Dear Contact Person/Reception Team Leader,
First of all, I appreciate that you and the rest of the team have put much work into this reception. I thank you for this effort.
Unfortunately, there have been many problems with this reception. Despite urgings to present these to the entire LC (which I can't claim to fully understand), I prefer to inform you directly. You can pass them on if you feel it appropriate.
1. I feel very disappointed that there have been virtually no learning activities in these 9 weeks. The purpose of the traineeship program is supposedly for mutual learning, so it seems a real shame that this was completely skipped over in my case. I realise that my living far away made things difficult, but I still feel more effort could have been made on this point.
Similarly, it is absolutely ridiculous that an LC of people with so little international experience and knowledge has not used this opportunity to learn from me, a foreigner who has been to 9 countries and speaks 3 languages (albeit 2 badly). That I leave you with the same xenophobic stereotypes and abysmal English skills as you had when I arrived is another major disappointment.
2. I feel extremely let down that no one took the time to read my expectations document. I did not send it just out of courtesy or as a token gesture � it was intended to help and advise you for the planning of my reception and learning. I still do not understand why no one paid any attention to the contents of this document. If there was a language problem, why couldn't you ask (OGX member with very strong English) to translate it? 3. I also feel that person who has never been overseas (e.g. yourself), is inappropriate for heading a reception team. How can you possibly help the trainee adjust to life in Japan, when you have no idea of the "culture shock" which they are going through?
Similarly, a "contact person" who can't speak a word of the trainee's native language is obviously less suitable than one who can. When at least 5 of your LC members speak some degree of English, I fail to understand why you were chosen as my "contact person". I have tried my best to manage with Japanese alone, but some English capability on my "contact"'s part would have saved a huge amount of stress, time and mobile phone charges.
4. Unfortunately cultural barriers which have been easily surmountable with many LC members have meant that our relationship has not progressed as well as it could have. Although I have strained to adjust to, and be understanding of, Japanese ways, I feel that you have not made the same effort, and the following have prevented me developing friendly relations with you, as I have with many other LC members:
- Your absurd over-politeness � I have told you many times now that Westerners are uncomfortable with this bowing and scraping nonsense. I know that young Japanese people do not use keigo in casual conversation with one another, and I find it insulting that you use it when addressing me.
- Your failure to develop any conversation beyond the "Doooo yooooouu knooooww�(rice, sake, chopsticks etc)?" questions
- Your refusal to allow me any independence, even when I assure you that I want to do things for myself (e.g. insisting on accompanying me to the internet caf� rather than pointing it out on a map like I requested, buying me a new phone card rather than telling me where to buy one, "generously" giving me a sleeping bag to lug around Kobe for a day without asking if I need one). This is intensely irritating to anyone from a non-collectivist culture, as I have patiently tried to explain to you so many times.
- Your repeated (ad nauseum) references to my farewell party, beginning less than two weeks after I had arrived. I can't believe that you see nothing strange about this! When a guest comes over for dinner, do you accost them in the doorway to confirm when they plan to leave? I would think not.
As I said earlier, in spite of all these problems, I appreciate that you put much effort into organising this reception, such as it was. It is a tragedy that so much effort was misdirected, and I suggest that you should strive to "work smarter, not harder" in future. I believe that this LC has the potential to organise successful traineeships in the future.
Good luck.
Nick