Lapin My Wonderful Part-time Job
About two months ago, I received an opportunity to interview for this new bakery that opened up in Owase. Someone I had just met in the OWASEBON (a post about that later on) meeting upon hearing that I was semi-jobless(or under-employed) immediately offered to call upon the bakery to whom she was loosely associated through one of her friends. This event sowed a seed of interest in the minds of the bakery owners in me. The new place was called Lapin (unbeknown to me at the time I had already patronized their store for my bread fix three or four times).
After multiple discouraging, irritating, and painful experiences with the discrimination against foreigners and close-mindedness of the local populations, this experience was very uplifting – just when I needed one. The other places (some even English conversation schools) rejected me on the basis that I was a foreigner alone or else because I was male. What does this say – male foreigners = worst situation. Females sadly are desired probably only for the exoticism associated with them.
Thus in March I began working at this wonderful bakery that would soon be the boon of my daily contentment with my often thorny life in Owase. Thank you, Miho and Yuko.
Close Community, Distant Hearts
Work at Lapin. An average day, Chie-san stays until 2 pm after I work. Conversation is minimal at best; Nothing compared to being Oka-san, who never ceases to lift my spirits. I come in clean trays, the amount of bread on display, clean some dishes, converse. Suddenly an elderly woman and her granddaughter come in, as Chie-san leaves. Miho(the sister of the owner) comes to help me with register. But something isn’t right.
“Are you OK?”, I ask. Knowing she will lie.
“I am fine.”
As soon as the ritual “thank you”‘s and “come again”‘s are over. I look over; she is crying. She asks if its okay to leave the store to me.
“It’s fine.”
She rushes to the back. What happened? Why did she start crying all of the sudden? As i get utensils for the egg salad recipe, I overhear. Mostly cannot get. But what I understand is that something about hateful words said by that little girl earlier to her daughter at school – they were once friends? I can’t get it all. I curse my Japanese. A little later, Miho is still not around. Faking a reason to go to the storage room. She is leaning against the shelves. Still crying. I can’t do anything for her. I can only helplessly look on as she suffers before me.
My life in Japan has lead me into relationships that seem so right, so fun, and so satisfying. However, when trouble mounts around us, reality vaguely seen becomes terribly lucid. Those I care about I cannot console. Their pain is inconsolable. I can be there. Maybe that is enough… for them, but not for me. I am utterly helpless before their pain. The native speaker can easily contrive words of encouragement. I cannot even if I think for an hour the words will not come. i know them not. I thought I know them, but I only know what my language ability allows me. One might think that this would encourage in me the motivation to study. But I cannot. I am burned out. Can I really justify all the hours of study with just the thought that I will be able to connect, console, and encourage those in pain around me.
Like a great bamboo grove, my Japanese friends are so close. Almost leaning on me. Almost touching, but never do.
Happiness Happens
When one thinks that no one cares and nothing will change, often happiness or relief falls into place from unseen circumstances. Such has been the reality as of late, though somewhat self-absorbent to be posting such joys in times like these in Japan. I believe that celebrating life and looking forward not backward is the road to reconstruction.
For months I had been looking for work – no matter how menial or mundane – to pass some time and enforce a schedule on my life but also to make a little more savings for crises and loan payments. In many ways I don’t believe that my wife and I will get such a perfect time to save and be free of money worries again like this for quite a while. Thus as the April neared with no job prospects in sight the stress grew and grew and yet in my own classic style I did not realize that I was stressed. Until I begun to feel a sudden, strong tightness in my temple twice or three times an hour . That has since stopped, for a number of reasons but here is the best one: I got a job working in a bakery/cafe! The bakery is called Lapin(or bunny in French). The name comes from that fact that the brainchild of bakery(one of two sisters, who run the place) is year of the rabbit. The year of teh rabbit is associated with many good things, happiness, fertility, creativity, and warmth. All good things for a qualities to ascribe a bakery, right?
First, I LOVE Baking! Second, this is Japan, not America, it’s like studying survival Japanese everyday. Third, FREE BREAD!
Furthermore, this job has opened up a plethora of cultural experiences and lingual opportunities. I get to practice my numbers a lot (haha), polite language, and many more mundane words I would not use nor need but everyone knows. Most importantly, in this job I am treated as an equal. My proposed names of new bread or sweet designs are no more accepted than the owner and maker of the bread. My ideas for how the cafe should sell or how much it should sell are all accepted and discussed. This could very well be the Japanese work ethic of consensus that I had heard so much about. Now i have experienced it. Say what you will about its perchance for inefficacy or inefficiency but I find it more rewarding and inviting. This equanimity was especially demonstrated by the fact that unlike so many job places before that quickly rejected me after they heard I was a foreigner (without speaking to me or even inquiring about my Japanese language ability), they wanted to meet me and talk with me. I could not have asked for a more positive environment. I am so overjoyed with this blessing. God answered prayers never even spoken only wished in my heart.
I truly love this job and I pray that more wonderful experiences await me ahead.
Hallelujah! Viva La Pan!
Photo to come soon!
Oh! Saka! 