hey all,
Still no word about contracts...I did receive an email from one of my company's employees saying they would be sending forms to help me renew my visa for next year, which obviously means they don't intend to fire me, but I really want to know where I'll be working, at least in some general sense. It is something of a relief to know that they intend to renew my visa, and thus my contract, but at the same time, I'd really like a position with more responsibility and better pay.
I was talking with a ALT friend about our prospects for doing something outside of teaching, and I mentioned an idea that I came up with several months ago, but never got off the ground: a guide to living in Japan in the form of a manga. While this in itself is actually kinda a stupid idea, narrowing the focus allows you to have a more interesting plot, and to actually do something pretty cool. For instance, this friend is married to a Japanese girl, and was bemoaning the lack of decent relationship advice for foreigners (as he put it) stuck in his predicament. Having made extensive use of my network here in Japan and abroad for just such advice, I obviously saw this as a good idea.
There are pretty large cultural differences between Japan and other places, and thus different expectations about what your partner should and shouldn't do, what are acceptable topics, who pays for what, etc. There are some really quirky things about Japanese girls that take some getting used to, as I'm sure for them there are quirky things about us foreigners that take some getting used to. But what if you could be forewarned about some it? What if you could learn about the cultural/historical background for these differences, and also get some good ideas for coping with them or preventing them from being problems in the first place? And, what if you got to read about these as presented in comic book format, fully illustrated in color? Surely there is a market for that. I am thinking of releasing it (should it ever see the light of day), as a webcomic, and possibly collecting donations or selling professionally printed/bound versions, as for example Warren Ellis does with his comic FreakAngels.
I've been working up some brief sketches of parts of the story arcs, detailing some things that could be covered, how it should be done, etc. Whether or not I actually make money off of this, I think it would be somehow cathartic to do. I've also been reading about how to draw manga, and practicing a little in my spare time. As you all have probably noticed, I haven't mentioned studying Japanese recently, because I basically haven't had the time and/or inclination to do so. I hit the books really hard for several weeks, but I burnt myself out, and now anything more than doing a few flashcards or writing a few sentences feels like too much.
Another idea, this one viable for myself as an individual, was trying to sell some photographs. Michi actually has one of my photos from a trip I took to Ohio as her computer background right now. Actually, it is the same photo that my mom selected when I copied the pictures to her computer after the trip. (As a side note, I am often noticing some similarities between Michi and my mom, and she is often noticing similarities between my and her dad. Insert Oedipal remark here.) I can take some decent pictures, and I should be able to supplement my current salary by selling some.
Cheers,
