Interview with Mr. Jiao Degang

Mr. Jiao Degang is from the northern province of Heilongjiang — a name that means “black dragon river.” It is quite rural and borders North Korea. He has worked at ASIJ since 2002.

Why did you first come to Japan?

I originally came as a foreign exchange student here to learn Japanese.

What did you do before you came here?

In China, I worked at a hydroelectric power plant.

Why did you choose to work at ASIJ?

At first, it was just a chance opportunity, a part-time job I got through my acquaintance who was the head of the contract cleaning company. To put it simply, it’s just a job.

What do you enjoy doing during your free time?

Being with my family and traveling. My favorite place to go is Hawaii.

Is your family here?

Yes, my wife and son are both here. My son is 11 — he goes to Japanese school and speaks both Chinese and Japanese. Now, he’s also learning English.

What expectations/hopes do you have for him?

My biggest hope for my son is that he can have a better life than I have. I hope he excels academically, has better opportunities for learning, and has a better outlook on life. I want him to follow his passions. You see, my generation, even if we were passionate about art or music, we had no resources to pursue them. I hope that can follow his dreams.

What is your son’s current passion?

Baseball. He’s not so interested in school, but that’s okay, he’s still young.

What do you think the most difficult thing is about living in Japan? How does it compare to your hometown?

When I first came, it was difficult to adjust, after all, it is a foreign country. After a while, you do get used to it. Still, my stomach hasn’t adjusted that well. The heat. There are obviously a lot of cultural differences, but mostly the climate. It’s a lot better here; my hometown had really harsh winters. When I was growing up, it was 30-below.

How do you think the students here at ASIJ compare to the Chinese students you went to school with?

The kids here are polite. Comparatively speaking, you’re much more friendly, you guys take the initiative to greet us sometimes. To be honest, I don’t really have much experience with students beyond when I was a student myself, and we were not that good. Now, it might be better, I don’t know. Sometimes kids are pretty naughty, but that’s to be expected.

If we were your children, what would you like to tell us?

While you’re young, work hard at learning and work hard at playing. Before you start working, go have fun. Learning is important of course, but it’s also essential to have a balance with fun. Once you start working, there’s not as much time. Once you start a family and have kids, forget about it.

When you were a student, what was your favorite subject?

PE, because there was no need to study!

What is the strangest thing you have come across at ASIJ?

The main thing is kids often carelessly misplace their things. It could have something to do with the overall culture of the country. You can’t really lose things; even if you leave your wallet somewhere, in many cases people will return it. You guys don’t even look for the stuff you misplace. As for me, if my kid comes home without his jacket, he’s got to go out and look for it. Maybe parents are busy and don’t notice their kids’ missing stuff since they already have so much going on.