. These are excerpts from his initial experi- ences in this very industrialized and cultural Asian oasis called _ Japan. . The Japanese people are the most respectful and service- oriented of any country Ive travelled to. People are always extremely polite; moving to ‘make room on a train, sidestep- ping around you on a sidewalk, or apologizing for stepping on your toe. j If you can, go to the Skeena . Mall the last Saturday before Christmas, walk around the centre of the mall and try not to bump into anyone or get in anyone’s way. Now imagine, if The bestof heb ay Seoson 4718-B Lazelle Ave. by kn vit. Aoftinutich Terrace, B.C, ¥V8G 1T2 eet ___ 935-2352 moving at triple the pace in the ' same area, could you still do it? If so, you’d be right at home here in Japan. And you’d prob- ably be rich selling your secret § to clumsy foreigners in Kobe! Not only do Japanese people show respect, any customer anywhere is given incredible service. In every department store, there are more clerks than customers. All haircuts. come with a complimentary massage, and every taxi driver opens and closes your door for you (OK, so he just. pushes a button and never leaves his seat — but it’s the thought that counts)! A lot of Japanese are material- istic and incredibly "name con- scious" about their purchases. This creates a huge market of 4621 Keith Ave. Terrace phone 638-4600... 7 pe dow fantng’ would 1? on ad Wis hy “The Nick Ras at ese ister HAPPY HOLIDAYS 1 Holidays hours — restaurant 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. every day except: \ Christmas Eve — 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. t Christmas Day — CLOSED s George’s | a» Christmas Eve — noon - 8 p.nt. Boxing Day — noon - 8 p.m. New Year’s Day — noon - 8 p.m. . see tlt PLEASE! DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! Remember: We offer a courtesy van every Thurs., Fri, Sat. & Sun. nights COLD BEER & WINE STORE 11 am. -11 p.m. except Christmas Day — CLOSED Boxing Day — 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. there were triple the people . Terrace Review —— Wednesday, December 18, 199] 13 consumers for foreign com- panies, as their products are considered the trendiest and thus, are the most sought after. “Last year, for example, Coca- Cola Co. sold more Coke in Japan than in any other country in the world (including the United States!). Obviously this attitude doesn’t extend to all Japanese. However, it was one of my first impressions and does describe many, especially 25- to 35-year-olds. My favourite part of Kobe is the great school I’m attending. I was looking forward to wearing a navy blue, "70s-style uniform, being pushed into a train every morning at 6 a.m., and studying at least 10 hours per day (like most students in Japan). To. my bitter disappointment, I only go to school about 20 hours per week, have barely any home- work, and above all, I’m allowed to wear jeans. But, there is one immensely enjoyable high point of every day. Every morning at 8:03 (now I know how the kids from Gossen Creek feel!), I line up with hundreds of other people for a subway train that, using my best estimations (Thanks, Mr. Woot- ton and Mr. Fermat), is at least three cars too short and about a metre too thin. Consequently, - every morning, an old frail- looking man with spotless white gloves gingerly puts his fingers on my back, constantly apologiz- ing. Then, just as the train doors are about to close, he gives mea violently powerful thrust, defy- ing his appearance, that sends me catapulting into the swarm of Japanese already in the car. My weight ends up entirely sup- ported by my curled toes; my fingers on my right hand are discreetly tugging at my backpack stuck in the doorf and my left elbow, which I can’t Straighten, is creating a nice bruise on a poor girl’s shoulder. Furthermore, I don’t dare move any other part of my body as the lady on my right has fallen ] Jason checks in from Japan asleep standing up, and her head is resting on my arm. If I were to move, I would wake her up. In Japan, that would be con- sidered impolite and disrespect- ful. I attend class at the main YMCA College in Kobe. I was a little wary about studying at a YMCA. However, all my con- cerns were unfounded. The YMCA in Japan is amazing, running everything from nursery schools to colleges, culture centres to athletic centres and travel programs to resort islands. Through the YMCA I’ve had many opportunities to volunteer coaching soccer, leading hikes for children and guiding visiting foreigners through YMCA pro- grams. YMCA Japanese Language Colleges are considered the best in Japan and attract good stu- dents from many countries around the world. In my class alone, there are people from France, Germany, Austria, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and of course, Canada. The majority of the students come from Asia, and, of course, we’ve heard the rumours about their legendary study habits. As far as I can tell, all the rumours are true! They’re always early for class; they have their books open everywhere; they finish their homework before leaving school; they study a chapter ahead of the class; they never take breaks... it goes on and on, I received a mark of 93% on the first major test our class had, and was feeling pretty good about myself — until my class- mates started sharing their marks. The average mark was 98% and my mark was the sec- ond lowest in the class! But, as Mr. MacKay will surely point out, a little competition never hurt anything... except maybe the pride of those Caledonia soccer players (a friendly old rivalry). Sayonara and Happy Holidays for now!