A Canadian Living in Japan
Krista Wakelin
When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor, until I found out how many years of school one had to to through so I forgot that idea since I didn't really like school at that time. When I was in elementary school I dreamed of being a cashier--I was so envious of the cashiers at the stores I went to. I thought they looked so cool typing in the barcodes (there were no scanners back then). I was mesmerized at the speed which their fingers danced across the key pad. After working at a concession stand at a movie theatre, the novelty of pushing the buttons soon wore off and it wasn't as glamorous as I once thought.
As I got older I realized I had a calling to work with children and I taught swimming lessons
for many years and eventually was the head of the Water Safety Programme
in PEI. I went to university and got a degree. Not knowing if I wanted to be
a teacher for sure, I ventured to Japan to get a year of experience
under my belt to make sure this is what I wanted to do before I invested
the time and money of a B.Ed. I've been in Japan ever since and love it
here.
Although I don't know what I want to do when I return to Canada I am quite pleased at what I'm doing now. I work two days a week as an
English Teacher, and am a housewife. Many people tend to look down on such an
unambitious career choice. I, however, love it and it is my choice to
be a housewife. My husband* provides for us, and my salary pays my credit card/student loan payments every month.
When I was younger and had friends whose mothers didn't work, I envied them. They had a Mom to come home to, and I imagined freshly baked
cookies after school (although I think that was just my imagination rather
than fact). They had someone to tell the events of the day to, and to keep them company after a long
day of studying at school. I thought my friends were so lucky to be
able to spend so much time with their mother. I had to go to a
babysitter's before and after school. When I got old enough to be home alone, I
was allowed to have my own key to the house and would go home and
watch tv and do my homework until my parents came home after work.
When I
was growing up my Mom went to nursing school, and became a full time LNA working shift work. I don't resent my mother for doing this because
it was what had to be done at the time, and the time we spent together
was quality time we both cherished. Given the choice I'm sure she would
have jumped at the chance to stay home and raise her children.
I didn't plan on being a housewife but it just happened. My husband got a job in another city so we moved to a small town on the south east coast of Japan. It is difficult to work your way into a school here because there are so few, and strangers don't trust you with their children unless you are recommended by someone. I know there are options available for me but it would mean giving up my two days of the work I do now and I'm not ready to do that. Before I moved to Hyugal, I worked six days a week in Oita; now that I live in Hyuga, I travel back to that same city we lived in before and work two days a week.
This is the first time in my adult
life that I haven't work full time, and I am enjoying it. I can read, write, study Japanese, and
body board at the world famous surfing beaches located a convenient
2km from our house. I also have time to keep the house clean. Houses in
Japan are built differently than those in Canada. There is no insulation
in the houses, nor are there double-paned windows. Air conditioners
run almost constantly in the summer to combat the 35 degree plus weather,
and kerosene heaters heat the houses in the winter. When windows are
open, dust from factories miles away gets into your house. Because of the
earthquakes and poor building practices, doors do not shut tight, and
there is usually a breeze whistling through your house via the patio
doors and windows.
So, there is a lot of cleaning that needs to be done,
not to mention trying to keep the bugs in order that manage to work
their way into the house from the small spaces around the doors and
windows. Everyday the vacuuming, dusting, dishes, grocery shopping, and laundry must be done. I have only seen clothes dryers at laundramats; no one has one in their house because they simply take up too much room, throw off too much heat, and raise the electric bill so all clothes must be hung outside to dry (which can take a lot of time since the humditity climbs to over 85% in the summer).
Of course, one can do all these chores
while having a full-time job, but now that I have lots of time to do these chores, I actually enjoy doing them. I don't feel stressed to get the
housework done before I leave for work in the morning, nor do I stress
over what to cook for dinner in the evening. I grew up in a house where
both parents worked full time shift work. They shared the cooking,
housework and child rearing. We aren't as equal when it comes to things
around the house. I do all the housework, and he provides financially
for us. When my husband was finishing up his last year of university, he
moved in with me and did more than half of the housework since I was
working six days a week, and he only had class four times a week.
Depending on our work schedules and children in the future, perhaps this plan
will change but this set-up is quite common in Japan. In Japan, most
times the wife actually will give her husband an allowance for the month
from his paycheck since he hands over his salary directly to his her.
The reasoning for surrending his salary to his wife is because he is
too busy to pay bills, go to the bank, etc., and so it is up to the wife to
make sure bills are paid, food is in the fridge, and the extra money is
put in a savings account. So even though I don't
have a strong a choice of working full time in a school right
now (schools start in April so the hiring isnt done for another few months), I do
embrace the choice we made to move here and allowing me to be a
housewife. It is empowering to know that every room in my house is clean,
there is money in the bank, and there is food on the table.
The point I want to make is that being a
housewife is a valid profession. Although you don't have to go to college or university to become one, it still involves lots of learning.
Since becoming a housewife, I now know the secrets to having a scum free
bathtub, know several cleaning uses for vinager and baking soda, am an
expert at vacuuming corners, and have streak-free windows. Of course I
still have no idea how to get the black off my pots, nor do I know a
good cleaning solution for the ceramic tile at entryway but I have time
to experiment. I don't have children yet but they are in the near future. I can't
wait to raise my children and work from the home. To me family is number one, and if I can raise my own
children and control(to an extent) what they are watching on tv, who they
are playing with, and what they are doing I feel I will be making a
useful contribution to societ I feel that that is a valid contribution to
society. Bringing up children with a strong sense of morals and values
has never been easy, and will prove to be a big challenge in this day
and age. The world today has
certainly changed from when I was a child. The dangers out there scare the
daylights out of me and make me wonder if I actually want to bring
children into such a world, but the love I want to share makes me want to have
lots of babies running around the house. Perhaps when my children
start schoo,l I will try to have a job that allows me to be home when they
get home from school. Nothing would make me happier than to drop my son
off at piano lessons while taking my daughter to soccer practice. I
can't wait to be involved in their lives and be at home when they come
home from school and hear about their day but until that day comes, I will
continue to clean house, go grocery shopping in the afternoon and
avoid the supper rush, and enjoy my free time to do hobbies.
*Note: To tell the truth my fiance and I aren't married yet but will be
eloping in the next few months. Legally I'm not his wife, but we live
and act like husband and wife and know we will be together for the rest
of our lives. So, I do consider myself a housewife rather than a
house-fiance....which would need so much explaining.
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