Through the Eyes of a Wombat

For the past couple of hours while I've been sitting here in the kenkyushitsu playing on the internet, Uchiyama san has been talking to one of the students, fulfilling his job as a 'helper'.
The student has been asking questions about some of the work she has been doing, and theyve just spent about an hour with him telling her how to lay out a particular set of data in a tabular format. She intends to carry out a survey, and he has been explaining the importance of asking appropriate questions, and giving examples. Uchiyama san is trying to get this poor girl to think for herself, but every time he asks her a question, the poor girl fumbles in her seat until he gives up and spoon feeds her the answers.
If every student in here needs this level of hand holding for every assignment they write, it is a wonder anyone gets anything done. Two aspects of Japanese culture are suddenly very clear.
The first, why on earth you would employ someone to sit around in the room in polar fleeces all the time to be a 'helper' to the students. Well, obviously the students need it. Do other uni's spoon feed their students this much, or is it just Tohoku? (Makes me laugh - Tohoku is supposedly one of the best universities in Japan)
The second... when students finish something, or move on, or graduate (as seen last month), everyone makes such a big deal out of thanking the 'helper' profusely. Not just 'thanks', but almost to the point of prostrating themselves on the floor type of gratitude, and various presents of food. The reason for this is suddenly clear to me - the students actually need so much help, that without the helper, no one would ever be able to progress past first year. They are thanking him so much, because he is the entire reason they were able to graduate in the first place.
During a brief moment of silence in the room, Mum rang, causing my mobile to belt out Donald Duck's quacking at full volume. Oh, how that surprised everyone! Does this count as breaking the 'wa'?

Heard back from Hendriks today, too. He seemed keen to actually use my experience to improve the situation here for future exchange students. Shame, really, that nothing they (ANU or Tohoku) can do now will convince me to stay.

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