I am back in Tokyo- have been for a little over a week now, and it is truly a blessing to be here. Always a long journey whichever way you cross the ocean, I felt much more energized this time as I made the long three hour trek from the airport to my house than I did when I landed in America six weeks ago. I think all of us who had to return are back with a determined spirit to take advantage of the next three months, and as a result the days have been long and full of activity!
We are currently at the end of a lovely time in Japan called "Golden Week"- basically a ten day holiday with a few "working" days mixed in that most people take off. It is a great time to travel, and thus my friend from St. Olaf who is studying abroad spring semester in Nagoya, Japan, came to visit me in Tokyo! It was great to see her, and also having her in Tokyo forced me to travel to parts of the city I hadn't really frequented much before. We went to the used book district, to the boardwalk area of Tokyo called Odaiba, to Ginza- the ritzy side of the city, to Asukusa- the historical, tourist filled part. In Asukusa, we witnessed a rare phenomenon. We stumbled across a sumo wrestling match, only instead of wrestling each other, these large and scantily clothed men were holding babies! The point was for each wrestler to (gently) shake a baby and try and make them cry. Supposedly a crying baby was a sign of strength, and as children's day is coming up (a national holiday celebrating children) this ceremony of sorts was appropriate. We were very very surprised to stumble across it though, as can be imagined!
A tangent here, but one I find interesting and that will shed more light on children's day. In the Japanese religion, Shinto, exist a type of spiritual being called "kami". Kami can be translated as "god", but they are different from the Greek or other pagan ideas of "gods". These are more like phenomenons in nature- a large mountain, tree, an ancestor, etc. It is believed that when one is born their spirits are close to this spiritual world where the kami dwell, and that as one grows into adulthood, while they achieve physical maturation, they move further and further away from this spiritual state. As they begin to age, the reverse happens- they lose their physical strength but are closer again to the spiritual world where they will eventually return. This, I am told, is why Japanese people tend to celebrate children and the elderly. There are at least three holidays geared specifically towards children that I can think of off the top of my head- girl's day, boy's day (now called children's day), and 3-5-7( a day when boys ages three and five, girls ages three and seven) dress in traditional and beautiful clothes and go to the temple or shrine). This connection between youth and the spiritual world is interesting to me, and explains many of the customs and attitudes that revolve around children.
Coming up- my first day of class for the spring semester is tomorrow, a Saturday! Also, Kojirou recently turned three and we are having a birthday party at the house this Sunday. Kenichi's parents and brother are coming over, so it should be really fun. I am going to help Machico with cooking, so it will be a good way to learn a bit more about Japanese cuisine!
5/6/11
4/18/11
Up until now-
Up until now I have been spending my days in a volatile exchange between periods of extreme activity and periods of extreme quiet and boredom. Some very full days have been spent with my family in the Cities, some days with my friends at St. Olaf, some days (more than originally expected) with my sister in Omaha. These days have been at times wonderful and at times very overwhelming, myself having not really been prepared for some of the encounters that were had.
Other days have been very, very quiet. One memorable highlight was a three-hour walk to and from Target. Another a four-hour stroll from one end of Winona to the other with loops and twists in-between. It has been the abruptness with which these days transition into one another that has been tiring and frankly confusing to me. It is difficult to know what to do with myself; I feel as though I am floating through space watching everyone from afar, very detached.
Fortunately I am returning to Tokyo on the 26th, so I will be able to return to a life with a more normal rhythm to it. The ironic thing is that, the first three weeks I spent at home were the three most surreal weeks of my life. In this fourth week I am finally feeling a bit more settled in my home and among my friend groups from high school and college. I am very eagerly anticipating my return to Tokyo, but it is tiring to be continuously adjusting and readjusting to whatever life I am thrown into. Really I have been doing this for almost three months, ever since I landed in Okinawa.
While I am whining a bit, I must say this has been a true adventure for me in many levels, and has been a time that I will probably never really be able to properly articulate or explain. While the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis have been the most devastating events to hit Japan perhaps ever, I am grateful for this time spent at home, and I know it will make the next fourteen weeks all the more special.
Other days have been very, very quiet. One memorable highlight was a three-hour walk to and from Target. Another a four-hour stroll from one end of Winona to the other with loops and twists in-between. It has been the abruptness with which these days transition into one another that has been tiring and frankly confusing to me. It is difficult to know what to do with myself; I feel as though I am floating through space watching everyone from afar, very detached.
Fortunately I am returning to Tokyo on the 26th, so I will be able to return to a life with a more normal rhythm to it. The ironic thing is that, the first three weeks I spent at home were the three most surreal weeks of my life. In this fourth week I am finally feeling a bit more settled in my home and among my friend groups from high school and college. I am very eagerly anticipating my return to Tokyo, but it is tiring to be continuously adjusting and readjusting to whatever life I am thrown into. Really I have been doing this for almost three months, ever since I landed in Okinawa.
While I am whining a bit, I must say this has been a true adventure for me in many levels, and has been a time that I will probably never really be able to properly articulate or explain. While the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis have been the most devastating events to hit Japan perhaps ever, I am grateful for this time spent at home, and I know it will make the next fourteen weeks all the more special.
3/21/11
(Written on Sunday)
It feels strange to write a blog about my life in Japan when I am not in Japan. It feels strange to be sitting in Minnesota, looking outside at the snow, thinking about my life in Japan that existed only three days ago. But, here I am and there certainly is a lot to tell.
I think the last time I wrote I was not back to Tokyo yet—I think I was in Fukuoka. Well, the next day I arrived in Hiroshima, pretty non eventful- walked around, took in the sites, saw the Atomic Bomb Dome (a building that had been completely destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945. It was the next day that everything changed. The next day was Friday, and in the afternoon Japan faced the most powerful earthquake that has ever rocked the nation. It also faced a tsunami that killed thousands of people. This news was devastating, and it was really really hard to be away from my Tokyo family and friends as I was watching the news, seeing this all unfolding. Everyone in Tokyo thankfully was safe, and there was amazingly only the most minimal of damage. But still, I felt very anxious and upset and wanted to return but could not, so I spent my next day at the Hiroshima Peace Museum, learning about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and learning about the devastating effects nuclear radiation has on the human body and on the environment. That night when I returned to my hostel, I read the news to find a nuclear power plant in Fukushima had suffered damage and was not able to properly cool, causing many to worry about nuclear radiation leakages. This was very frightening, but it was not until a few days later that this really became the forefront concern from the tragedy. I traveled through Osaka and Kyoto, seeing a friend and viewing many beautiful and amazing places, but really all I wanted to do was get home.
And get home I did, Tuesday evening. I would have been home in the early afternoon, but one of my best friends from the program was leaving Japan. She had technically finished her program, having only been planning to stay for the first semester and cultural practicum, but she was originally going to spend another six weeks in Japan, traveling and living with her host family. Unfortunately, her family in the States was extremely concerned for her wellbeing, and seeing as she had completed her program they insisted she go home. I couldn’t believe she was leaving and fortunately was able to say goodbye to her only an hour after I had gotten back to Tokyo.
I returned home to my host family, so happy to see Machico san and Kojirou kun! The next 36 hours were so wonderful- talking with my host parents, hearing about the earthquake, playing with Kojirou (who had changed so much!!!). I was so happy to be with them! And my life in Tokyo didn’t really seem too different after the quake. There were some scheduled blackouts- different parts of the city of Tokyo would be blacked out at different times of the day for three hours to help save energy. Some trains did not run all day or only ran part of their normal route. The supermarkets and convenience stores were a bit sparse because some people were panicking a little and were buying up non-perishable items. But otherwise people were very normal and calm. I believe this is because Japan is very much a group-based nation, a nation in which the individual’s primary concern is not that for themselves but for the nation, the group. Thus, everyone was happy to suffer small inconveniences for the sake of making the life of the nation better. No one wanted to complain as there was probably someone suffering worse than they. Everyone was trying to live normally, offering only positive support to their neighbors and to strangers. No one wanted to panic and cause any inconvenience towards the group. I believe this is what I was witnessing.
Perhaps because of this, I really saw no reason why I should need to leave Tokyo. At that time, there were reports of small traces of radiation beginning to be traced in Tokyo, but they were so small that they were less than spending a few hours at the beach. Thus, I did not feel my safety to be in any way at risk.
Talking to my parents though, it was difficult to hear how worried they were. I realized that in the US, the news was difficult to watch, perhaps at times overdramatizing the unfolding events. I was so humbled by all the support my family and I were receiving through phone calls, emails, facebook messages, hugs, and positive thoughts and prayers. Thank-you so much for all who supported myself and my family- really, I was truly humbled and am so sorry for causing you anxiety and worry. It was through hearing all the people who were worrying about me and through talking with my parents that the gravity of the situation really started to weigh on me, and at first it was really difficult to decide what to do. I didn’t want to go home and felt no danger in my life. I mean, my program had not advised us to return, my host family with a not-yet three-year-old son was not anxious or considering moving locations, so I did not see why I should come home. Yet only twelve hours later, at about midnight on Thursday, various things going on in my family combined with my parents worry and the fact my program was offering to reimburse us the amount it would cost to buy a round-trip plane ticket to America, I painfully decided to come home temporarily.
From there it was craziness. I got about an hour and a half of sleep on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Then early Thursday morning I surprised my host mom by being awake and dressed for the day, on my computer in the living room before she got up to make breakfast. It was then that I told my family I would be leaving.. THE NEXT DAY! They understood and were so supportive- I almost started crying in front of them because I was so happy to be with them and it was so crazy to have been gone for so long, seen them for less than 48 hours and then have to pack up and go, not knowing when I would be coming back.
At seven thirty I left my house and met my friend to go to the immigration bureau office. He, along with everyone else in my program, had received the message that Japan Study would pay for our tickets to and from America. We were really so lucky that Japan Study did not cancel our program, as other US programs did. They were so generous in giving us this option. So my friend and I needed to get re-entry visas to allow us to re-enter Japan when we came back. We were there by 9 am, the opening time, and were so shocked to see a huge line of people outside the office. This line kept going and going and going and going and going- probably somewhere between half a mile and a mile long. We waited outside for six hours- SIX HOURS- to get our visas! I had no idea it was going to be like that! And fortunately I had eaten breakfast (my friend had not) and was wearing my winter coat, as it was cold.
Also, it was so lucky I was with my friend, and we entertained each other for those long six hours, making it seem not as long as it would have had we each been solo. We were even interviewed by an Australian journalist! What I was really amazed with though was the fact that once we got in the building, the paperwork took less than ten minutes. Really, it seemed like it was just a huge line of people, but it was actually extremely well handled by the Japanese immigration bureau, helping us cross streets, monitoring the lines, making the process as quick as possible. They must have processed thousands of people that day- I give a lot of credit to the Japanese government for making it a relatively smooth process.
Also, it was so lucky I was with my friend, and we entertained each other for those long six hours, making it seem not as long as it would have had we each been solo. We were even interviewed by an Australian journalist! What I was really amazed with though was the fact that once we got in the building, the paperwork took less than ten minutes. Really, it seemed like it was just a huge line of people, but it was actually extremely well handled by the Japanese immigration bureau, helping us cross streets, monitoring the lines, making the process as quick as possible. They must have processed thousands of people that day- I give a lot of credit to the Japanese government for making it a relatively smooth process.
That night I spent talking a lot with my host parents- we had a great time. Then I packed and slept. I only slept three nights in my bed in Tokyo.
The next morning was departure day. I got up and had breakfast with the fam- sad to say goodbye but again I was humbled by their concern, support, and understanding for my situation. They told me that if their son was in a similar situation, they would want him to return home. We said our goodbyes and Kenichi and Machico went to work, Kojirou going to his day-care. I did a few last minute preparation things and then headed out the door. I walked pulling my suitcase twenty minutes to the train station, the whole time feeling like a refugee or something- I mean it was pretty obvious what was going on: I was a foreigner lugging a bright blue suitcase to the train station- I was getting out of Japan. I tried to take a bus from a town near mine to the airport, but when I got to the stop I was informed that, due to an effort to conserve gasoline, that bus was not running, so I had to get back on the train and take the long way. The difficult thing was that many escalators that take people to the train platforms weren’t operating in an effort to save energy, which normally would be awesome, but I had a big suitcase with me, and it was very tiring carrying it up and down huge flights of stairs!
The next morning was departure day. I got up and had breakfast with the fam- sad to say goodbye but again I was humbled by their concern, support, and understanding for my situation. They told me that if their son was in a similar situation, they would want him to return home. We said our goodbyes and Kenichi and Machico went to work, Kojirou going to his day-care. I did a few last minute preparation things and then headed out the door. I walked pulling my suitcase twenty minutes to the train station, the whole time feeling like a refugee or something- I mean it was pretty obvious what was going on: I was a foreigner lugging a bright blue suitcase to the train station- I was getting out of Japan. I tried to take a bus from a town near mine to the airport, but when I got to the stop I was informed that, due to an effort to conserve gasoline, that bus was not running, so I had to get back on the train and take the long way. The difficult thing was that many escalators that take people to the train platforms weren’t operating in an effort to save energy, which normally would be awesome, but I had a big suitcase with me, and it was very tiring carrying it up and down huge flights of stairs!
I made it to the airport uneventfully and started orienting myself so I could check in. Again, I faced a huge line of foreigners also doing the same. There were cameras and news reporters everywhere- it was crazy.
I boarded the completely full train, full of foreigners wanting to get of Japan for a bit. The twelve hour flight took me to JFK in NYC, and then from there came to Mpls at 10 pm, Friday. It was a really long and exhausting day. Seeing my parents was great, as has been seeing ALMOST EVERY OTHER FAMILY MEMBER this week! Haha, really, it was funny because the next day, Saturday, I saw almost all of my family members on my mom’s side of the family, and then Sunday, today, saw almost all of my dad’s! I was afraid it would be overwhelming, but really it was so wonderful and makes me very happy to be here.
I obviously desperately want to go back, and in many ways am sad and frustrated the way this is working out, but I have many things to be grateful about: It is still Waseda spring break, so I am not missing anything, my plane ticket was free, I got to see most of my family members, I will get to see my friends and maybe make a stop at Olaf, I get to visit my sister at college, I AM SAFE. I am also cautiously very very optimistic about going back. There was some good news today, the Japanese sending some car manufacturing laborers back to work and the success in gaining control of the temperature of two of the nuclear reactors (although they were the two in the best condition..). I know I will be back. Haha, and anyways, I did not pack up my Tokyo room, so I really HAVE to go back and get my things!
I will write more as it happens- I will be in America until at least April first. I really hope to be in Japan after that, but we will see how things unfold. I have learned how random and how fleeting daily life, plans, life in general can be. And I have been humbled by the support shown to me and to the nation of Japan by family, friends, and even strangers. Thank-you so much for all your prayers and support.
3/13/11
The last few days
The last few days have been challenging. While I have witnessed my fellow countrymen endure disasters of all kinds- Sept 11th, the Rushford/Stockton floods in 2008, Hurricane Katrina, Columbine, etc, this is the first that has reached a nerve deep inside me. I don't really know the reason- maybe because I had friends that were actually in Tokyo when this happened, maybe because I haven't seen my friends or host family for six weeks, maybe because I have been traveling alone, maybe because it was so unexpected, but it's felt very personal watching the news and hearing about the quakes, even though I didn't know anyone who directly suffered any physical harm (I don't know anyone who lives up north).
The earthquake struck Sendai, Japan at 2:46 on the 11th. At that time, I was in Hiroshima and didn't hear anything about it until around 6:30 pm, when the owner of the hostel I had stayed at in Fukuoka, Ken, called me and asked me if I was okay and explained what had happened in the north. I went back to my hostel and turned on my computer, staring in disbelief at what I saw appear on my screen. I tried to contact one of my friends in Tokyo and my host family, texting and calling, but didn't receive an answer for hours. The phone lines were so congested no one was able to really communicate. I finally heard from my friend and host mom that night, and although we still couldn't talk on the phone, it was great to receive a text from them.
At that point I was feeling really anxious- I just wanted to get back to my friends and family in Tokyo. But, I had found out via all the facebook status updates informing friends of everyone's where-abouts that a girl I know from Waseda was also in Hiroshima at the same time I was, so I contacted her and we met up for a late dinner. It was so great to finally see someone I knew from Tokyo and to talk to her about what was going on. Also nice to have some company and someone to talk about less serious things with!
Saturday I woke up and tried calling my host family again. This time the call went through, and I got to talk to Machico, Kenichi, and Kojirou! I almost started crying when I heard little Kojirou's voice on the other end of the line! While I was happy to know they were all safe and sound (although Kenichi had to walk for hours to get home from work as the trains had stopped running!), mostly I was just happy to hear their voices as I hadn't talked to them on the phone since I had left Tokyo in early February. At that point I became really "homesick" for my Tokyo family and wanted to do nothing more than pick up and leave Hiroshima and go home. But, I still had five days of travel ahead of me, and even if I canceled it would still take two days via the trains to get back. I called my family in Winona and was lucky to be able to talk to everyone- my mom, dad, and sister. Also good to hear their voices! They helped me to snap out of my melancholy and try and enjoy my days ahead. And I did!
Fom Hiroshima I took a little side trip to Hiyajima, an island just thirty minutes outside Hirojima's city center and is famous for a "tori" (a Japanese Shinto gate) that stands, really that seems to float, in the ocean. Very beautiful. Also, the island has many old temples, buildings, and interesting shops to keep a traveler entertained. And, there are semi-tame deer that roam around the island, kind of like pigeons- so used to people and to being fed by them they have no fear of humans and even become a bit aggressive sometimes! Very cute, also very surprised by them!
From there I made the trek to Kyoto- about six hours by local trains. Uneventful- when I got to my hostel I was again a bit "homesick" and wanting to head back to Tokyo, but walking around the city today I realized what a wonderful place Kyoto is! Literally, everywhere you look there are old buildings, temples, winding alley-ways, geisha and maico, small shops, souvenir shops, everything! A really gorgeous city. Just about every city I have been to in the past six weeks has so much more character (architecturally) than Tokyo does, so it has been wonderful to walk around and see the differences. And I do a lot of walking- it is fun to just pick up and walk in any direction for a few hours and see where it will take you. I find I do not get tired easily, and I have literally spent up to eight hours in a day just walking and exploring. It's really wonderful and really relaxing- it can be overwhelming to try and tackle a new city as a solo tourist, but just taking a walking tour makes it feel much more manageable.
Then early this afternoon I went to a city about an hour outside of Kyoto called Osaka to meet a good friend of mine from Tokyo- It was so so so so so fun to be able to see her and catch up on the last six weeks! Osaka was a really lively city that was fun to walk through- we spent most of our time on one of the popular streets for food, fashion, and youth culture. Then we met two other girls for okonomiyaki- basically a cabbage pancake that is famous in Osaka. So amazingly delicious!!!
The earthquake struck Sendai, Japan at 2:46 on the 11th. At that time, I was in Hiroshima and didn't hear anything about it until around 6:30 pm, when the owner of the hostel I had stayed at in Fukuoka, Ken, called me and asked me if I was okay and explained what had happened in the north. I went back to my hostel and turned on my computer, staring in disbelief at what I saw appear on my screen. I tried to contact one of my friends in Tokyo and my host family, texting and calling, but didn't receive an answer for hours. The phone lines were so congested no one was able to really communicate. I finally heard from my friend and host mom that night, and although we still couldn't talk on the phone, it was great to receive a text from them.
At that point I was feeling really anxious- I just wanted to get back to my friends and family in Tokyo. But, I had found out via all the facebook status updates informing friends of everyone's where-abouts that a girl I know from Waseda was also in Hiroshima at the same time I was, so I contacted her and we met up for a late dinner. It was so great to finally see someone I knew from Tokyo and to talk to her about what was going on. Also nice to have some company and someone to talk about less serious things with!
Saturday I woke up and tried calling my host family again. This time the call went through, and I got to talk to Machico, Kenichi, and Kojirou! I almost started crying when I heard little Kojirou's voice on the other end of the line! While I was happy to know they were all safe and sound (although Kenichi had to walk for hours to get home from work as the trains had stopped running!), mostly I was just happy to hear their voices as I hadn't talked to them on the phone since I had left Tokyo in early February. At that point I became really "homesick" for my Tokyo family and wanted to do nothing more than pick up and leave Hiroshima and go home. But, I still had five days of travel ahead of me, and even if I canceled it would still take two days via the trains to get back. I called my family in Winona and was lucky to be able to talk to everyone- my mom, dad, and sister. Also good to hear their voices! They helped me to snap out of my melancholy and try and enjoy my days ahead. And I did!
Fom Hiroshima I took a little side trip to Hiyajima, an island just thirty minutes outside Hirojima's city center and is famous for a "tori" (a Japanese Shinto gate) that stands, really that seems to float, in the ocean. Very beautiful. Also, the island has many old temples, buildings, and interesting shops to keep a traveler entertained. And, there are semi-tame deer that roam around the island, kind of like pigeons- so used to people and to being fed by them they have no fear of humans and even become a bit aggressive sometimes! Very cute, also very surprised by them!
From there I made the trek to Kyoto- about six hours by local trains. Uneventful- when I got to my hostel I was again a bit "homesick" and wanting to head back to Tokyo, but walking around the city today I realized what a wonderful place Kyoto is! Literally, everywhere you look there are old buildings, temples, winding alley-ways, geisha and maico, small shops, souvenir shops, everything! A really gorgeous city. Just about every city I have been to in the past six weeks has so much more character (architecturally) than Tokyo does, so it has been wonderful to walk around and see the differences. And I do a lot of walking- it is fun to just pick up and walk in any direction for a few hours and see where it will take you. I find I do not get tired easily, and I have literally spent up to eight hours in a day just walking and exploring. It's really wonderful and really relaxing- it can be overwhelming to try and tackle a new city as a solo tourist, but just taking a walking tour makes it feel much more manageable.
Then early this afternoon I went to a city about an hour outside of Kyoto called Osaka to meet a good friend of mine from Tokyo- It was so so so so so fun to be able to see her and catch up on the last six weeks! Osaka was a really lively city that was fun to walk through- we spent most of our time on one of the popular streets for food, fashion, and youth culture. Then we met two other girls for okonomiyaki- basically a cabbage pancake that is famous in Osaka. So amazingly delicious!!!
3/11/11
Safe
I am lucky and am safe in Japan. A huge earthquake hit northern honshu island today at 2:46 pm (Japanese time). I am in Hiroshima now and didn't feel it- many of my friends were in Tokyo and their encounters with the earthquake sound terrifying, especially my friends who were on the 15th and 26th floors of buildings. But my host family and friends in Tokyo are all safe and sound. Please be thinking of the people in Northern Honshu- entire towns were swept away by the Tsunamis.. And it's not over.
3/10/11
The end of Okinawa and what comes next:
I am currently writing this on word-processor in the den of a hostel I am staying at in a town called Fukuoka. Meaning, no longer in Okinawa and currently sans internet connection on this computer, so making due with what I have! I guess I will try writing and then uploading my various posts when I can.
My last days in Okinawa were really great ones:
Friday was my last day of school. Taught a few classes, said goodbye to my favorites (the sports boys!), received a card and “leis” of candy from one first year high school class (so unexpected!). I wrote cards for all the teachers who had helped me out (there were many!) and passed those out. I also got to meet the Principal and Vice Principal- such formal occasions! I haven’t had to be on my best behavior like that for a while, but it was great to meet them and they had many kind and encouraging words to offer me. Finally I had to give a little speech at a teacher’s meeting at the end of the day. It was scary, as I had to use my polite Japanese, but it was a good practice in using proper grammar and vocabulary! Sad to leave Okisho, but many many happy memories were made there. I wasn’t able to be sad for long though because right after I met my friend Yuka and her boyfriend for dinner. I mentioned meeting her in one of my earlier posts ,but never followed up on it. I’ve actually been able to meet her three times now in Okinawa. She is going to school on the US military base and works at a restaurant at night. She is also an avid salsa dancer, which is how she met her boyfriend, Ray. He is in the US military and it was really interesting being able to meet him and hearing about army life and getting the perspective of a soldier working in Okinawa. I have talked with my Okinawa host dad about the US military base and about his opinions on it, and his responses were really enlightening, and I liked getting the opinion from a real-working US military member. Anyways, seeing Yuka has been a really fun and wonderful experience- I got to meet her mom and sister and it was so wonderful to reconnect with her. It is such a good feeling that I have many people I can count on all over the world, and I am happy to count Miss Yuka as one of them!
Saturday I spent the morning and afternoon with the host fam. We went to a really nice hotel on an absolutely beautiful beach. When I say absolutely beautiful beach, I mean post-card knock-your-socks-off beautiful. I don’t think I really posted about this last week, but I got to go to a tropical island on Feb 26th (Mimi’s birthday!!!). How great is it for a MN girl to spend the 26th of February biking, swimming, napping in the sun, eating ice cream on literally the most beautiful island I have ever seen. Great, right? So hanging out, eating brunch with the host fam at a restaurant overlooking the beach this last weekend was really great. Then we headed a little further south to another ocean front. This time, we were able to walk out onto a giant stone dock-like structure- treacherous walking but beautiful scenery. So beautiful, plus to top it all off there was a band practicing in the background for a concert happening that evening, so we even had lovely background music with which to take in the sights. After that, I attended a dinner party hosted by Buscuri Sensei, the head teacher of the international studies department at Okisho. She invited myself, the four other US teachers, and the three other international studies department teachers. Dinner was delicious, company was wonderful, and afterwards the other americans and I went out for karaoke! Fun fun for one of my last nights in Okinawa.
Sunday was spent packing, talking to my lovely family on the phone, and hanging out with Miyu and her boyfriend, Chiba. Miyu and I shopped a bit, then met Chiba for a showing of the movie, Social Network. We took pictures together and then went bowling. Her parents met us after and we all went to dinner together at a steak house- one where the waiters prepare all of your food right in front of you. It was very delicious, but the best part was the end of the meal. Miyu gave me a card and a key chain she and Chiba had made for me, and then gave me a card that the students in her homeroom had made for me. It was so touching- I can’t really even describe. I can’t lie, the tears came and I was so grateful to my Okinawa family in that moment I really couldn’t speak. My host dad and mom had really kind words for me and it was such a special way to end the night. What wonderful people I have been able to share the last four weeks with.
Monday started early- had to be at the port at 6:30 am, boarded at 7:00. From Naha to Kagoshima (the southern-most city of the Japanese island of Kyushyu) it took about twenty eight hours. Twenty eight hours. On a boat. Now, I have never really ridden a boat. Boats are very very very turbulent. I was happy for the first few stops of the trip that no one was really boarding, so I had a room to myself (when I say room, I mean a room with space on the floor for about twenty people to sleep). But starting from about 12 noon onwards, it got busier. Really though, because the waves were so choppy all anyone really wanted to do was sleep. I could only be up for a few hours of a time without feeling sick. It was a long voyage, but 9:55 am I was able to leave, and did so with a new founded appreciation for anyone who has to work on a ship, especially waiters. A difficult task, as I wasn’t even able to walk around without looking like I had consumed more than one-too-many….
The bus to Fukuoka from Kagoshima was unremarkable but beautiful. Actually, a woman I had met on the ship was taking the same bus as me showed me a small act of kindness by giving me half of an ice-cream snack she had bought, explaining the coldness of it would help ease my stomach, which it did. Nice people! I am now in Fukuoka, the place in Japan where my dad lived for a few years! Really neat to be here! I’ve met lots of interesting people already- people from Germany, Canada, England, Australia. The hostel owner, Ken, took us out to dinner at a sushi restaurant and we had a great chance to chat and get to know each other better. It is really great way to feel out what is worth seeing in the city and what can be skipped. Tomorrow am exploring the city! So excited!
2/28/11
I have not been diligent in my writing duties in the last two weeks or so. But rest assured I have been diligent in my other duties as a teacher and as a temporary-daughter, as a tourist, as a foreigner, as a student. My days have been so full of wonderful wonderful experiences- my sports class boys (always brimming with energy and eager to try to be hilarious), THE OCEAN, road trips with my host family, excursions to remote beaches, swimming, eating jagaimo (potato) ice cream, meeting my friend from high school Yuka and her mom, wandering around empty streets during lunch time, chatting with silly, giddy junior high girls, chats with my host mom in the car when she picks me up, taking pictures of the dragons mounted to the houses of the residents of Okinawa, and on and on and on.
I have only been here for three weeks, and will only be here for one more, but Okinawa is probably one of the lovliest places I have ever been. And while its natural beauty will provide stiff competition to any "romantic get-away" or "exotic island" you might ever run across, I use the word lovely not for aesthetic purposes but rather to describe the people that live here. Now, when I envision Tokyo, I see gray, dark, cold, empty buildings all around with thousands of tired and jaded individuals forcing their way through to reach where they are going. When I envision Okinawa in my mind, I see simple concrete buildings bursting with plants and flowers of all colors, I see the ocean, people with smiles on their faces slowly making their way. I feel that Okinawa is such a warm-hearted place, if a place can be that, and have found a happiness here that I did not even know was absent from Tokyo. Tokyo is a wonderful place and has many things that Okinawa does not, but Okinawa embodies a lifestyle and a sense of peace and happiness that I think Tokyo never can.
All shameless gushing aside, to put it simply I am so so happy in Okinawa and am trying to make the next seven days count for all that I can make them.
I have only been here for three weeks, and will only be here for one more, but Okinawa is probably one of the lovliest places I have ever been. And while its natural beauty will provide stiff competition to any "romantic get-away" or "exotic island" you might ever run across, I use the word lovely not for aesthetic purposes but rather to describe the people that live here. Now, when I envision Tokyo, I see gray, dark, cold, empty buildings all around with thousands of tired and jaded individuals forcing their way through to reach where they are going. When I envision Okinawa in my mind, I see simple concrete buildings bursting with plants and flowers of all colors, I see the ocean, people with smiles on their faces slowly making their way. I feel that Okinawa is such a warm-hearted place, if a place can be that, and have found a happiness here that I did not even know was absent from Tokyo. Tokyo is a wonderful place and has many things that Okinawa does not, but Okinawa embodies a lifestyle and a sense of peace and happiness that I think Tokyo never can.
All shameless gushing aside, to put it simply I am so so happy in Okinawa and am trying to make the next seven days count for all that I can make them.
2/11/11
An update on how my new and wonderful life in Okinawa is!
I'll start with school, as that's really the main reason why I am here and is what consumes most of my day. After a delicious breakfast at the sweet hour of six-thirty in the morning, I don my teacher clothes (a shout-out to my parents: The skirt we bought at target the night before I left is coming in extremely handy--- thank-you!!!!!!) and Okaasan drives Miyu and I to school so we arrive there at 8:15. Class starts at nine but all the middle school and high school students (except for hs seniors) have to be in their homerooms for a mandatory self-study period. I go to the sixth floor, where the high school international studies department is held. When classes start, I have been going to various teacher's rooms and helping out or sort of conducting class using my own self-introduction as a chance for the students to listen to english from a native speaker. But, I must say, in regards to the english classes, I sometimes end up using as much or more Japanese than English. I was surprised- In my experiences in high school and in college, all of my foreign languages were conducted at LEAST 80% in the foreign language itself, an even higher percentage in college. But in the classes I have been sitting in on, probably 80% or more is conducted in Japanese, to explain grammar etc. Most of the students aren't very good at English, but when I think back to my high school spanish classes, most of us weren't very good at spanish either! I find it difficult though because I find myself wanting to use Japanese to speak with students and teachers- it is much easier to get to know them this way. But on the other hand, a big reason why I am at the school is because I am a native english speaker and can help the students by speaking in English with them, so I feel guilty for using too much Japanese. It's also difficult because while I am a teacher, I really am only two years older than many of the students, so I find myself wanting to relate to them on a more personal level. However, I am also only two years younger than some of the other American teachers here, so I'm trying to find my balance. But I think I'm just about there, so that's good!
I also am getting to know a lot of students who either have been to Cotter or are going year in just a few weeks. Yesterday I held a preparation session for the students who are going this time. There are nine of them, and four of them I have been getting to know pretty well. It was really fun putting the slides together and thinking about how students from Japan might see Cotter, trying to anticipate the questions they might have. There will be two more of these sessions in the coming weeks, so I'll have to keep brainstorming! It is really interesting what the Japanese students find "exotic" about Cotter high school in little Winona, MN.
I will also be teaching nine or ten english classes in the weeks to come- one next week and then the rest in the weeks after. The only one I feel a little nervous about is the english class for the students who are a part of the athletic school (they want to pursue athletics after high school). The class is huge- maybe sixty students, and fifty are boys! They are really fun, but I will be teaching by myself and I am a little worried how to keep every one's attention for an hour. Time to get creative!
Also regarding school, graduation for the seniors is this Sunday. The Japanese school system runs from April until March, so pretty different from the school calendar in America. It has been interesting to get to know all of the third years- their classroom is right next to where my office is, and since this is their last week they haven't really had classes, so I have been able to talk to them a lot. Really friendly and engaging students. But also talking to them I am reminded of the bitter-sweet feeling of graduating high school. Yesterday the seniors and juniors of the international studies department had a session together in which the seniors passed on their sage wisdom to the juniors. By the time we were done almost everyone in the room was crying- juniors, seniors, teachers! The students have become close and naturally graduating is a very emotional experience. But they all have very exciting futures ahead of them!
Life with my family has been wonderful. I usually get home around seven or eight and Miyu, Okaasan, and myself have dinner together. Otousan is usually home around seven, but this week has been a bit busy with work so he's usually eaten separately. But simply the fact that usually he is home for dinner is very different from my Tokyo family's situation- Kenichi-san always coming home at nine or ten, long after Machico-san and Kojirou have gone to sleep. Today Okaasan and Otousan took me on a little driving excursion into the northern part of Okinawa. We started driving out of Naha and our first stop was to an area where we could look out onto the military base. While I was aware that there was a base in Naha, I had no idea how large it was! It is really massive- we saw lots of buildings, fields, airplanes, jets, etc.. The base is a very controversial issue in Okinawa among the Okinawan people, for obvious reasons. I am not sure how I feel about it- as an American having grown up in a time when relations between America and Japan are peaceful and now living in Japan, it's a very complicated situation for me to think about, so I won't write about it yet. I'm still thinking! But anyway, the base was good to see and gain a little more perspective on.
Afterwards, we continued north until we stopped at a beautiful beach surrounded by tall cliffs. Unfortunately it was a bit rainy and cold, and the wind was extremely strong (although apparently this is normal), but it was still so so so so beautiful! I have never seen the ocean as beautiful as here in Okinawa. After this we stopped for lunch at an Okinawan soba (buckwheat noodles- but Okinawan soba is different and I'm not sure what the ingredients are) at a tiny restaurant in a very rural area. Tres bien! After this we drove up a mountain to see the sakura- cherry tree blossoms. Sakura in Okinawa is much earlier than Tokyo, where the season is middle of March. It was so beautiful- especially the pink blossoms in contrast with the grey sky and green trees. There was a little stall that sold sakura (cherry) ice cream, so we stopped for some. We told the woman working that we just wanted one small scoop as we'd just had lunch, but apparently she liked us and decided we needed more, so I ended up with three scoops of ice cream in my cone, each a different flavor!
Finally, we headed to a famous aquarium where we saw probably the biggest fish I've ever seen in person! It was really beautiful. We even braved the wind and the cold to see the dolphin show outside. Apparently afterwards we had fish on the brain, because on the way home we stopped for dinner at a sushi restaurant! I didn't realize until half-way through the meal how funny that was! But the sushi was delicious, so I was happy!
Now I am home and am getting ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is saturday and Miyu and I have to go to school to practice for the graduation ceremony on Sunday. Then I am meeting a friend from high school, Yuka, afterwards. Yuka was a one year exchange student from Okishyo high school when I was sixteen. I haven't seen her since, but we've kept in touch and I am really looking forward to seeing her again! Should be a fun day!
I'll start with school, as that's really the main reason why I am here and is what consumes most of my day. After a delicious breakfast at the sweet hour of six-thirty in the morning, I don my teacher clothes (a shout-out to my parents: The skirt we bought at target the night before I left is coming in extremely handy--- thank-you!!!!!!) and Okaasan drives Miyu and I to school so we arrive there at 8:15. Class starts at nine but all the middle school and high school students (except for hs seniors) have to be in their homerooms for a mandatory self-study period. I go to the sixth floor, where the high school international studies department is held. When classes start, I have been going to various teacher's rooms and helping out or sort of conducting class using my own self-introduction as a chance for the students to listen to english from a native speaker. But, I must say, in regards to the english classes, I sometimes end up using as much or more Japanese than English. I was surprised- In my experiences in high school and in college, all of my foreign languages were conducted at LEAST 80% in the foreign language itself, an even higher percentage in college. But in the classes I have been sitting in on, probably 80% or more is conducted in Japanese, to explain grammar etc. Most of the students aren't very good at English, but when I think back to my high school spanish classes, most of us weren't very good at spanish either! I find it difficult though because I find myself wanting to use Japanese to speak with students and teachers- it is much easier to get to know them this way. But on the other hand, a big reason why I am at the school is because I am a native english speaker and can help the students by speaking in English with them, so I feel guilty for using too much Japanese. It's also difficult because while I am a teacher, I really am only two years older than many of the students, so I find myself wanting to relate to them on a more personal level. However, I am also only two years younger than some of the other American teachers here, so I'm trying to find my balance. But I think I'm just about there, so that's good!
I also am getting to know a lot of students who either have been to Cotter or are going year in just a few weeks. Yesterday I held a preparation session for the students who are going this time. There are nine of them, and four of them I have been getting to know pretty well. It was really fun putting the slides together and thinking about how students from Japan might see Cotter, trying to anticipate the questions they might have. There will be two more of these sessions in the coming weeks, so I'll have to keep brainstorming! It is really interesting what the Japanese students find "exotic" about Cotter high school in little Winona, MN.
I will also be teaching nine or ten english classes in the weeks to come- one next week and then the rest in the weeks after. The only one I feel a little nervous about is the english class for the students who are a part of the athletic school (they want to pursue athletics after high school). The class is huge- maybe sixty students, and fifty are boys! They are really fun, but I will be teaching by myself and I am a little worried how to keep every one's attention for an hour. Time to get creative!
Also regarding school, graduation for the seniors is this Sunday. The Japanese school system runs from April until March, so pretty different from the school calendar in America. It has been interesting to get to know all of the third years- their classroom is right next to where my office is, and since this is their last week they haven't really had classes, so I have been able to talk to them a lot. Really friendly and engaging students. But also talking to them I am reminded of the bitter-sweet feeling of graduating high school. Yesterday the seniors and juniors of the international studies department had a session together in which the seniors passed on their sage wisdom to the juniors. By the time we were done almost everyone in the room was crying- juniors, seniors, teachers! The students have become close and naturally graduating is a very emotional experience. But they all have very exciting futures ahead of them!
Life with my family has been wonderful. I usually get home around seven or eight and Miyu, Okaasan, and myself have dinner together. Otousan is usually home around seven, but this week has been a bit busy with work so he's usually eaten separately. But simply the fact that usually he is home for dinner is very different from my Tokyo family's situation- Kenichi-san always coming home at nine or ten, long after Machico-san and Kojirou have gone to sleep. Today Okaasan and Otousan took me on a little driving excursion into the northern part of Okinawa. We started driving out of Naha and our first stop was to an area where we could look out onto the military base. While I was aware that there was a base in Naha, I had no idea how large it was! It is really massive- we saw lots of buildings, fields, airplanes, jets, etc.. The base is a very controversial issue in Okinawa among the Okinawan people, for obvious reasons. I am not sure how I feel about it- as an American having grown up in a time when relations between America and Japan are peaceful and now living in Japan, it's a very complicated situation for me to think about, so I won't write about it yet. I'm still thinking! But anyway, the base was good to see and gain a little more perspective on.
Afterwards, we continued north until we stopped at a beautiful beach surrounded by tall cliffs. Unfortunately it was a bit rainy and cold, and the wind was extremely strong (although apparently this is normal), but it was still so so so so beautiful! I have never seen the ocean as beautiful as here in Okinawa. After this we stopped for lunch at an Okinawan soba (buckwheat noodles- but Okinawan soba is different and I'm not sure what the ingredients are) at a tiny restaurant in a very rural area. Tres bien! After this we drove up a mountain to see the sakura- cherry tree blossoms. Sakura in Okinawa is much earlier than Tokyo, where the season is middle of March. It was so beautiful- especially the pink blossoms in contrast with the grey sky and green trees. There was a little stall that sold sakura (cherry) ice cream, so we stopped for some. We told the woman working that we just wanted one small scoop as we'd just had lunch, but apparently she liked us and decided we needed more, so I ended up with three scoops of ice cream in my cone, each a different flavor!
Finally, we headed to a famous aquarium where we saw probably the biggest fish I've ever seen in person! It was really beautiful. We even braved the wind and the cold to see the dolphin show outside. Apparently afterwards we had fish on the brain, because on the way home we stopped for dinner at a sushi restaurant! I didn't realize until half-way through the meal how funny that was! But the sushi was delicious, so I was happy!
Now I am home and am getting ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is saturday and Miyu and I have to go to school to practice for the graduation ceremony on Sunday. Then I am meeting a friend from high school, Yuka, afterwards. Yuka was a one year exchange student from Okishyo high school when I was sixteen. I haven't seen her since, but we've kept in touch and I am really looking forward to seeing her again! Should be a fun day!
2/7/11
沖縄 (Okinawa)
I am in Okinawa! And it is so wonderful- I can't even describe the feelings that emulated from my body when I stepped off of the plane into sunny, probably 70 degree weather with an amazing amazing view of the ocean!
Before I got there though, I had to tie things up for a while with the Tokyo host fam. Really, the last few weeks with them have been really great, especially being able to bond with my host mom Machico-san. She made me a special dinner the night before we left of olive bread and pasta, and then the day I left my host dad and brother drove me to the station! This was very nice as otherwise I would have to walk about twenty minutes with my luggage (although this wouldn't have been too bad as I borrowed a small suitcase from my friend, so I didn't have to lug the big one out..). It was very unexpected, but I really appreciated the gesture. My tokyo family is so wonderful- it was a little bit sad leaving, even though I know I will be back for another five months of fun.
Arriving in Okinawa I was able to meet my new host parents, and two faculty at Okishyo (the school I am working at in Okinawa) who have been in close contact with me creating this whole internship. The first is Uza sensei, a teacher who accompanies the Okishyo students who come to Cotter high shcool (my high school) every year. My parents actually met him last year, and that was how I was able to be connected. The other person is Aika san, a former student who graduated in 2004 and went on to study in Washington state for her undergraduate. The two of them basically made it possible for me to come to Okinawa, take part in school life, and live with a host family. It was so wonderful to meet them at the airport!
My Okinawa host family is so wonderful!!! I don't actually know my host mom and dad's names because right away they asked me to call them Okaasan (mom) and Otousan (dad), which I find comforting actually. They are about fifty or fifty-five years old and have one daughter, Miyu, who studied in Iowa last year for the school year. She is a junior this year and her english is really good! Her parents are great- funny, kind, feisty, and very laid back. They don't speak much english, so all of our conversations are in Japanese, which I am happy about. I feel really comfortable speaking in Japanese now, so I am thankful for a chance to be able to keep the ball rolling in that department. They are in many ways a more "typical" Japanese family- Otousan owns his own business, Okaasan stays home and works around the house and goes walking and meets up with her friends for lunch. She watches dramas, loves Korean dramas especially and when she found out I could speak a little Korean gave me a high-five and started spewing out random words she had learned. She is very matriarchal and very protective of her daughter, but not at all in an overbearing way. They expect me to live in the same way as their high school daughter (come home at a reasonable hour (sober), call for rides to be picked up, take a lunch to school that my host mom makes me, eat breakfast as a family (at 6:30!!!!), give my laundry to Okaasan to wash, etc..). Basically less freedom than in Tokyo but I really like it this way. I mean first of all I only know one other person in all of Okinawa, so it's not like I have a raging social life I wish to maintain. Also, it feels good to be a daughter again. My Tokyo host family is young, so I am not really a daughter to them, more like a little sister or good friend. Also, they are more hip and not so traditional when it comes to gender roles, so it is interesting and frankly a little refreshing to be in this family with a doting mother and "manly" father. They are so nice to me and continuously tell me how good my japanese is- apparently they were really afraid I wouldn't be able to speak really at all, so they were happy to see I could competently engage in conversation! Also they have a dog- really I don't usually care for animals of any kind (harsh, I know but true. I blame it on my parents for never letting me have a pet.), but this dog, Cami, is so sweet! She never ever barks, doesn't smell, and is really cute! I can't believe I'm saying this but, I like her!
Today was my first day at Okishyo. Started at eight-fifteen- Met with Aika san and together we went over my schedule and then headed to a weekly teacher's meeting where I had to stand in front of probably 100 teachers and introduce myself in Japanese. Kind of scary, but everyone was really kind and supportive. After she gave me a tour of the school, a massive building made of concrete that is about six stories high and has, between the junior and senior high schools, about 4000 students. The high school is divided up into different "schools", or majors that help students prepare for the type of college they wish to enter into. The school I was involved with was the international school, the school that emphasises English language study for students who want to study abroad in the future. I got to meet the other American teachers (4 of 5 are from MN and went to St. Bensenglish yet, so I ended up speaking mostly in Japanese, which blew their minds. Apparently there aren't many Americans in Okinawa who can comfortably converse? But the funniest class by far wasn't an international "school" class, rather an English class for a school that focuses on athletics. Imagine me walking into a classroom of about fifty fifteen year-old boys. They were pretty ridiculous, but also really funny!
The best part of today was just getting to meet all of the teachers and staff and then to be able to talk to the students. I had some free time so I would just hang out in the office and talk with students in Japanese and English. The seniors are actually graduating this coming weekend (Japan's school system starts in April and finishes in March every year), so they are done with class and just killing time, so I had lots of interesting conversations with them.
Tomorrow I am going with my sister Miyu and her friends after school to go to a famous shopping street. She needs to buy small gifts for her friends who are graduating- I am so excited! It is really interesting to get to see how the inside of a Japanese school system works. In many ways definitely different from an American school. I feel I've written a lot tonight so I'll save my school analysis for another time when I have had more time in the school to absorb everything.
Before I got there though, I had to tie things up for a while with the Tokyo host fam. Really, the last few weeks with them have been really great, especially being able to bond with my host mom Machico-san. She made me a special dinner the night before we left of olive bread and pasta, and then the day I left my host dad and brother drove me to the station! This was very nice as otherwise I would have to walk about twenty minutes with my luggage (although this wouldn't have been too bad as I borrowed a small suitcase from my friend, so I didn't have to lug the big one out..). It was very unexpected, but I really appreciated the gesture. My tokyo family is so wonderful- it was a little bit sad leaving, even though I know I will be back for another five months of fun.
Arriving in Okinawa I was able to meet my new host parents, and two faculty at Okishyo (the school I am working at in Okinawa) who have been in close contact with me creating this whole internship. The first is Uza sensei, a teacher who accompanies the Okishyo students who come to Cotter high shcool (my high school) every year. My parents actually met him last year, and that was how I was able to be connected. The other person is Aika san, a former student who graduated in 2004 and went on to study in Washington state for her undergraduate. The two of them basically made it possible for me to come to Okinawa, take part in school life, and live with a host family. It was so wonderful to meet them at the airport!
My Okinawa host family is so wonderful!!! I don't actually know my host mom and dad's names because right away they asked me to call them Okaasan (mom) and Otousan (dad), which I find comforting actually. They are about fifty or fifty-five years old and have one daughter, Miyu, who studied in Iowa last year for the school year. She is a junior this year and her english is really good! Her parents are great- funny, kind, feisty, and very laid back. They don't speak much english, so all of our conversations are in Japanese, which I am happy about. I feel really comfortable speaking in Japanese now, so I am thankful for a chance to be able to keep the ball rolling in that department. They are in many ways a more "typical" Japanese family- Otousan owns his own business, Okaasan stays home and works around the house and goes walking and meets up with her friends for lunch. She watches dramas, loves Korean dramas especially and when she found out I could speak a little Korean gave me a high-five and started spewing out random words she had learned. She is very matriarchal and very protective of her daughter, but not at all in an overbearing way. They expect me to live in the same way as their high school daughter (come home at a reasonable hour (sober), call for rides to be picked up, take a lunch to school that my host mom makes me, eat breakfast as a family (at 6:30!!!!), give my laundry to Okaasan to wash, etc..). Basically less freedom than in Tokyo but I really like it this way. I mean first of all I only know one other person in all of Okinawa, so it's not like I have a raging social life I wish to maintain. Also, it feels good to be a daughter again. My Tokyo host family is young, so I am not really a daughter to them, more like a little sister or good friend. Also, they are more hip and not so traditional when it comes to gender roles, so it is interesting and frankly a little refreshing to be in this family with a doting mother and "manly" father. They are so nice to me and continuously tell me how good my japanese is- apparently they were really afraid I wouldn't be able to speak really at all, so they were happy to see I could competently engage in conversation! Also they have a dog- really I don't usually care for animals of any kind (harsh, I know but true. I blame it on my parents for never letting me have a pet.), but this dog, Cami, is so sweet! She never ever barks, doesn't smell, and is really cute! I can't believe I'm saying this but, I like her!
Today was my first day at Okishyo. Started at eight-fifteen- Met with Aika san and together we went over my schedule and then headed to a weekly teacher's meeting where I had to stand in front of probably 100 teachers and introduce myself in Japanese. Kind of scary, but everyone was really kind and supportive. After she gave me a tour of the school, a massive building made of concrete that is about six stories high and has, between the junior and senior high schools, about 4000 students. The high school is divided up into different "schools", or majors that help students prepare for the type of college they wish to enter into. The school I was involved with was the international school, the school that emphasises English language study for students who want to study abroad in the future. I got to meet the other American teachers (4 of 5 are from MN and went to St. Bensenglish yet, so I ended up speaking mostly in Japanese, which blew their minds. Apparently there aren't many Americans in Okinawa who can comfortably converse? But the funniest class by far wasn't an international "school" class, rather an English class for a school that focuses on athletics. Imagine me walking into a classroom of about fifty fifteen year-old boys. They were pretty ridiculous, but also really funny!
The best part of today was just getting to meet all of the teachers and staff and then to be able to talk to the students. I had some free time so I would just hang out in the office and talk with students in Japanese and English. The seniors are actually graduating this coming weekend (Japan's school system starts in April and finishes in March every year), so they are done with class and just killing time, so I had lots of interesting conversations with them.
Tomorrow I am going with my sister Miyu and her friends after school to go to a famous shopping street. She needs to buy small gifts for her friends who are graduating- I am so excited! It is really interesting to get to see how the inside of a Japanese school system works. In many ways definitely different from an American school. I feel I've written a lot tonight so I'll save my school analysis for another time when I have had more time in the school to absorb everything.
1/31/11
February!
I ate an entire fish head yesterday. It was pretty large, and when I say entire that's a bit of an exaggeration on my part because, while I did eat all of the edible elements, a lot of it was bone. But let me tell you it was an experience! My host mom asked me if I could eat fish head, but I got the word for head confused with the word for eggs (actually though, I really don't like eating fish eggs haha!), so when I replied saying I could she was really surprised saying that most international students don't want to eat it. It was at that point that I realized the errors of my ways. But- it was pretty good! The parts that were a little strange were the eyes (goopy!) and the collagen- again goopy, but I'll have nice skin, right?! It was a really fun experience actually though. And my host mom told me that in Okinawa a popular dish is eating pig's ears, nose, and feet, so bring it on, I guess!
I leave for Okinawa on Saturday, which is really exciting! Finals are done- they were not stressful at all. It was actually kind of fun to study like a real college student. My friend and I hit up a really cheap restaurant where they have an unlimited coffee bar, so we had some nice days sipping and studying and being silly when my kanji and his math problems stopped being interesting. I found out recently that I would be living with a host family in Okinawa, which I am really really really happy about! I know if I were to live in a dorm it would be great because my friend Narumi told me the staff at the school is really welcoming and would look out for me, but how wonderful is it that I am able to live with an Okinawan family, eat local Okinawan cuisine, pick up some slang, and learn more about this place from people who actually live there. My host sister's name is Miyu. She is a junior in high school and I guess studied in Iowa last year, so I'm sure we can commiserate on the winters of the mighty midwest! I am really looking forward to my month in Okinawa.
Another really great thing about Okinawa is that when I return, it will only be a few weeks before my lovely mother comes to visit me! I've been doing a lot of bonding with my host mom lately because she has been helping me plan out our schedule and book hotels. But the reservations have been made, tickets bought, and my little brother Kojirou has even been learning some english phrases! It is so hilarious and so sweet to hear him practicing welcoming my mom in english. Ah, I am so lucky!
In other news, it's been a really really really busy last seven days or so. I met with a lot of friends, some from St. Olaf who were visiting for a few days, a few going away parties for friends leaving, celebrations for the end of finals and other random activities. Two of my favorite things I did last week were food related. On Saturday I went to an event sponsored by my "town" in Tokyo, Koganei. This event was for foreigners living in Koganei to try their hand at the art of Udon-making. Udon is a type of Japanese noodle, kind of like a really thick spaghetti noodle. It was so fun! The ingredients are simple- flour and water, but it takes a long time and a lot of power to mix the dough properly and get it to the right consistancy. My favorite part was when we put a mat on the floor, then a put the dough on the mat , covered on both sides by a piece of plastic with a final piece of cloth on top. I was so surprised when the Grandma who was helping us took her shoes off and started turning in circles standing on the dough! Haha it was fantastic! We all got to try and it felt very strange but all I can say is that our udon was extremely delicious. It was so great to meet other foreigners in Koganei who are all here for different reasons, as well as being able to meet other Japanese people. A really fun day!
The second food related activity was going to my friend's host family's home where he was making Korean food for his host mom, three of her friends, a guy who had lived in her home ten years ago as a part of the Japan Study Program, and me. My friend's host family owns their own apartment building, so the place where we were wasn't their personal kitchen/dining room area. I'm actually not really sure what it was, but it was interesting to see a living arrangement that was very different from mine. My friend made one Korean dish, duc-bo-gi (cabbage, rice cake, spicy sauce, yum) and his host mom's friend made a korean kimchi pancake (can't remember the name!). Her friend is actually Korean but has lived in Japan all her life. The Korean population in Japan is has a very strong voice, especially in Tokyo. Many of these Koreans are actually second or third generation and are called Zianichi-Korean. There are a lot of complicated political and cultural topics for discussion that arise when talking about this group of people, and I don't know a lot about them yet, but am learning more the longer I spend time here.
I can't remember if I wrote about this or not but this same friend's host mom also took me and another of our friends to see some historical buildings in a place called Kawagoe. She is so nice and has been really welcoming to me- it's fun getting to know other host families!
Must get going- have a brief orientation meeting regarding our cultural practicum where we receive the all important packet of money! Meeting another crew of oles tonight for dinner- two were studying abroad in Nagoya, another city in Japan, and are heading back, and the other was on another program and is visiting Tokyo before heading back to good old northfield. Should be fun!
I leave for Okinawa on Saturday, which is really exciting! Finals are done- they were not stressful at all. It was actually kind of fun to study like a real college student. My friend and I hit up a really cheap restaurant where they have an unlimited coffee bar, so we had some nice days sipping and studying and being silly when my kanji and his math problems stopped being interesting. I found out recently that I would be living with a host family in Okinawa, which I am really really really happy about! I know if I were to live in a dorm it would be great because my friend Narumi told me the staff at the school is really welcoming and would look out for me, but how wonderful is it that I am able to live with an Okinawan family, eat local Okinawan cuisine, pick up some slang, and learn more about this place from people who actually live there. My host sister's name is Miyu. She is a junior in high school and I guess studied in Iowa last year, so I'm sure we can commiserate on the winters of the mighty midwest! I am really looking forward to my month in Okinawa.
Another really great thing about Okinawa is that when I return, it will only be a few weeks before my lovely mother comes to visit me! I've been doing a lot of bonding with my host mom lately because she has been helping me plan out our schedule and book hotels. But the reservations have been made, tickets bought, and my little brother Kojirou has even been learning some english phrases! It is so hilarious and so sweet to hear him practicing welcoming my mom in english. Ah, I am so lucky!
In other news, it's been a really really really busy last seven days or so. I met with a lot of friends, some from St. Olaf who were visiting for a few days, a few going away parties for friends leaving, celebrations for the end of finals and other random activities. Two of my favorite things I did last week were food related. On Saturday I went to an event sponsored by my "town" in Tokyo, Koganei. This event was for foreigners living in Koganei to try their hand at the art of Udon-making. Udon is a type of Japanese noodle, kind of like a really thick spaghetti noodle. It was so fun! The ingredients are simple- flour and water, but it takes a long time and a lot of power to mix the dough properly and get it to the right consistancy. My favorite part was when we put a mat on the floor, then a put the dough on the mat , covered on both sides by a piece of plastic with a final piece of cloth on top. I was so surprised when the Grandma who was helping us took her shoes off and started turning in circles standing on the dough! Haha it was fantastic! We all got to try and it felt very strange but all I can say is that our udon was extremely delicious. It was so great to meet other foreigners in Koganei who are all here for different reasons, as well as being able to meet other Japanese people. A really fun day!
The second food related activity was going to my friend's host family's home where he was making Korean food for his host mom, three of her friends, a guy who had lived in her home ten years ago as a part of the Japan Study Program, and me. My friend's host family owns their own apartment building, so the place where we were wasn't their personal kitchen/dining room area. I'm actually not really sure what it was, but it was interesting to see a living arrangement that was very different from mine. My friend made one Korean dish, duc-bo-gi (cabbage, rice cake, spicy sauce, yum) and his host mom's friend made a korean kimchi pancake (can't remember the name!). Her friend is actually Korean but has lived in Japan all her life. The Korean population in Japan is has a very strong voice, especially in Tokyo. Many of these Koreans are actually second or third generation and are called Zianichi-Korean. There are a lot of complicated political and cultural topics for discussion that arise when talking about this group of people, and I don't know a lot about them yet, but am learning more the longer I spend time here.
I can't remember if I wrote about this or not but this same friend's host mom also took me and another of our friends to see some historical buildings in a place called Kawagoe. She is so nice and has been really welcoming to me- it's fun getting to know other host families!
Must get going- have a brief orientation meeting regarding our cultural practicum where we receive the all important packet of money! Meeting another crew of oles tonight for dinner- two were studying abroad in Nagoya, another city in Japan, and are heading back, and the other was on another program and is visiting Tokyo before heading back to good old northfield. Should be fun!
1/23/11
The wind down of semester 1
The last week-and-a-half or so has been a pretty quiet but also fun week. Finals for fall semester are finally underway, so I had lots of study dates with the library and Saizeria- a mock Italian restaurant chain that has bad food but, more importantly, has an unlimited coffee bar. So I am well caffeinated these days!
Probably the highlight of recent days came last Thursday. My friend from high school that also is from the same school in Okinawa where I am going to spending the month of February invited me to her friend's apartment to make nabe, or basically veggies and meet that are cooked in a savory broth, with her other friends from Okinawa. We had such a wonderful time- everyone was really really nice to me and there were two other girls there who had graduated from the same high school as Narumi! It was so fun to eat good food and meet new people and hear so much about the place where I will be going in less than two weeks. Also, I had a really crazy encounter- A guy named Kenta came to the party about an hour after we had started eating. Kenta had actually gone to my high school for one year as an exchange student when I was a freshmen. I don't think I had ever talked to him, but I remembered him because he was in choir with me and he had a really big solo for one of our spring concert pieces that year. I literally had never ever ever ever considered the fact that I might run into him- I didn't even know he was in Tokyo! But he goes to the same college as Narumi, and so Thursday night there he was! Oh life- it's so fun the interactions and encounters you can have with others when you least expect it.
After that things have been pretty quiet- Some really nice nights bonding with my host family- things are going so well- I'm really lucky! Then Saturday a friend had a small dinner party at his apartment and Sunday there was a going-away party for the students in my program who are leaving after this semester (aka in about one week!). And of course lots of studying--!
This week things get really really busy though. I am taking advantage of today, Monday and my day off, to get organized and study, as the following days I don't know how much time I will have.
Life is good!
Probably the highlight of recent days came last Thursday. My friend from high school that also is from the same school in Okinawa where I am going to spending the month of February invited me to her friend's apartment to make nabe, or basically veggies and meet that are cooked in a savory broth, with her other friends from Okinawa. We had such a wonderful time- everyone was really really nice to me and there were two other girls there who had graduated from the same high school as Narumi! It was so fun to eat good food and meet new people and hear so much about the place where I will be going in less than two weeks. Also, I had a really crazy encounter- A guy named Kenta came to the party about an hour after we had started eating. Kenta had actually gone to my high school for one year as an exchange student when I was a freshmen. I don't think I had ever talked to him, but I remembered him because he was in choir with me and he had a really big solo for one of our spring concert pieces that year. I literally had never ever ever ever considered the fact that I might run into him- I didn't even know he was in Tokyo! But he goes to the same college as Narumi, and so Thursday night there he was! Oh life- it's so fun the interactions and encounters you can have with others when you least expect it.
After that things have been pretty quiet- Some really nice nights bonding with my host family- things are going so well- I'm really lucky! Then Saturday a friend had a small dinner party at his apartment and Sunday there was a going-away party for the students in my program who are leaving after this semester (aka in about one week!). And of course lots of studying--!
This week things get really really busy though. I am taking advantage of today, Monday and my day off, to get organized and study, as the following days I don't know how much time I will have.
Life is good!
1/12/11
New Years and other happenings!
Well New Years has come and gone and, being as it's arguably Japan's biggest holiday, I thought I should write about it!
I spent New Years with my host mom, Machico-san's family in a small town about two hours away. After I got back from Hong Kong my Machico-san and Kojirou had already left for her parents house, but as my host dad Kenichi-san had work, we left together on the afternoon of the 31st after doing some cleaning around the house (I feel proud to say I cleaned the room with the ofuro (bath) exceptionally well- better than Kenichi-san normally does!! ). We took the train and reached our destination just in time for dinner. And boy, did we eat. I was at their home from the 31st until the afternoon of the second, and my stomach was always full! I learned on new year's eve, Japanese usually eat "soba" noodles, noodles made from buckwheat flour. Soba is eaten because the noodle strands are long and thin, representing longevity and happiness. The morning of the 1st we had o-mochi, mochi being rice pounded into dense, sticky cakes. The rest of the meals we had everything under the sun in Japanese cuisine, and it was very delicious!
In terms of new year's activities, the days were pretty quiet. On the 31st we just had dinner, chatted, and stayed up to watch a popular concert on television that brings in the new year. On the first I went to a jinja, a Japanese shinto shrine, with my host parents, Kojirou, and my Machico-san's brother. We didn't wait in line to pay respects to the kami (god) or burn incense or get our fortune told as it was too crowded, but it was really nice to walk around and see all the sites and be a part of Japanese new year! The Japanese people are not very religious, and to most visiting the temple or jinja is more a custom than a religious act. It's been interesting learning more about the shinto religion and the Japanese people's relationship to it.
After that we went to karaoke, always a very fun activity! On the second we went for walks, saw swans and ducks (even black swans!), had lunch at a sushi restaurant, and then Kenichi-san and I headed home, Machico-san and Kojirou following the next day. It was a really nice and relaxing new years!
Other events of note- the next day I had fugu with Kenichi-san's brother, Seiji-san. Fugu (blowfish) is a specialty of Japanese (and maybe other Asian countries?) cuisine, and long ago used to be dangerous to eat because the blowfish is very poisonous if not prepared correctly and people used to die because of ingesting the poison. I personally don't know why they went to all this risk though- I was able to try fugu three ways: raw, fried, and boiled, and really it doesn't taste like anything. If someone wants to risk their life for a meal, let it be something more delicious at least!
Went to a jazz cafe with one of my friends- really relaxing and also really fun to see the Japanese jazz scene! The next day this same friend's host mom took us to Kowagoe, a part of Tokyo known for it's old buildings, actually a rarity in Tokyo I think largely because of WWII. It was a really fun outing and my friend's host mom was so so nice! She bought me extra presents at the end of the trip saying, "onna-na hito dake!", meaning just for girls (my friend was a boy, so I think she was glad to be showing around a girl).
Then got to go to my host dad's family's house last weekend for a "shin-nen-kai". "Shin" means new, "nen" means year, "kai" means meeting, so basically a lunch celebrating the new year. It was also seijinshki, a day that celebrates all 20 year-olds coming of age in Japan. Girls wear beautiful kimonos with long sleeves and colorful fabrics. Boys usually wear suits to the ceremony. I was actually invited as I am 20 this year, and when I talked to my host family about it they suggested the ceremony might be boring for me as I probably wouldn't be able to understand it. Another one of my American program-mates tried to attend the ceremony but ended up leaving- his host family wasn't allowed to enter (it must just be for the 20 year olds), and as he was the only foreigner he felt very uncomfortable and didn't know anyone. So given his experience, I am glad I didn't go. Probably what I will do at some point is wear kimono and take photos at a shrine or temple. We were actually going to do that at Kenichi-san's parents house, as his mom makes kimono, but we didn't have time, so another day!
Just about all caught up. Bought my ticket to Okinawa yesterday! I will be there from Feb 5th until probably March 5th. Very very very exciting!!!!!!!
I spent New Years with my host mom, Machico-san's family in a small town about two hours away. After I got back from Hong Kong my Machico-san and Kojirou had already left for her parents house, but as my host dad Kenichi-san had work, we left together on the afternoon of the 31st after doing some cleaning around the house (I feel proud to say I cleaned the room with the ofuro (bath) exceptionally well- better than Kenichi-san normally does!! ). We took the train and reached our destination just in time for dinner. And boy, did we eat. I was at their home from the 31st until the afternoon of the second, and my stomach was always full! I learned on new year's eve, Japanese usually eat "soba" noodles, noodles made from buckwheat flour. Soba is eaten because the noodle strands are long and thin, representing longevity and happiness. The morning of the 1st we had o-mochi, mochi being rice pounded into dense, sticky cakes. The rest of the meals we had everything under the sun in Japanese cuisine, and it was very delicious!
In terms of new year's activities, the days were pretty quiet. On the 31st we just had dinner, chatted, and stayed up to watch a popular concert on television that brings in the new year. On the first I went to a jinja, a Japanese shinto shrine, with my host parents, Kojirou, and my Machico-san's brother. We didn't wait in line to pay respects to the kami (god) or burn incense or get our fortune told as it was too crowded, but it was really nice to walk around and see all the sites and be a part of Japanese new year! The Japanese people are not very religious, and to most visiting the temple or jinja is more a custom than a religious act. It's been interesting learning more about the shinto religion and the Japanese people's relationship to it.
After that we went to karaoke, always a very fun activity! On the second we went for walks, saw swans and ducks (even black swans!), had lunch at a sushi restaurant, and then Kenichi-san and I headed home, Machico-san and Kojirou following the next day. It was a really nice and relaxing new years!
Other events of note- the next day I had fugu with Kenichi-san's brother, Seiji-san. Fugu (blowfish) is a specialty of Japanese (and maybe other Asian countries?) cuisine, and long ago used to be dangerous to eat because the blowfish is very poisonous if not prepared correctly and people used to die because of ingesting the poison. I personally don't know why they went to all this risk though- I was able to try fugu three ways: raw, fried, and boiled, and really it doesn't taste like anything. If someone wants to risk their life for a meal, let it be something more delicious at least!
Went to a jazz cafe with one of my friends- really relaxing and also really fun to see the Japanese jazz scene! The next day this same friend's host mom took us to Kowagoe, a part of Tokyo known for it's old buildings, actually a rarity in Tokyo I think largely because of WWII. It was a really fun outing and my friend's host mom was so so nice! She bought me extra presents at the end of the trip saying, "onna-na hito dake!", meaning just for girls (my friend was a boy, so I think she was glad to be showing around a girl).
Then got to go to my host dad's family's house last weekend for a "shin-nen-kai". "Shin" means new, "nen" means year, "kai" means meeting, so basically a lunch celebrating the new year. It was also seijinshki, a day that celebrates all 20 year-olds coming of age in Japan. Girls wear beautiful kimonos with long sleeves and colorful fabrics. Boys usually wear suits to the ceremony. I was actually invited as I am 20 this year, and when I talked to my host family about it they suggested the ceremony might be boring for me as I probably wouldn't be able to understand it. Another one of my American program-mates tried to attend the ceremony but ended up leaving- his host family wasn't allowed to enter (it must just be for the 20 year olds), and as he was the only foreigner he felt very uncomfortable and didn't know anyone. So given his experience, I am glad I didn't go. Probably what I will do at some point is wear kimono and take photos at a shrine or temple. We were actually going to do that at Kenichi-san's parents house, as his mom makes kimono, but we didn't have time, so another day!
Just about all caught up. Bought my ticket to Okinawa yesterday! I will be there from Feb 5th until probably March 5th. Very very very exciting!!!!!!!
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