So much for thinking I would blog more...
Just another note to say I am alive, that my camera is almost full, and that EVENTUALLY (whenever that is) I'll post more pictures.
This weekend, I am headed to Tokyo to see a friend from college, Masamichi. My family practically adopts any Japanese student as their own and Masa was no exception. So he is home for break and I am NOT passing up an opportunity to see a familiar face! And to increase his already cool-factor, he lives in the same area where my mom grew up! So we plan to go see my Mom's old school, Keimei, among other things.
I will be home soon... how exciting.
Snow festival in 2 weeks!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hard Times and the New Year
Just a quick post to let you all know I am alive.
December was a very rough month for me physically and emotionally. Let's see, I...
1) fell down the stairs of my apartment
2) got food poisoning probaby from an okonomiyaki street vendor whereupon I had to go to the hospital to get an IV and blood taken
3) got a really bad cold on Christmas Eve that lasted so long that I...
4) missed my snowboarding trip to Nagano whereupon the emotional stress of first christmas away from home, lack of sleep, a mixture of cold/sinus medications, and overall self-pity probably...
5) gave me an arrhythmia at 2 in the morning where of course, I freaked out, stayed up all night in fear that I was about to die and...
6) went to a clinic of internal medicine for an EKG first thing in the morning and rested in bed all day but...
7) experienced such severe homesickness and lonliness that I called Kiyomi and...
8) asked to stay at her place until I...
9) celebrated a restful New Years at the home of my friend's cousins in Hamamatsu.
After such a horrid "vacation", surely you, faithful reader, can understand why I am never spending Christmas/New Years in Japan again. I am coming home next year.
Now that I am back at work, things have been looking brighter. My chorus club students invited me for a Nabe Party during lunchtime and I have enjoyed just being around people again... even if I can't necessarily talk with the teachers, at least I am not alone.
The hard times are when I leave school. Sunset is about 4:45pm which makes me FEEL like I should go home. But that would be insane. So I try to give myself something to do but there isn't much to do other than go to a bookstore, the stuffy public library, or go shopping with the intention of window-shopping which never turns out that way and I spend money that I wasn't planning on spending. I'm not hurting for money, not at all, but that doesn't mean I should spend it just because I have it.
Thankfully, this weekend is one of those "National Holiday" weekends so I will be spending it with the Hidakas and my friend, Sonja. This holiday is "Coming of Age Day" which in Japan is 20. Hopefully I will have the chance to post pictures of New Years, the Nabe Party, and this second Kamakura trip when I get back.
One request: Please pray for me to make it until I get home in the spring for my much-needed vacation.
December was a very rough month for me physically and emotionally. Let's see, I...
1) fell down the stairs of my apartment
2) got food poisoning probaby from an okonomiyaki street vendor whereupon I had to go to the hospital to get an IV and blood taken
3) got a really bad cold on Christmas Eve that lasted so long that I...
4) missed my snowboarding trip to Nagano whereupon the emotional stress of first christmas away from home, lack of sleep, a mixture of cold/sinus medications, and overall self-pity probably...
5) gave me an arrhythmia at 2 in the morning where of course, I freaked out, stayed up all night in fear that I was about to die and...
6) went to a clinic of internal medicine for an EKG first thing in the morning and rested in bed all day but...
7) experienced such severe homesickness and lonliness that I called Kiyomi and...
8) asked to stay at her place until I...
9) celebrated a restful New Years at the home of my friend's cousins in Hamamatsu.
After such a horrid "vacation", surely you, faithful reader, can understand why I am never spending Christmas/New Years in Japan again. I am coming home next year.
Now that I am back at work, things have been looking brighter. My chorus club students invited me for a Nabe Party during lunchtime and I have enjoyed just being around people again... even if I can't necessarily talk with the teachers, at least I am not alone.
The hard times are when I leave school. Sunset is about 4:45pm which makes me FEEL like I should go home. But that would be insane. So I try to give myself something to do but there isn't much to do other than go to a bookstore, the stuffy public library, or go shopping with the intention of window-shopping which never turns out that way and I spend money that I wasn't planning on spending. I'm not hurting for money, not at all, but that doesn't mean I should spend it just because I have it.
Thankfully, this weekend is one of those "National Holiday" weekends so I will be spending it with the Hidakas and my friend, Sonja. This holiday is "Coming of Age Day" which in Japan is 20. Hopefully I will have the chance to post pictures of New Years, the Nabe Party, and this second Kamakura trip when I get back.
One request: Please pray for me to make it until I get home in the spring for my much-needed vacation.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Update and Holiday Plans
Sorry I have been MIA for 2 weeks. Just recently, I fell down the flight of stairs in the picture above. Thankfully, I only fell from about the 6th step from the bottom, but I fell on my hip and now have a brilliant purple and yellow bruise (not ever to be pictured). I also banged my head on the side paneling and couldn't focus my eyes for a good hour. Thankfully, after this incident, the school has requested the government for funding to install a rail. I knew that the first time I saw these stairs, but I guess an accident has to happen for there to be a perceived "need".
In other news, I have finally settled my holiday plans.
December 22-26: Work at School.
The exceptions are the 23rd (Emperor's Birthday and thus a national holiday) and I will only be working half a day on the 25th as a few staff members want to take me to lunch. Whee!
December 26-29: Hakuba, Nagano-ken with other ALTs.
Think 1998 Winter Olympics. Hakuba is rumored to be THE place to ski/snowboard in Nagano. I have skied before, but with my short legs and thus "displaced" calves that are huge thanks to some genes from the Robertson side of the family, I have trouble closing up the ski boots. So, I fully intend to try snowboarding... for the first time... in JAPAN!
December 30-January 2/3(?): New Years in Hamamatsu
My friend, Sonja, has a cousin in Hamamatsu, a city in the western part of Shizuoka. Said cousin invited Sonja and I to spend our winter vacation with her since she has a newly built house and of course, wants to see Sonja.
So why am I not spending the holidays with my family? Good question. I could be really spiteful and hold onto resentful feelings but Santa is watching... so the short version.
There was a change of plans regarding a friend coming to Japan to see me. So I kinda had to scramble. There was no possible way I could afford a ticket home to the States so I had to look at options of Christmas and New Years in Japan. The Sasahiras had already planned to spend the holidays in Hawaii, my Uncle Nobi recently got offered a teaching position in MALAYSIA so he and Aunt Keiko are spending the holidays there checking out the situation, and that left me with either staying in Shimizu the whole time or traveling around Japan/the Shiz. Staying in Shimizu would've been utterly depressing, as if only getting a week off isn't depressing enough, so I will be out and about, hopefully not breaking my neck on the slopes, and spreading merriment over Japan.
This is the last week of TEACHING for the fall term. After the closing ceremony on Friday, I will have a bonenkai (end of the year drinking party) with my teachers. Hopefully I don't make a fool of myself.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A New Standard of Dress
When I "went out" in the States, I wore nice jeans, a "cute" top, and tennis shoes for my feet's comfort sake. If I was up for the challenge, I wore dressy shoes and hoped I wouldn't get blisters from all the walking during shopping.
In Japan, this is not good enough.
This past weekend, I went to Tokyo to visit the Sasahiras again and my Okaasan took me to some really upscale department stores. Blue ribbed sweater, light tan khakis, and tennis shoes looks good, right? WRONG. I never felt so out of place. And then I was carrying around my navy fleece pullover. Who wears a pull-over in Japan? It looks like it's only me. I had assumed that since it was Saturday, the universal day-off, that people would dress more relaxed. I think their idea of more relaxed is leaving the suit jacket in the car, because I was getting looks saying "Where did you come from? Your frump drawer?" No. My frumpy clothes are sweatpants and a t-shirt. If I were actually in them I might have been barred from entering the complex at all!
So Sunday, we went out to a second department store just for window shopping and lunch. I dressed in black pants, a red ribbed turtleneck sweater (called polo-sweaters here), and my black ballet flats. I didn't get any snarling looks so I think I passed the second time around. However, getting dressed up EVERY TIME just to enjoy a lazy afternoon shopping doesn't make the outing as much fun.
Maybe for those of you who come from cities bigger than Little Rock (and there are A LOT of them), this may seem normal to you. For me, I am longing for the next day I can wear my jeans. I think they are gathering dust in my drawer...
In Japan, this is not good enough.
This past weekend, I went to Tokyo to visit the Sasahiras again and my Okaasan took me to some really upscale department stores. Blue ribbed sweater, light tan khakis, and tennis shoes looks good, right? WRONG. I never felt so out of place. And then I was carrying around my navy fleece pullover. Who wears a pull-over in Japan? It looks like it's only me. I had assumed that since it was Saturday, the universal day-off, that people would dress more relaxed. I think their idea of more relaxed is leaving the suit jacket in the car, because I was getting looks saying "Where did you come from? Your frump drawer?" No. My frumpy clothes are sweatpants and a t-shirt. If I were actually in them I might have been barred from entering the complex at all!
So Sunday, we went out to a second department store just for window shopping and lunch. I dressed in black pants, a red ribbed turtleneck sweater (called polo-sweaters here), and my black ballet flats. I didn't get any snarling looks so I think I passed the second time around. However, getting dressed up EVERY TIME just to enjoy a lazy afternoon shopping doesn't make the outing as much fun.
Maybe for those of you who come from cities bigger than Little Rock (and there are A LOT of them), this may seem normal to you. For me, I am longing for the next day I can wear my jeans. I think they are gathering dust in my drawer...
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Kamakura Adventure Pt. 4 - Sunday, Nov. 2
So at the first of this month, I went to Kamakura to visit my Aunt Keiko and family and at the end of this month, I am finally completing the posts. Ha ha ha!! I'll try to keep the commentaries short but still have lots of pictures.
A small shrine on the way to Kamakura Station.
Me in front of the Daibutsu a.k.a. The Great Buddha of Kamakura.
The Great Buddha statue used to be inside a building. However, a huge tsunami came a long long time ago in a galaxy... oh wait... anyway, it came and washed away the building, but the Great Buddha remained. Dun dun dunnnnnn.
There are so many customs in Japan, religious and traditional. Here, the man is being "cleansed" by the smoke of the incense. Ironic... smoke is cleansing...
Another custom: toss a coin into the slotted box, clap twice, pray, when you finish the prayer you put your hands down, and bow a little towards the "altar".
Outside the Great Buddha Park, everyone was walking around with these HUGE rice crackers and seaweed. So of course, for the novelty of eating such a snack, I bought one and ate it ALL. Seriously, the osembe was as big as my face!
Early Sunday evening or late afternoon, Hiro and I took a walk around to see the burial site of Crown Prince....... somebody. Japan has many "eras". Right now, we are in the "era" of Heisei. Previous to this was Showa and before that was Meiji and before that, I do not know. But WAY back when, there was the Kamakura Period and that was when this Crown Price was buried. But to see the burial site, we had to hike a ways. See pictures below.
It seems that other families can be buried here too other than just the royal family.
If you thought my apartment stairs were bad (see "Apartment" post in August), these stairs were probably worse. They were terribly uneven, slick with moss, and slippery with humidity. They were the first "Stairs that will kill you".
And we were rewarded with our efforts with a view of Kamakura. You should probably click on the picture to see a larger image.
Coming home, Aunt Keiko really "wow-ed" me with a dinner of yakiniku (grilled meat) and veggies. I've slept since my visit at the first of the month, but I remember being in awe of how many packets of meat she kept pulling from the fridge. Meat, particular beef, is EXPENSIVE in Japan so she really gave me a treat of beef and pork yakiniku. Twas so good.
Thank you Aunt Keiko, Uncle Nobi, and Hiro for having me early in November. It was a great trip and I can't wait to visit again! Maybe I will see you next in Malaysia!
A small shrine on the way to Kamakura Station.
Me in front of the Daibutsu a.k.a. The Great Buddha of Kamakura.
The Great Buddha statue used to be inside a building. However, a huge tsunami came a long long time ago in a galaxy... oh wait... anyway, it came and washed away the building, but the Great Buddha remained. Dun dun dunnnnnn.
There are so many customs in Japan, religious and traditional. Here, the man is being "cleansed" by the smoke of the incense. Ironic... smoke is cleansing...
Another custom: toss a coin into the slotted box, clap twice, pray, when you finish the prayer you put your hands down, and bow a little towards the "altar".
Outside the Great Buddha Park, everyone was walking around with these HUGE rice crackers and seaweed. So of course, for the novelty of eating such a snack, I bought one and ate it ALL. Seriously, the osembe was as big as my face!
Early Sunday evening or late afternoon, Hiro and I took a walk around to see the burial site of Crown Prince....... somebody. Japan has many "eras". Right now, we are in the "era" of Heisei. Previous to this was Showa and before that was Meiji and before that, I do not know. But WAY back when, there was the Kamakura Period and that was when this Crown Price was buried. But to see the burial site, we had to hike a ways. See pictures below.
It seems that other families can be buried here too other than just the royal family.
If you thought my apartment stairs were bad (see "Apartment" post in August), these stairs were probably worse. They were terribly uneven, slick with moss, and slippery with humidity. They were the first "Stairs that will kill you".
And we were rewarded with our efforts with a view of Kamakura. You should probably click on the picture to see a larger image.
Coming home, Aunt Keiko really "wow-ed" me with a dinner of yakiniku (grilled meat) and veggies. I've slept since my visit at the first of the month, but I remember being in awe of how many packets of meat she kept pulling from the fridge. Meat, particular beef, is EXPENSIVE in Japan so she really gave me a treat of beef and pork yakiniku. Twas so good.
Thank you Aunt Keiko, Uncle Nobi, and Hiro for having me early in November. It was a great trip and I can't wait to visit again! Maybe I will see you next in Malaysia!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Amazing Week!
...and it's not even over yet!!! XD
Monday -- Shizuoka Tokubetsu Shien Gakkou (Shizuoka School for the Disabled)
Once a month, I visit the Shizuoka School of the Disabled and help out their English classes. I LOVE going because the students are SO EXCITED to see me and every lesson consists of songs, dance, and of course, English. What is even better is that all -I said ALL- my students want to volunteer in class! How refreshing is that?!
Tuesday -- The Day from *insert expletive*
To my surprise (and ridiculous delight), the Day from #$%&! was really a day from close to heaven. My morning seniors diligently worked on their tour guide poster project and my sophomores (often the little demons of my teaching career), were almost angelically good as they designed their show-and-tell posters and wrote out their dialogue. It was a moment where I am sure my jaw hit the floor after class.
Wednesday -- Fun Sophomores, Cooking, and English Conversation Lesson.
So that you do not get the wrong impression, not ALL my sophomores are the minions of the devil. In fact, my Wednesday sophomore class is probably the rowdiest, but they work hard in class so I do not mind nearly so much now boisterous they can be sometimes. Because they are a little higher level that my Tuesday sophomores, I had them do a speech as well as a poster. I heard and advised speeches in the empty room next door while the JTE helped students with their poster designs and grammar stuff in my classroom. Only 2 groups of the 20 were not prepared to rehearse and there were some AMAZING speeches. I think I teared up after class with pride.
On Wednesdays after school and club activities, the music teacher, Kiyomi Fujiwara, comes to my place for supper and an English Conversation lesson. In turn, she assists me in my Japanese and trades recipes. A cooking lesson for me is planned in the near future. Kiyomi can already speak English well enough that I can understand, but since she vacations often in the States, she has asked me to help her conversation skills. So I made spaghetti with meat sauce, buttered bread, and salad. She stayed for 2 hours and it was a great time! If there is anyone that I would consider a "friend" at work, she is certainly at the top of the nominees.
Today, Thursday, -- Sophomore Field Trip
Normally, I have 3 classes on Thursdays. 2 of the 3 are sophomore classes back-to-back but all sophomores are gone today on a field trip to a local kindergarten. I think they are helping out with their Sports Day Festival. Since all sophomores are gone, the school is a lot quieter, the teachers are relaxed since fewer classes are meeting, and the weather outside is GOR-GE-OUS!
An hour ago, Kiyomi invited me to the main office for early tea time and to talk with the office ladies. I see the office ladies everyday, but since they are not in the teachers' room, I do not often get to speak with them unless I get a fax or it's "Pay the Rent" Day. And they are HILARIOUS! We had hot milk tea and sweets for about 20 minutes and at the end, my sides and cheeks hurt from laughing and we had set up a dinner outing for next Tuesday.
Tomorrow is pay day (hallejuah) and because of this amazing week, I am going to splurge on myself for once on Saturday at Pion, a 100 yen shop, and maybe a few rounds of tokens at the arcade in JUSCO. Sunday, I am going to a violin concert in the city with some of my students. Monday is a national holiday so I will be spending it with Kiyomi. We will drive to another prefecture for a huge early-Christmas sale. Then Tuesday I have the dinner outing with the office ladies.
Term is almost over! I cannot believe it!!!
Monday -- Shizuoka Tokubetsu Shien Gakkou (Shizuoka School for the Disabled)
Once a month, I visit the Shizuoka School of the Disabled and help out their English classes. I LOVE going because the students are SO EXCITED to see me and every lesson consists of songs, dance, and of course, English. What is even better is that all -I said ALL- my students want to volunteer in class! How refreshing is that?!
Tuesday -- The Day from *insert expletive*
To my surprise (and ridiculous delight), the Day from #$%&! was really a day from close to heaven. My morning seniors diligently worked on their tour guide poster project and my sophomores (often the little demons of my teaching career), were almost angelically good as they designed their show-and-tell posters and wrote out their dialogue. It was a moment where I am sure my jaw hit the floor after class.
Wednesday -- Fun Sophomores, Cooking, and English Conversation Lesson.
So that you do not get the wrong impression, not ALL my sophomores are the minions of the devil. In fact, my Wednesday sophomore class is probably the rowdiest, but they work hard in class so I do not mind nearly so much now boisterous they can be sometimes. Because they are a little higher level that my Tuesday sophomores, I had them do a speech as well as a poster. I heard and advised speeches in the empty room next door while the JTE helped students with their poster designs and grammar stuff in my classroom. Only 2 groups of the 20 were not prepared to rehearse and there were some AMAZING speeches. I think I teared up after class with pride.
On Wednesdays after school and club activities, the music teacher, Kiyomi Fujiwara, comes to my place for supper and an English Conversation lesson. In turn, she assists me in my Japanese and trades recipes. A cooking lesson for me is planned in the near future. Kiyomi can already speak English well enough that I can understand, but since she vacations often in the States, she has asked me to help her conversation skills. So I made spaghetti with meat sauce, buttered bread, and salad. She stayed for 2 hours and it was a great time! If there is anyone that I would consider a "friend" at work, she is certainly at the top of the nominees.
Today, Thursday, -- Sophomore Field Trip
Normally, I have 3 classes on Thursdays. 2 of the 3 are sophomore classes back-to-back but all sophomores are gone today on a field trip to a local kindergarten. I think they are helping out with their Sports Day Festival. Since all sophomores are gone, the school is a lot quieter, the teachers are relaxed since fewer classes are meeting, and the weather outside is GOR-GE-OUS!
An hour ago, Kiyomi invited me to the main office for early tea time and to talk with the office ladies. I see the office ladies everyday, but since they are not in the teachers' room, I do not often get to speak with them unless I get a fax or it's "Pay the Rent" Day. And they are HILARIOUS! We had hot milk tea and sweets for about 20 minutes and at the end, my sides and cheeks hurt from laughing and we had set up a dinner outing for next Tuesday.
Tomorrow is pay day (hallejuah) and because of this amazing week, I am going to splurge on myself for once on Saturday at Pion, a 100 yen shop, and maybe a few rounds of tokens at the arcade in JUSCO. Sunday, I am going to a violin concert in the city with some of my students. Monday is a national holiday so I will be spending it with Kiyomi. We will drive to another prefecture for a huge early-Christmas sale. Then Tuesday I have the dinner outing with the office ladies.
Term is almost over! I cannot believe it!!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Just Average
From a GPA that would rival Hermione Granger, it has come a bit of a shock to me that I am doing so poorly on my Japanese Language Course provided by CLAIR (another acronym for yet another JET organization).
And then I realized, I am not doing that "poorly".
I should be a little more realistic. Everyone struggles with language learning so to be making no mistakes would actually be the EXTREME exception and not the norm. Plus, I got arrogant and bit off more than I can chew by choosing the Intermediate Course instead of the Beginner Course. And by the way, CLAIR doesn't allow you to change courses.
I have 6 monthly tests over the course of the year and I must earn a grade of 70% or higher on all of them to receive of Certificate of Completion. I can ask for teacher's help, but I feel a bit guilty doing so because they are so busy. I want to be honest about my level of Japanese comprehension on the tests, but I do not want all this time and energy go to waste by failing them (less than 70%).
So this part is more of an encouragement note from my November 15, 2008, 10:40pm self to the other self in the future, whenever it is that I should read this post again.
1) I am good at reading comprehension.
2) Japanese grammar is the least of my worries. People will understand me even if I can't remember which particle to use or if I moderately botch a verb conjugation.
3) Practice makes perfect. I will understand these concepts better if I can manipulate a situation where I am forced to use the new things I am learning.
4) Ask for help. There is no shame in getting assistance or further explanation.
5) I need to learn to accept that in this area, I will be just average. 70% or above is what the goal should be and I should be satisfied with myself for at least trying to learn something new. Frustrating myself to make a 90% or an "A" is not going to make this process enjoyable. I am going to have to bury my past "Hermione Granger" accolades and focus on the now.
And then I realized, I am not doing that "poorly".
I should be a little more realistic. Everyone struggles with language learning so to be making no mistakes would actually be the EXTREME exception and not the norm. Plus, I got arrogant and bit off more than I can chew by choosing the Intermediate Course instead of the Beginner Course. And by the way, CLAIR doesn't allow you to change courses.
I have 6 monthly tests over the course of the year and I must earn a grade of 70% or higher on all of them to receive of Certificate of Completion. I can ask for teacher's help, but I feel a bit guilty doing so because they are so busy. I want to be honest about my level of Japanese comprehension on the tests, but I do not want all this time and energy go to waste by failing them (less than 70%).
So this part is more of an encouragement note from my November 15, 2008, 10:40pm self to the other self in the future, whenever it is that I should read this post again.
1) I am good at reading comprehension.
2) Japanese grammar is the least of my worries. People will understand me even if I can't remember which particle to use or if I moderately botch a verb conjugation.
3) Practice makes perfect. I will understand these concepts better if I can manipulate a situation where I am forced to use the new things I am learning.
4) Ask for help. There is no shame in getting assistance or further explanation.
5) I need to learn to accept that in this area, I will be just average. 70% or above is what the goal should be and I should be satisfied with myself for at least trying to learn something new. Frustrating myself to make a 90% or an "A" is not going to make this process enjoyable. I am going to have to bury my past "Hermione Granger" accolades and focus on the now.
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