Maxime Capron

STUDENT INTERVIEW: Maxime Capron (AJSP)

Declan: Hello. Thank you for the interview.
Maxime: Pas de probleme.
D: When did you start at Yamasa.
M: April 2005. I started in I class in the AIJP.
D: So you studied Japanese before you came?
M: About a year and a half in college.
D: In France?
M: Yep. In Lille. Universite Lille 3.
D: What text were you using when you started at Yamasa?
M: Minna-no-Nihongo II. We started at Chapter 26.
D: So you have been at Yamasa for more than 18 months now, are there many students left from when you began?
M: Actually almost all of the people in my class right now, all started around the same time.
D: What about any of the teachers?
M: Yamada Aya-sensei taught me an elective, one of the conversation classes. The other teachers I didn't have back then.
D: Who is in the teaching team for your class?
M: Fuma-sensei, Hattori-sensei, Yamada-sensei, and Hayashi-sensei.

D: Was this stay your first time in Japan?
M: Yes.
D: What sort of things have been surprises for you? Things you may have noticed while living in Okazaki City that were different from expectations?
M: Umm. The way families live. They live separately without any apparent problems...The parents work and the kids go to class and at the end of the day everybody goes back home. The don't communicate a lot but it looks like it works fine.
D: Aren't families in most major cities like that anywhere in the world? Is it different in Lille?
M: It seems to me that in France families spend a little more time together even though I might be wrong.
D: OK. What other things have you noticed or were unexpected? I assume that in Lille you might have been exposed through texts and video and media etc to a window on Japan, was that the case?
M: In fact I'd just been studying Japanese history in class and we read some Japanese books but nothing that could have given me a real idea of what contemporary Japan was actually like. What I knew from Japan was mostly picked from the internet or some TV programs. Though even at the time I didn't think I could rely on what I was reading or seeing.
D: And were you interested in Japanese history?
M: No I was more interested in the contemporary.
D: What aspects of modern Japan interested you at the time you were studying?
M: The way Japan transformed from a traditional society into one that mixes the traditional with the things I associate with more western ways of thinking and doing things.
D: What type of things?
M:It could seem like a stupid example but even now a lot of parents expect their daughters to get married before their thirties even though they have to work like everywhere else... And even though they know that, they still think that it's the best way for a woman to live her life... I know some people in France that wouldn't agree with that kind of way of thinking...
D: Do you know what feminisuto means?
M: Feminist?
D: No, feminisuto. It can mean a guy who for example, instead of insisting that the woman walks 5 meters behind him, is the kind that sometimes will let them walk beside him and opens doors for them instead.
M: Guess it's common sense, or in that case maybe just ibunka.
D: So how many of your teachers are married?
M: As far as I know, only Hayashi-sensei. She has two children, ni-hiki as she sometimes jokingly puts it.

D: OK, so do you live in Student Housing?
M: Residence U
D: Single?
M: Yes. As far as I know everyone in the building has a single apartment.
D: Is that where you lived when you arrived?
M: No, when I arrived I was in Residence K, a single, then I shared a 2DK at Residence L with another French student, but when he left I decided I didn't want to share the apartment with someone I didn't know so I moved to Residence U. Due to the accommodation shortage the Housing Office wouldn't let me live in Residence L by myself. Plus for studying I think it is better to have your own room, more privacy. Its quieter and better when concentrating on learning new things.
D: Do you write home or call your parents much?
M: I use skype a lot, some email. Its difficult to keep in touch because of the time difference.
D: How do you get to school rom Residence U?
M: I ride my bike, except when its raining.
D: What kind of bike is it?
M: Just a "mamachari", but it has 3 gears. Very convenient on the slope up from Route 248.
D: How long does it take to get to school?
M: On the bike? About 5 minutes. Maybe 20 minutes if I decide to walk.
D: Do you cook your own food?
M: If I have the time. If I'm going home late, I usually just eat something from the convenience store.
D: How is Residence U compared to Residence K?
M: Residence U is quieter, even when the new students move in, and its nice having the convenience store close by.

D: The Ministop?
M: Yes. There is a Ministop close to Residence K, the one next to Hane and the Student Village, but it is a 3 minute walk instead of 30 seconds.
D: I see.
M: And the Ministop near Residence U sells booze, but the one next to the Student Village doesn't.
D: Are there any French wines?
M: I'm more of a beer drinker.

D: What do you do when you are not in class or doing the homework we throw at you each day?
M: I work part time. I teach French and I work as a bartender. I used to work in a cake shop.
D: The one that went bankrupt?
M: Yes.
D: For the record, that cake shop sucked.
M: Oui.
D: How many people are you teaching French to?
M: 11 all together. 2 groups and 4 private lessons per week.
D: The bartending is at Zig Zag only?
M: Thursday nights and the first shift on Fridays.
D: How is working there?
M: It depends on how many Swedish people show up.
D: Is teaching and pulling beers enough to pay for your food and expenses?
M: Enough to cover my food, rent, the gas, water and power bills.
D: But not the tuition?
M: No. Unfortunately.

D: Have you been able to make a few Japanese friends?
M: Yes. Quite a few.
D: Are they Francophones or are they normal?
M: Only one is a French speaker...

pause

D: Do you think I might get into a bit trouble for the phrasing of that last question?
M: No. The French have a good sense of humour.
D: Should I rephrase it?
M: Its OK.
D: Oh good.
M: You bastard... (laughing)
D: So the others only speak Japanese?
M: Yes, some speak a little English, but we communicate in Japanese because it is easier. A lot easier.
D: Text messages in Japanese and stuff like that?
M: Yes. It's good practise too.
D: Are they all in Okazaki?
M: Pretty much. Okazaki, Nishio, Anjo. One from Nagoya, and one over in Inuyama.
D: Sounds good.

D: Have you done much travelling in Japan while you are here?
M: Not really. Went to Tokyo with 2 friends.
D: Would you like to travel more?
M: Definitely.
D: Where would you like to go.
M: Kyoto and Osaka. And I'd really like to go to Hokkaido.
D: Why Hokkaido.
M: The image of Hokkaido I have in my head is different from what I have for the rest of Japan.
D: I'd like to live in Hokkaido for 3-4 months a year.
M: During summer?
D: During the hottest & most uncomfortable part of the summer and about 1 month in the middle of winter for skiing and snowboarding. So um, if you went to Hokkaido would it be for travel or would you want to work or study?
M: Firstly for travel, but it would be cool to work or study there too.

D: OK. Well thank you for the interview and good luck with the rest of the studies.
M: You're welcome.

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