The Grapevines

Yesterday evening, I was out late with friends from Taiwan. They had a party earlier that day for friends leaving Sendai back to Taiwan. We also dropped by a labmate's appartment that day also to cheer him up because just recently he had lost his sister...

We bought drinks and food, the 5 of us crowded into our friend's appartment and started talking. We just talked about whatever came to mind. Everyone else could speak Mandarin, I thought it was kind of funny, that I was a foreigner among foreingers. Actually that isn't entirely true, foreigners are like family-- we help each other out through thick and thin.

I learned a lot that evening about lab culture, particularly in my lab and perhaps some interesting generalizations that I'll be keeping my eye out for. There are general rules that exist in my lab, something that exists to keep our professors happy (more importantly, it keeps them from getting annoyed). The rules are never talked about in public, because once you know the rules of the game, they always inevitably change; and why change a game when you know the rules.... right? (fyi: I think the rules do need changing)

From experience, my labmates that were with me that evening told me about their experiences and stories. For example, the director of the lab used to get a little annoyed with students if they spent too much time in front of their computers. Why? It's because his philosophy is that all students should be experimenting instead of reading all the time. The result? Some students now take their computer and disappear into the library to read papers and work on presentations instead (when you're not in the lab in front of your computer it's assumed that you're working in the experiments building).

In the lab, you're allowed to ask questions. "Stupid" questions are occasionally allowed and they're sometimes answered with a "why don't you think about it a little more." Other questions are answered usually only once. Ask again and they have a bit of a "don't you remember" sort of attitude. Atleast one professor will stand over your shoulder to watch what you're doing for your process but won't say anything, unless you make a mistake.

There seems to be a theme going on here: things aren't often said directly but rather, indirectly. Relations with professors aren't only like that, it also exists between Japanese labmates. After being told this, I thought this was profound (how would I have known??).

People here have a horrible habit of making assumptions and something that I would call "spoky analysis from a distance" (an adaptation from one of Einstien's famous quotes 'Spooky action at a distance' -- it's about electron pairs interacting with each other from a long distance... but I digress). They make their own observations about you, discuss it amongst themselves and then come to a conclusion with you none the wiser. If you have lunch with a close friend of the opposite gender, they'll think you're on a date. If it sounds like you go to a lot of parties, they might think you're a heavy drinker; so on.

I don't mind people making guesses, that's a particularly normal thing about people, scientists especially-- it's called a hypothesis. But why, oh why do they not go and verify this by asking the person directly is beyond me. Suffice to say, I have just learned that the lab and a part of Japanese culture is a rumor mill.

"Tread lightly and speak softly, for the walls have eyes and ears."

Why is it that the Japanese are so indirect? I will make a post about that another time...

By the end of the evening, I've become an honorary member of the Taiwanese society; sort of fitting of me, don't ya think?