Monday 11/12/00
Arrived in Kobe at about 7pm their time. The flight was great. I think that i managed to score the best seat in the whole of economy class: upstairs, a window seat at the front of the back section (i.e. i had 3 metres of leg room and an emergency exit in front of me). The people next ot me were really friendly once they realised i could speak a bit of japanese. They kept offering me food, and telling me how cold it would be in Shiga.
About 15 Kobe LC (henceforth KBLC) members came to Kansai airport to meet me. We went out for dinner, then i went to Taki's (President of KBLC) house to stay.
First went to the University itself. Up until now, i had thought that UNSW was big, but Kobe University is at least half as big again. It is built on a huge hill, so to get to it one has to walk around the hill several times in gradual ascension like one of those Escher drawings. The LC office is tiny, but otherwise pretty much the same as any other AIESEC office anywhere else. Later I went with Nishi to organise a bank account, but they wouldn't let me because I don't have a certifiable fixed address in Japan ("Ahhhh yessss, banku accounto, no probrem, velly izzy... but... you are... ehhhh... forinaaaa..., so velly biggu probrem.... velly diffikarto, soooo sollyyyy"). Now it seems that the Kobe LC will organise an account in their own names and collect my wages, then send or give them to me later. I don't mind as long as they don't make off with my money. (Retrospective note: I didn't have access to my earnings until the fourth week of my traineeship)
Went to an Izakaya (drinking house) for dinner. Met an exchange student from Australia on a Monbushou scholarship. All the Japanese got very drunk.
Went ten pin bowling with a few of the AIESECers. Bowling places are pretty much the same the world over. Later we went to Torii's house/shoebox for a Takoyaki (Octopus dumpling) Party. Fun.
Met with Nishi and Kamei, then went to Osaka to meet representatives of Pipes R Us. Actually ended up meeting the President of the whole company, who is an AIESEC alumnus. I was terrified that i would say something wrong, but he didn't actually talk to me anyway, just spent the whole time yakking to Kamei about the employment opportunities in the Federal Treasury, leaving all the traineeship stuff to his PA while he smoked a whole pack of cigarettes (i took a loooong deep breath of oxygen as soon as i got outside).
Later, attended a presentation by a representative from what i understand to be an NPO "keiretsu" (conglomerate). I didn't understand a word, but used the time to think about my presentation for the Christmas party. Ate two dinners because there wasn't time for lunch and breakfast consisted of a lonely piece of toast messily smeared with vegemite (spread with a spoon).
Note to Australian AIESECers: Don't starve trainees. It would cause trouble if they all started dying on us.
Moved to Kaji[ta]'s place. The bathroom is smaller than an airplane one. That said, everything (furniture etc) is so space efficient that it is quite comfy, even when a few extra AIESECers sleep over.
Attended classes at Kobe University. The International Culture class was startlingly close to our International Business ones: there were two group presentations where some group members were really good and well prepared, and others were absolutely hopeless. I felt right at home. The English class was hilarious. It consisted of the class watching a video about the "Dredd-Scott Decision" (no, i hadn't heard of it either), narrated in thick "Amayyyrrrican" English, followed by ridiculously basic questions on the incredibly dull content. Since none of the students would volunteer an answer (they were Japanese), the teacher (she was also Japanese) resorted to taking true/false responses through the personal video screens just like in "Who wants to be a millionaire?". For the entire two hour class, not one student had to say a single word of English. I can just imagine these kids in future interaction with native speakers:
"Hi, how are you?"
"Eeeeetoh..... (Japanese thinking sound) tsuruuu! (Japanese rendition of the English "true")"
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Aaah, forusu!"
"I'm not sure I understand you..."
"Tsuruuu?"
Finally, Industrial Policy was just like our basic Microeconomics, right down to the fact that half of the students were sleeping and the other half were talking amongst themselves and ignoring the lecturer.
The Christmas Party was okay. I winged my presentation/speech. I hope that it wasn't too obvious, but it probably was. Took lots of photos, which i will get developed soon.
Went to an Indian restaurant in the CBD for lunch. A few of the KBLC people are going to Pune just after me to organise Community Development traineeships, so we thought it would be good preparation (Retrospective note: this was unnecessary, since the Kobe delegation managed to only eat one meal in the whole three days they spent in India - apparently they not only "raiku Japaniz fuudo velly muchi", they ONLY "raiku Japaniz fuudo velly muchi"). The food was very plain, but otherwise not too far off the mark. Came back to Kaji's place and had Shabu-shabu (steamboat/hotpot), then Kondo, Kuro-chan, Izumi and Mashi showed me the basics of Mahjong.
Left for Youkaichi with big Naoki and little Naoki, the two reception team leaders.