Hoilund: In Danish we have two ways of saying “hello.” As a formal way, well, we say “God day.” And then there’s a more informal way where you will just say “Hi.” My name is Bente Hoilund. Bente is my first name and Hoilund is my last name. I come from Denmark, from Copenhagen where I graduated from Copenhagen University many years ago. And I have been a teacher for a long time. Especially, I have been working at a trade school or business school with young people from fifteen years old up to eighteen years old. But then I had a period in Indiana, the U. S. A., Indiana, Indiana University where I taught Danish for them for more than two years. And then I went back to Denmark again and I worked at the same trade school or business school for a couple of years, but I wanted to go out again to see the world. And then, it had been a very good experience in Indiana, so I wanted to go to a foreign country again. And then I heard about, eh, that they wanted a Danish teacher at Tokai University, Tokai in Kanagawa. So I applied and I got the job and I have been there for. . . I was there for five years, actually. Then I was asked by Osaka University of Foreign Studies if I wanted to come down here after that. Then I said yes and now I have been here for five years and this is my last year.

Interviewer: Thank you. So you’ve been in Japan five. . . for, for. . . ten years. Could you tell me your impressions on Japan?

Hoilund: Yeah. I’ve got so much to say because it’s a very exotic country. It’s to me, coming from Scandinavia, it’s so different, everything is so different. But then I would say that the thing that struck me the most about Japan as a whole was that I feel safe here. I feel very safe, okay I live in a very nice neighborhood, I live in Onohara Higashi. It’s a very nice neighborhood. And there’s never any problems. No violence. Of course I know that you have crime in Japan. Of course you are one hundred and twenty-seven million people, so of course you have a crime rate, but it’s very low. And I have never, ever, had anything, any problems, not feeling threatened in any way. So that is very, very nice about your country. And. . . you want me to speak about, more about your country, my impression of Japan?

Interviewer: Yeah.

Hoilund: Well, that was something positive. I had also something that I was very surprised of in. . . in my field, you know, as of being a teacher because I. . . I have been teaching as I told you at Indiana University also, so when I came to this university I expected little bit like the same level. But then. . . yeah, I don’t know what is wrong but the students here are very. . . they are not so engaged. They’re very. . . shy away. I don’t know what it is, but it’s so hard to make them speak and it’s hard to make them really study. It’s as if they don’t know how to study in a way and it’s as if they’re not really, really interested. I expected that. But now after ten years I think I have somewhat of an explanation. Maybe it’s a school system. Because I know the students and they’re wonderful, they’re so nice and very social and very friendly and well-behaved. I like them a lot. But as students, they’re not what I had expected university students to be. And I think it’s because when they chose to go and study at a university, it’s not really because they want a career in that field. I hear many of my students say, well, afterwards we’ll go and have jobs in a big company and not really be using what they learned. So, first and second years, they’re more eager to learn but then third and fourth years, it’s as if “Well, what’s the use, we won’t use what we learn anyway.” So they’re kind of giving up. And that is very, very strange to me, coming from the Western world. Yeah.

Interviewer: So, the situation of the educational system is very different in your country?

Hoilund: Yeah, yeah. Very different. Also, in class if you know something in Denmark or in other Western countries you would raise your hand and you will tell your opinion. You would be much more active in class. Here, I have to point at a person to make them speak. And it takes forever for them sometimes to answer. So it’s not very effective. It’s as if they don’t know how to study and to, how to behave, they’re so passive. And it’s a shame because they’re young people, and they are not stupid, so they could actually learn. I think it’s a waste. I think it’s. . . Japan must be a very rich country that they can afford such a waste. Yeah.