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Multilingual ≠ perfectly fluent, and that’s OK!
Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life? I studied French from junior high through first year undergraduate. I can’t speak it. I tried, but my teacher (MA from Tunisia) had to use a book based on Parisien French, even though my hometown is a stone’s throw from Québéc (not Paris!). […]
JAXA finally gets it right with the H3
Six small satellites developed by universities and other organizations carried by the vehicle also were believed to be successfully separated, JAXA said. https://apnews.com/article/japan-jaxa-h3-rocket-launch-9c64f2c59b9212d612902e74823b77b5 “Believed to be” successful. Very Japanese. It’s a start. A late, very much delayed start. But at least it worked (finally).
What to tell a white and nerdy college kid…
What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self? That by the time you are able to support a family, everyone on the planet will be just as geeky as you…with a mini-computer in their pocket 24/7, obsessed with scifi and super hero movies, and desperate to stay in the loop on the […]
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Author Archives: MThomas
Initial reactions (cont.)
In 1992, in what was widely publicized as the first incident of a man taking child care leave from a private company in Japan, Mutsumi Ota took 3 months off from his job and wrote about his experiences for Japan … Continue reading
Posted in colleague reactions, Paternity leave
Tagged child care, family leave, Japan, Paternity leave, workplace hostility
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Initial colleague reactions
Although I had already talked with the jinjigakaricho about child care leave, I resisted approaching the head of the English department, Professor K, until the middle of November. One reason was that I felt that waiting until a less stressful … Continue reading
Posted in colleague reactions, Paternity leave
Tagged child care, family leave, Japan, Paternity leave, workplace hostility
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The paperwork is in…but the Personnel Head is not
This morning, after the usual 25-minute walk to campus from the station, I headed straight for the General Affairs office (Soumu-ka). In my hands, a plastic sleeve folder containing the four pieces of paper so far required for the Child … Continue reading
Posted in Paperwork, Paternity leave
Tagged child care, Japan, parental leave, Paternity leave
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